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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Arsenal, International Friendly: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Fall vs. Gunners

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3 years ago

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Orlando City played like the better side for 45 minutes in a midseason friendly against Arsenal, but the English Premier League giants took control in the second half en route to a 3-1 win over the Lions at Exploria Stadium. Facundo Torres canceled out an early Arsenal goal but Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson scored after the hour mark to put the match away.

“That exposure today was positive,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said about the club’s showing. “I think in the first half especially, we had a lot of personality. And I’ve gotta say that probably we were the best team on the field. And then we knew who is Arsenal and after that they started getting on top of us.”

The start of the match was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning in the vicinity of the stadium. Fans huddled on the concourse or waited in their cars through a heavy downpour, and nearly every time it seemed the skies would calm, another lightning strike came. Eventually, Mother Nature let the lads play.

Pareja’s lineup included a lot of starters despite the heavy weather and congested fixture schedule, offering Arsenal the respect of at least beginning the game with close to a full-strength starting XI. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo was joined in central midfield by Andres Perea, behind an attacking midfield line of Jake Mulraney, Torres, and Benji Michel, with Alexandre Pato as the striker.

Many fans were surprised to see so many regulars — and some key starters play a lot — in the midst of a heavy schedule. Pareja said he rested Mauricio Pereyra and Ercan Kara as a precautionary measure but wanted some players who needed to regain their rhythm some minutes — particularly Carlos, Pato, Perea, and Moutinho, who saw his first minutes since pulling up prior to the road game at Cincinnati.

“You always want to compete,” Pareja said. “They don’t want to lose games. They want to compete. They don’t want to come off. They want to stay (in the game). It was a great experience for the club.”

Halliday mostly played well, particularly in the opening 20 or 25 minutes, although he did show his inexperience a few times. One of his few errors was when he had a good chance to get in a cross with the Lions in transition and didn’t hit it well, sending it over everyone.

“It’s crazy to me, being so young and just coming into it so quickly, like with the national team, getting minutes there, building experience, and then hopping from there into playing vs. Arsenal,” Halliday said. “I’m critical to myself on mistakes I make, but a pretty solid performance, but I definitely want more and I think a lot of that just comes with more experience and more minutes played.” 

It didn’t take the Premier League side long to score but it was unlucky for Orlando. Gabriel Martinelli played a nice 1-2 with Sambi Lokango and fired the return pass toward goal. The ball hit Carlos in the back and changed directions, which gave Gallese no chance to stop it and Arsenal was up 1-0 just five minutes in.

Orlando kept its shape well in the first half and the Lions were accurate with long balls and switches, which led to more chances than the visitors. Pato had a great opportunity in the 10th minute but got under his shot and sent it into the stands. Michel’s pass to him bounced and the forward just didn’t make good contact.

Michel should have leveled the game in the 24th minute when Torres sent him a good through ball. The Orlando Homegrown Player was away for a breakaway but fired straight at goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who made the save to preserve the Gunners’ lead. Michel and other Lions were able to take advantage of Arsenal center backs Rob Holding and Pablo Mari throughout the first half, particularly with direct balls and timely switches of play.

Torres tied the match five minutes later. Taking a good long ball from Carlos, he fired from the top of the semicircle just outside the area and sent a perfect strike inside the right post to tie the match at 1-1.

Araujo did well to block a shot by Eddie Nketiah off an Arsenal corner kick in the 37th minute to keep things level.

Perea was teed up at the top of the area in the 44th minute but he sent his shot into the upper deck, paying his respects to Carlos Rivas.

Arsenal had the last decent look in first-half stoppage, as Nketiah did well to free himself up in the box for a shot but hit it wide of the right post. The teams went to the break level at 1-1.

Orlando City held more possession (55%-45%), won more corners (2-1), attempted more shots (5-3), and got more on target (3-1). The Lions were also more accurate in the passing game (86.4%-85.7%).

The energy changed a bit after the break, possibly because Arsenal brought on Gabriel Jesus, who fired his first shot attempt in the first minute of the second half, but it was straight at Gallese.

Mulraney made a good move to beat his defender in the 52nd minute but his cross in for Michel was too close to substitute goalkeeper Matt Turner.

A minute later, Jesus fired a shot from distance that seemed to catch Gallese a bit off guard. He made the save but couldn’t control the rebound, which resulted in an Arsenal corner but the Lions dealt with that. The visitors stayed on the front foot, with Nuno Tavares firing into the upper deck in the 57th minute. A minute later, Gallese made a big save on Nketiah in front and then had to knock aside an overzealous back pass from Halliday.

Arsenal regained the lead in the 66th minute during a scramble in the box. Substitute Kyle Smith slid across the area and tried to clear but only succeeded in teeing up a shot for Nketiah to knock into the net, making it 2-1.

The Lions tried to pull that goal back in the 71st minute when Tesho Akindele made a great move to get by a defender and picked out Michel with a good cross. Benji chested it down and then…well, I think he tried to play the ball over a defender to himself, but he didn’t come close to pulling it off, and the chance evaporated.

After another miss by Tavares from outside the box in the 79th minute, Arsenal put the match away. Reiss Nelson was left unattended by Ruan in the box and when the ball came to him, it was an easy finish. The Gunners led 3-1 in the 80th.

Granit Xhaka narrowly missed a free kick in the 86th minute and Gallese made a big save late on Nelson to prevent the final tally from getting any worse.

Arsenal turned all of the statistical advantages around in the second half, finishing with more possession (56.6%-43.4%), shots (19-5), shots on target (11-3), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (90.3%-82.7%).

One of the main reasons Arsenal emerged in the second half was the introduction of starters Jesus, Xhaka, Martin Odegaard, and center backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. The more solidified Gunners were going up against more tired starters and an assortment of substitutes that were either backups, OCB players, or — in the case of Ruan — just plain switched off.

In the end, the result doesn’t matter much and Orlando City at least acquitted itself well against a top European side.

“I was happy to see a very enjoyable game for the fans and against a fantastic rival,” Pareja said. “I was proud and ready to move on to the next one.”

With the friendly out of the way, Orlando City can focus on Saturday’s huge home match against the Philadelphia Union.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/14/25

Luana signs new contract, Orlando Pride prepare for semifinal, Marta and Jacquie Ovalle nominated for FIFA Marta Award, and more.

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20 minutes ago

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November 14, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! The international soccer this week has been pretty nice to watch, with teams all over the world trying to secure a spot in the greatest tournament in sports — the World Cup. The NWSL playoffs return Saturday, making it a nice time to be a soccer fan. I’ll be spending most of the weekend watching soccer and trying to make a pumpkin pie cheesecake. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Re-Sign Luana

Midfielder Luana has signed a new contract with the Orlando Pride that will last through 2026, with a mutual option for 2027. This news comes after Luana scored her first goal for the Pride one week ago, converting a late penalty kick to seal the win against the Seattle Reign. Luana joined the Pride prior to the 2024 season but missed a majority of that season and the 2025 campaign after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and undergoing treatment and recovery. The Pride’s midfield is now fairly set for the 2026 season, with Luana, Angelina, Haley McCutcheon, and Viviana Villacorta all under contract.

Orlando Pride Prepare for NWSL Semifinal

The Orlando Pride will host NJ/NY Gotham FC Sunday in the semifinals of this year’s NWSL playoffs. It will be a clash between the two most recent NWSL champions, with Orlando winning last year and Gotham winning in 2024. Orlando will have to find a way to get past 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Ann-Katrin Berger, while also keeping Gotham’s many talented attacking players from making too much noise. It will be the last Pride game at Inter&Co Stadium this season, so make sure to get out and support the team for this massive game if able to do so.

Marta and Jacquie Ovalle Nominated for Marta Award

The nominees were revealed for this year’s FIFA Marta award, which celebrates the best goal in women’s soccer, and Orlando Pride teammates Marta and Jacquie Ovalle made the list. I’m not surprised to see Ovalle’s “shrimp” goal that she scored while with Tigres nominated, as I’ve never seen anything quite like it and it took some impressive acrobatic skill.

Marta, who won last year, was nominated this year for her goal against the Kansas City Current on Nov. 17, 2024. She sent a pair of Current defenders sliding with a nice cutback move in the box before dribbling around goalkeeper Almuth Schult and scoring to push the Pride into the NWSL Championship.

American midfielder Ally Sentnor was nominated for her screamer for the U.S. during the SheBelieves Cup. While I think Ovalle’s goal is the best of the bunch, there are some pretty good options from around the world so make sure to check them out and vote!

MLS Officially Changes Competition Calendar

A major shift is coming to MLS, as the league’s MLS Board of Governors voted to change the competition calendar to run from summer to spring like most European leagues. This new format is set to start in the summer of 2027, with the league kicking off near the end of July. Prior to that, there will be a 14-game transition season in 2027 from February to May to determine qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. This is one of the biggest changes in league history and I’m curious about how jarring the breaks in the winter and summer will end up being. Hopefully the benefits regarding the transfer market pan out though!

MLS Season Pass Will End After 2025

Starting in 2026, MLS games will be part of Apple TV’s streaming service at no additional cost to subscribers. As a result, MLS Season Pass will conclude after this year. It’s pretty great news for fans, especially those of us already paying for an Apple TV subscription. Another part of this news is that an Apple TV subscription will be part of full-season ticket packages in 2026. MLS games have been streamed on MLS Season Pass since 2023 as part of a 10-year broadcasting deal between the league and Apple.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Kevin Molino scored a late equalizer in Trinidad & Tobago’s 1-1 draw with Jamaica in World Cup qualifying. Orlando City’s Tyrese Spicer also started in the match and was denied a goal on a great save in the first half by Andre Blake.

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

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Orlando City

2025 Orlando City Season In Review: Robin Jansson

The captain’s play declined slightly, but he was still a first-choice player when healthy.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Robin Jansson back in early March of 2019, and he has been a starter at center back ever since. There is no question that he is one of the club’s all-time great players, and he is also on the list of all-time fan favorites as well. The team recognized his efforts with a new contract before the 2024 season that went through the 2025 season with a club option for the 2026 season, and as of this writing, we do not know the status of that club option.

Let’s take a look back at the Beefy Swede’s seventh (!) season in purple.

Statistical Breakdown

Jansson’s total games played decreased for the third straight season, partially due to the early playoff exit and also due to a few injuries. When healthy, he started nearly every game though, slotting in as the left center back in Orlando City’s usual back four alignment.

In MLS regular-season play, Jansson appeared in 30 of Orlando’s 34 matches, starting all 30 and playing a total of 2,614 minutes —the fourth-most minutes of any player. He scored one goal, making it four out of the last five seasons that he has scored from his center back position, and added one assist. He attempted seven shots and put four on target. Jansson completed 88% of his passes, including career-high completion percentages on short (96%) and medium (95%) passes, and contributed five key passes. On the defensive side, he compiled 25 tackles, 24 interceptions, 136 clearances, and 20 blocks. He committed 20 fouls and suffered 23, and he received eight yellow cards but no red cards.

Orlando City went with its usual back four in the Eastern Conference wild card game, and even though Jansson was not 100% healthy, he started and went the full 90 minutes. He did not take any shots or contribute to a goal, completing 83% of his passes with no key passes. He added one tackle and three clearances on defense and committed zero fouls while suffering one. He was not booked.

The Beefy Swede only played one game in the U.S. Open Cup, starting against Nashville and playing all 90 minutes. He did not take any shots or record any goal contributions, but he completed 93% of his passes with two key passes. Defensively, he did not have any tackles but tallied six clearances and blocked one shot. He committed three fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was not booked.

Jansson played every minute during the first five Leagues Cup games, starting all five and playing until the final whistle (this will be important later in this paragraph) for a total of 450 minutes. He did not take any shots or have any goal contributions, though he converted his spot kick attempt in the game against Toluca that went to a penalty shootout. Jansson completed 85% of his passes with one key pass. On defense, he contributed one tackle, five interceptions, 21 clearances, and five blocks. He committed one foul but suffered six, and received one yellow card during game action and one red card after the conclusion of the semifinal game against Miami, due to the language he used when talking to the officials. That resulted in a suspension that forced him to miss the road game at the LA Galaxy.

Best Game

While he scored his only goal of the season against New York City FC and chipped in his only assist against Miami, I think Jansson’s best all-around game was in Orlando City’s 3-1 victory over Charlotte on May 14. The big man turned back the clock in this one, leading the team in tackles (4), interceptions (4), and clearances (5), while also recovering four loose balls and blocking a shot. He brought his offensive boots as well, completing a team-leading 72 passes at a 95% completion rate, and going 49-for-52 (94%) on medium and long passes. It was his long ball over the top to Alex Freeman that set up Orlando City’s second goal, and while he did not receive an assist, that goal would not have happened without his inch-perfect 50-yard bomb, which made Freeman look more like his wide receiver dad Antonio as he “caught” a long pass down the sideline. The Beefy Swede was excellent in helping the team secure all three points against Charlotte in a game that took Orlando City’s streak to 10 straight MLS games without a loss.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Jansson a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for the 2025 season, which is a decrease from the 7.5 out of 10 that he received in 2024, and tied for the lowest he has ever received from our site (6.5 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 7.5 in 2021, 7 in 2022, and 8 in 2023). Father Time robbed Jansson of somewhere between a quarter-step and half-step during 2025, and with a slight decrease in speed, Jansson stayed home on defense more often, decreasing his progressive carries from seven in 2023 and 2024 to zero in 2025. The captain was still a more-than-capable MLS center back, but there was a slight dip from 2024 to 2025 — something not unique specifically to him — and that is reflected in our grade.

2026 Outlook

As mentioned, the decision on Jansson’s 2026 club option has not been publicly announced, but if he wants to return to Orlando, the Lions will likely do everything they can to make that happen. Jansson is the club’s all-time leader in appearances with 238 and probably would surpass 250 during the initial months of 2026 if he returns, further cementing his status as a club legend.

He may have lost a little of his speed, but as is reflected in our final grade and in positional rankings, like this one from American Soccer Analysis (he ranked 53rd out of 124 qualified center backs), Jansson is still an MLS-caliber center back and would have the inside track on a starting role in 2026.

With several other players out of contract and likely to depart, it is logical that the club would want to keep some stability in the middle of the defense, so the Lions are likely to either trigger his club option or sign him to a new contract — probably a one-year deal with an option for the 2027 season — at a lower salary than his current guaranteed compensation of $996,667. Triggering his club option probably would push his salary above $1,000,000, so I think the club will go the new contract route instead of the club option route since he declined this past season and is in the latter part of his career. I expect him to return though, and to continue to be a fan favorite for his passionate play on defense, great hair, and the leadership he shows during every minute of every game.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/13/25

Wilder Cartagena agrees to new Orlando City contract, Inter&Co Stadium hosts food drive, Carson Pickett chosen for NWSL Skills Challenge, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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November 13, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all enjoyed the cold weather, as it looks like things will be warming up pretty soon. It’s been pretty nice to exist outside without sweating, and hopefully that trend continues this weekend since it includes an Orlando Pride playoff match in the City Beautiful on Sunday. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links!

Wilder Cartagena Will Stay In Orlando

Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena agreed to a new contract with Orlando City that will last through 2026 with a club option for 2027. The 31-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s midfield in 2024 but missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to an Achilles injury sustained during the preseason. With the status of many defensive players up in the air this off-season, it’s nice knowing that at least Cartagena will be a familiar face holding things down in 2026.

Community Food Drive at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are teaming up with The Ruckus for a food drive to help ensure families have essential items for the holidays. Donations of shelf-stable and nonperishable food items will be accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 26, with locations at the club’s front office and the Gate D lobby at Inter&Co Stadium. This will coincide with other annual food drives to address food insecurity in the community. The holidays can be a rough time for many of us, so let’s make sure to check out ways we can help each other if able.

Carson Pickett Selected for NWSL Skills Challenge

The NWSL unveiled details about this year’s NWSL Skills Challenge, and Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett is one of seven players slated to participate. Players who are set to play in the NWSL Championship won’t take part in the event though, so hopefully that’s the case for Pickett. Other players set to participate include Croix Bethune and Racheal Kundananji, with the rosters for each of the two competing teams set to be revealed later. The winning team of the Skills Challenge will get $30,000 of prize money to split and this year’s competition will feature a crossbar challenge, a relay race, and a gauntlet involving scoring on mini goals.

Atlanta Officially Receives an NWSL Team

The NWSL officially awarded an expansion club to Atlanta and the club will be owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns Atlanta United. This team in Atlanta will be the closest one to the Pride in terms of distance, so we’ll see if a rivalry of sorts develops between the two. It’s all still a few years away though. The club is set to begin play in 2028 and will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with modifications expected and a capacity of about 28,000 people. The NWSL’s expansion has been steady, with the Denver Summit and Boston Legacy set to take the field for the first time next year. I’ve been enjoying the balanced schedule in the league in recent years but am curious how the league will adjust to having Atlanta and possibly another team in the mix in 2028.

Free Kicks

  • American defender Walker Zimmerman’s time in Nashville will reportedly come to a close once his contract expires this winter. I can think of one team that could use some help at center back.

🇺🇸 BREAKING: Club legend Walker Zimmerman will depart Nashville SC this winter when his contract expires, per sources.Zimmerman is a two-time MLS Defender of the Year winner. Joined ahead of inaugural season. Lifted U.S. Open Cup this year.www.nytimes.com/athletic/680…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-11-12T17:10:38.546Z
  • San Jose Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza is reportedly a free agent as well. The MLS veteran had four goals and 12 assists this year and is a creative player to keep an eye on as teams look to keep up in the league-wide arms race for talented attackers.

🇦🇷 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes star Cristian Espinoza is a free agent, as club didn't pick up his 2026 option before contract's deadline passed.Quakes made a new contract offer to Espinoza, who prefers to stay in MLS but is open abroad too.www.nytimes.com/athletic/680…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-11-12T19:37:01.515Z
  • MLS owners are once again expected to vote on changing the league schedule to run from fall to spring. As an avid romance novel reader, I’m used to this “will they, won’t they” rigmarole from the league about this and won’t believe anything until the Lions are up to their manes in snow for a January game in Colorado.

MLS owners are *expected* to vote on flipping to fall-spring calendar at Thursday's BOG meeting. Changes to competition format also expected.Let's see if it actually comes to a vote, but implications are enormous. Exclusive details with @tombogert.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/680…

— Paul Tenorio (@paultenorio.bsky.social) 2025-11-12T19:13:19.622Z
  • Wolverhampton hired Rob Edwards as its next manager and he has his work cut out for him. Dead last in the English Premier League, Wolverhampton has yet to win a game this season and has only scored seven goals in 11 matches.
  • World Cup qualifying is back and many eyes will be on Victor Osimhen as he aims to lead Nigeria towards qualification. Nigeria will take on Gabon in a semifinal today, with the winner taking on whichever team prevails between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • The 2028 Euros will be hosted across the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the opener taking place in Cardiff City and the semifinals and final set for Wembley Stadium in London.

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

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