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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 5-1 as Lions Blast Their Way into Championship Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City looked to be in trouble midway through the first half of its U.S. Open Cup semifinal match against the New York Red Bulls at Exploria Stadium, allowing numerous dangerous scoring chances to the visitors and falling behind late in the opening period. But the Lions pulled Lewis Morgan’s goal back at the death of the first half through unlikely scorer Cesar Araujo, and then added four in the second half to run away with a 5-1 win and earn the team’s first berth in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.

Araujo led the scoring barrage with a brace, but Orlando also got goals from Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres, and Benji Michel. The win avenged an earlier 3-0 loss at home to the Red Bulls in MLS play.

“I think the confidence that (the players) showed today as a group helped them a lot to put things together,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The team showed that we have talent and cohesiveness among the players. It’s just trying to get that consistency and it’s a long season.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Araujo and Junior Urso started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Alexandre Pato, Pereyra, and Torres, with Michel up top in the striker role.

Orlando City started well, owning the first 15 minutes of the game. Michel had a takeaway in the area just over a minute after kickoff that almost led to an early chance, but his cutback pass for Urso was cut out by the defense at the last second. The Lions had a good opportunity in the 11th minute when Pereyra was fouled just outside the area but the captain hit his free kick into the wall on the set piece.

The Red Bulls fired their first warning shot in transition in the 14th minute when they quickly got the ball up the field, where Luquinhas fired just wide of the left post.

Two minutes after that, Orlando had a chance that Pato couldn’t finish. Pereyra sent Ruan to the end line with a superb pass and the right back made a great cutback pass to find Pato, but the Brazilian’s shot was just wide of the right post.

Luquinhas got a second chance in the 19th minute from the top of the area but again sent his shot just inches wide of the left post. The chance came on a quick transition after a Ruan turnover in his own end. The Red Bulls took control for most of the remainder of the half at that point. Patryk Klimala sent a bicycle kick off the crossbar in the 20th minute. The ball found Dylan Nealis near the left post but Gallese made a spectacular save to keep the game scoreless.

New York kept creating chances out of innocuous plays. Klimala was under pressure but still came close when he hit the post in the 27th minute with a curling effort.

Pato again had the ball on his foot in a dangerous spot in the 38th minute. Ruan sent the ball across the front of goal to Pato, who missed high with his shot.

It appeared the teams would head into the break scoreless but then New York struck in transition. Pato had numbers in the attack and held the ball too long, losing it in traffic. The Red Bulls quickly broke down the field to Klimala on the right. The forward sent a ball across the top of the box to Morgan, who fired just under the crossbar to give the visitors a 1-0 lead early in stoppage time.

Orlando struck back just before the whistle. Antonio Carlos made a rare run up the field and threaded a sweet pass through the line to Ruan. The right back again made a good pass, floating one for Pato but the defense arrived just in time to nod it behind for a corner. On the set piece, the cross found Carlos at the near post and the defender sent his header toward the back post. It hit the woodwork and bounced out in front to Araujo, who swept it home with the last kick of the half.

“I’m living in a beautiful moment right now in my personal life and for me in my career,” Araujo said. “But the most important thing right now is the team won tonight. We get to go on and play in the final.”

Orlando City dominated possession (64.7%-35.3%) and passed more accurately (83%-71.2%) but New York had more shots (10-6), shots on target (3-1), and corners (5-1).

The Lions took the lead just two minutes after the break on a team goal that started with a defensive recovery. Orlando worked the ball up the right and the ball ended up in the midfield on Pereyra’s foot. The captain turned and switched play to Torres on the left side near the top of the area. Torres held the ball and waited for Moutinho to make an overlapping run and gave him a good pass to run onto. The left back then sent a diagonal ball back up through the box, where Pereyra ran onto it and struck it into the back of the net.

“For me, I think letting in that first goal early on (in the second half),” New York defender Aaron Long said on what changed after halftime. “I think, as a group, we got a little unsettled, and in a game that is win or go home, I think maybe we pushed the envelope a little too quick, too fast, got a little bit stretched trying to score that second goal.”

New York tried to get it right back. Ruan’s clumsy attempt to knock the ball away went awry when he swung and missed, knocking his opponent down. The Red Bulls had a dangerous free kick and Ruan saw a yellow card. On the set piece, Carlos cleared the delivery but the recycled ball found its way to Nealis at the top of the area, but he sent the shot well over the bar.

Sean Nealis fouled Torres near the top of the penalty area moments later and Pato fired a shot under the wall. The ball was hit right at goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who nearly spilled it but managed to smother it in the end.

Orlando started to look more and more dangerous getting down the flanks of the Red Bulls’ defense. Torres unleashed a shot in the 62nd minute from the left corner of the box that Coronel got a touch on, sending it out for a corner kick. He only postponed the third Orlando City goal by a few seconds.

On the set piece, a defender got a foot to the ball that Pato served in, but it squirted up in the air. Michel was first to it and headed it to his left, where Araujo fired home his second of the match — and of his professional career — making it 3-1 and giving the Lions their first breathing room seemingly all season.

Pato got his third — and best — golden opportunity of the match in the 65th when he was slipped in behind the defense. Unfortunately, the Brazilian tried to wait out Coronel and the New York goalkeeper ended up smothering it before he could get off a shot. Two minutes later, Michel got loose down the right flank and smashed a shot on target toward the near post, but Coronel fought it off.

Luquinhas sent yet another shot just wide in the 74th minute. His three misses combined must have missed the target by less than a yard in total.

A minute later, Torres scored, but it took a few moments for it to count. Torres got the ball from Urso, raced down the left in behind the defense, and beat Coronel to make it 4-1. The assistant referee’s flag had momentarily come up but there was no whistle and regardless, no one on New York was catching Torres at that point whether they switched off or not. Torres’ finish was good, and after a few moments of referee Victor Rivas discussing the play with his assistant, the goal was given. The Lions led 4-1 in the 75th minute. It was a new season high in goals for the club and the team’s first three-goal lead all year.

Torres then took an absolutely ridiculous ball from Jansson and set up a great finish by Michel in the 83rd minute to complete the night.

Nicholas Gioacchini made his debut late in the match to get his first minutes as a Lion and he picked up a booking on his first foul with the team, which is the most Orlando City thing ever.

The Lions saw out the final minutes of normal time and there was no stoppage time given by Rivas as Orlando City punched its ticket to the U.S. Open Cup final — the second final under Pareja when counting the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament.

New York fired more shot attempts (17-14) and won more corners (5-2), but Orlando City led in possession (59.9%-40.1%), passing accuracy (81%-74.5%), and shots on goal.

“The best thing is that we are aware of the things that we need to work on,” Pareja said. “And today we showed also that we have the tools to do it right, so congratulations to the players and congratulations to the fans for taking our club to another final and showing that we can be much better as well in our performing on the league games, and we will keep working on it.”

The Lions return to league play on Sunday when they visit Audi Field to face D.C. United. Orlando City will host the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 7.

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Lion Links: 11/12/25

Orlando Pride’s playoff picture, Marta goes off, USMNT news, and more.

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2 hours ago

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November 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! I hope you’ve enjoyed our Orlando City Season in Review pieces because we’re almost done with them. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride aren’t finished yet, so you’ll have to wait for the Pride Season in Review pieces. For now, let’s get to the links.

Pride Playoff Picture

The Orlando Pride will host Gotham FC Sunday with a chance to advance to the NWSL Championship match. The defending champs aren’t at the top of anyone’s list to win the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance. We know for sure that the Pride have a better chance of winning back-to-back titles than the Kansas City Current have of winning the double (because they’re already eliminated). Having the Pride in the NWSL Championship match might not be very enticing for anyone but Pride supporters, but I’m not allowing that kind of negativity in my life right now.

Marta Claps Back

For those who hadn’t heard, former NWSL midfielder and commentator McCall Zerboni said the Orlando Pride have “arguably one star” on the Attacking Third podcast on the CBS Sports Golazo Network heading into the match against Gotham FC. A generous person would say she means above the crest, but since that is a fact and not “arguable,” she obviously meant that star was Marta. The GOAT took exception with the comment.

What Zerboni said may even be factual, but when talking about the defending champions, one must be prepared to face the wrath of Marta. If the Pride can win two more matches this year, then there will be two stars over the crest no matter how many stars are on the team.

USMNT News

Weston McKennie was not called up for the November USMNT camp, but it’s not what you think. Mauricio Pochettino is actually looking out for McKennie, as there is yet another new coach at Juventus. Pochettino knows McKennie’s quality but wants Juventus’ new coach, Luciano Spalletti, to keep playing the midfielder.

Matt Freese is at the camp and he is looking to secure the top goalkeeper spot for the USMNT ahead of the World Cup. Others, including Gio Reyna, are also trying to prove they should make the cut for 2026. The team plays friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on Nov. 15 and Nov. 18, respectively.

U-17 USMNT Wins Group at U-17 World Cup

The U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team topped its group with a 1-0 over Czech Republic. The team won all three group matches, with Mathis Albert scoring the winning goal for the U.S. in the 78th minute on Tuesday. It’s the first time in 34 years that the team has won all three group stage matches. The U.S. heads into the Round of 32 to face Morocco, which finished third in Group B.

🇺🇸 Mathis Albert scores the lone goal for the United States against Czech Republic at the U-17 World Cup for a 1-0 win.USYNT wins all three group games, the first time in program history they won out at the U-17 World Cup group stage

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-11-11T16:39:54.619Z

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That will do it for today. I will be at Inter&Co Stadium Sunday for the Pride’s match against Gotham FC. I hope you’ll join me. Vamos Orlando!

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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Rodrigo Schlegel

The Argentine center back once again found himself in a starting role far more often than fans probably expected.

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20 hours ago

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November 11, 2025

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Image of Rodrigo Schlegel with the ball at his feet.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City signed center back Rodrigo Schlegel on loan from Racing Club on Dec. 30, 2019. The Argentine defender signed him to a new permanent deal on Jan. 19, 2022 and then re-signed him again a year later on Jan. 25, 2023 on a deal through that season with option years for 2024 and 2025. The club picked up his 2024 option and the 27-year-old native of Remedios de Escalada, Argentina ended up a regular in the starting XI during the team’s strong playoff push in the second half of the season. He turned in his best season in a purple kit a year ago and Orlando City picked up his 2025 option year after the 2024 season.

At 28 years old, Schlegel is in his prime years as a center back, and a continuation of the progress he made the last two years would have been welcome. He again found himself as a regular starter almost from the jump, filling in for Robin Jansson on opening day against Philadelphia when the captain suffered a knock in pregame warmups, followed by David Brekalo suffering a shoulder injury. Brekalo then slotted in at left back to provide solidity there, and from then on, Schlegel was essentially the starting right center back for the rest of the season.

Let’s take a look back at the Argentine’s sixth season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Schlegel played in all four competitions with the Lions in 2025 — the regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. He appeared in 31 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season (all starts), playing 2,686 minutes. All of those were new career highs. He did not contribute to a goal in the regular season and still sits on two career goals and no assists. Schlegel attempted 17 shots, putting just five on frame. He passed at a strong 90% rate but provided only one key pass, no accurate crosses, and 35 successful long balls. In his own end, he contributed 45 tackles, 31 interceptions, 24 blocked shots, and a team-high 176 clearances. The defender committed 37 fouls, drew 27 on the opposition, and racked up 10 yellow cards while getting sent off once.

In the only Orlando City playoff game of 2025, Schlegel started and played 76 minutes without a goal contribution or a shot attempt. He completed 94% of his 45 passes without a key pass or a cross, connecting on two long balls. Schlegel contributed three tackles, two interceptions, a block, and five clearances against the Chicago Fire that night. He committed two fouls, drew three on the Fire, and of course was shown a yellow card.

Schlegel also participated in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches in 2025 (both starts) and played 152 minutes in the competition. He did not tally a goal contribution or put his lone shot attempt on goal. Schlegel completed 115 of his 124 passes for a stellar 92.7% completion rate with one key pass, six complete long balls on 11 attempts (54.5%), and no cross attempts. The veteran defender logged six tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances in the tournament. He committed five fouls, suffered four, and was surprisingly not booked in either match.

In 2025 Leagues Cup play, Schlegel started and went the distance in all six of Orlando’s games, playing 540 minutes. He scored his only goal of the season in the tournament-opening 1-1 draw against Pumas on July 30, but did not register an assist, putting two of his five shots on target in the competition. The center back completed 239 of his 264 passes for a 90.5% success rate with 70.4% accuracy on long balls and one key pass, but he did not attempt a cross in the tournament. Defensively, Schlegel contributed 13 tackles, three interceptions, three blocks, and 26 clearances. He committed 11 fouls, drew eight on his opponents, and received three yellow cards but was not sent off.

Best Game

Schlegel’s highest rating in an individual game was 7 out of 10, which he accomplished six times in 2025, so there wasn’t a clear-cut top performance, although there were several solid ones. It’s tempting to take the game in which he scored his lone goal of the season — a powerful and perfectly placed header in Leagues Cup. I mean, check this out:

Instead, I’m going to focus on one of his best defensive performances of the season, and one of the aforementioned matches in which we rated him a 7 out of 10 — the 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, which our Sean Rollins said Schlegel “was a monster in this game.”

Schlegel started and went the distance at center back, leading the Lions with 86 touches. He did not contribute to Martin Ojeda’s winning goal in the 24th minute, but he managed to put his only shot attempt on target that night, forcing a good save from Nicholas Hansen. He also completed 88% of his passes that night, finishing second only to central defense partner Jansson (93%) among all players from both teams, although he did not contribute a key pass and connected on only one of his five long balls. Where the Argentine shone was in his own defensive third, where he did not record a tackle, but he did finish with one interception, two blocks, and an incredible 21 clearances, with 12 of those coming off his head. He committed two fouls and was booked in the match, but he one three of his six aerial duels and helped Orlando City earn a road shutout in one of the most difficult environments in MLS.

2025 Final Grade

Schlegel received a composite rating of 6 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for his season-long performance. This is the same score he received from us back in 2020, which was his first season with the club, and equals his lowest single-season rating in his six years with the Lions. His 6/10 rating is a full point lower than he received from us in 2024 and in 2023. It’s half a point lower than the 6.5 we gave him in 2022 and in 2021. Part of the reason for his drop was the overall dip in quality of the entire team defense. Everyone suffered a bit for that. But he also played inconsistently. He’d look the part of a top tier MLS starter one week, only to follow that with a couple of poor-to-meh performances. He was also part of a couple of maddeningly poor goals that deflected into Orlando’s own net.

Schlegel continued to have moments of madness, such as the penalty he gave up to Montreal, allowing the Canadian side to salvage a draw on what turned out to be its only shot on target of the match. He was also sent off against the Red Bulls and is nearly a guarantee of a yellow card in any given match. In six seasons, he still has not curbed his tendency to be overly aggressive, getting caught up the pitch to exacerbate transition opportunities and putting his teammates in a position to take a yellow card to make up for him not being in position. As such, his season rating is in line with his average grade in our player grade pieces for the individual matches (6.02), which was one of the lowest averages among Orlando City’s regular starters.

2026 Outlook

Unless there’s an automatically triggered option year we don’t know about, Schlegel is out of contract as of this writing. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and will have interested suitors, but it’s likely up to Orlando City whether he returns or not. Schlegel is well-liked by his teammates and coaching staff and seems to be a good fit for Oscar Pareja’s culture. He was previously one of the better bench center backs in the league, but as a long-term starter, the Lions are in flux with who to put next to Jansson — that is assuming Jansson’s contract option is picked up, which might not be a foregone conclusion after the Beefy Swede seemingly lost a step this year. Brekalo has picked up periodic knocks and has yet to claim the right center back position as his own on a permanent basis. One would have to think Brekalo isn’t the best solution at left back moving forward, so the Slovenian international will likely get a long look as Jansson’s partner again in preseason camp. And all of the center back decisions might hinge on whether Alex Freeman returns in 2026 or transfers out, because he gives the club a unique weapon at right back that essentially lets Pareja play a three-man back line.

Orlando City is at a crossroads and must decide whether to rebuild the center back position now entirely, continue with Jansson and Schlegel (or hope Brekalo rises to the challenge and takes the right CB spot), or split the difference by keeping one of Schlegel or Jansson and letting the other go, requiring a new signing before next season. Schlegel is still a solid backup center back choice, but he comes with a host of concerns as a regular starter. He made a base salary of $500,000 and total compensation of nearly $610,000 in 2025. That’s just under what Brekalo makes and well short of Jansson’s salary.

It will be interesting to see how the Lions approach central defense in the off-season and it might be the biggest area of concern in the buildup to 2026.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links: 11/11/25

Anna Moorhouse garners recognition, Tyrese Spicer called up, USMNT roster updates, and more.

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1 day ago

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November 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a damn good weekend, as the Orlando Pride advanced to the semifinals of the NWSL playoffs and will actually host after Gotham FC pulled the upset against the Kansas City Current! That, combined with the international break, means we have lots to talk about today, so let’s jump right into the links.

Anna Moorhouse Earns Recognition

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has been rewarded for her performance in the Orlando Pride’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over the Seattle Reign with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. Moorhouse was instrumental in the Pride advancing to the semifinals, as she stood tall with eight saves in the match and kept a clean sheet in a closely fought game. Congratulations to the Pride’s shot-stopper and here’s hoping that the good work continues in the semifinal.

Tyrese Spicer Called Up

Continuing a recent trend of Lions getting called up by their national teams, Tyrese Spicer is on Trinidad & Tobago’s roster for its upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. T&T will face Jamaica at home on Nov. 13 and Bermuda at home on Nov. 18. With two matches remaining in the current stage, T&T is third in Group B with five points, while Jamaica sits at the top with nine. Two wins would give T&T 11 points and a real chance of winning Group B and qualifying directly for the World Cup, while finishing on eight or nine points would give it a decent shot at being one of the three best second-place finishers and advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Spicer has been in fine form for his country lately, as he scored a goal in each of T&T’s two October qualifying matches.

United States Men’s National Team Roster Adjustments

Speaking of national teams, the USMNT has announced some adjustments to its roster for the team’s two upcoming friendlies. Midfielders Tyler Adams and Sean Zawadzki have both been removed from the roster after the suffered injuries with Bournemouth and the Columbus Crew, respectively, over the weekend. In their place, LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman has been added to the roster and joined up with the squad in Philadelphia on Monday. Tillman changed from representing Germany to suiting up for the U.S. in 2023 and has earned one cap with the USMNT since then. The team is set to play Paraguay in Philadelphia on Nov. 15, and Uruguay in Tampa on Nov. 18.

Mexico’s World Cup Updates on Schedule

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that the country’s infrastructure projects for the 2026 World Cup are on track to be completed in time for the start of the tournament. Among the construction projects are the renovation of a pair of terminals at Mexico City International Airport and the building of a train line connecting Mexico City with another airport about 30 miles away. Additional government-sponsored projects will take place in Monterrey and Guadalajara, although details have not yet been made public. Meanwhile, Azteca Stadium has been closed for renovations that are being carried out by a private company.

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  • Gustavo Caraballo and Venezeula are on to the next round of the U-17 World Cup.
  • Have a look at Alex Freeman and the rest of the USMNT getting ready for the upcoming match against Paraguay.

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

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