Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Crushed at Home by Previously Struggling Revolution

If your team is floundering, just play Orlando City. The New England Revolution hadn’t scored in two games and hadn’t won in six, but had no trouble dispatching the Lions 3-0 at Exploria Stadium. Orlando (8-10-6, 30 points) fell below the playoff line with the team’s continued lack of any kind of quality in league play — especially at home — in falling embarrassingly to the Revs (7-7-9, 30 points) on their own pitch.
Matt Polster, Wilfrid Kaptoum, and Henry Kessler scored for the visitors. For Polster, it was just his second goal of the season, and the other two Revs each scored their first.
The Lions fell to 5-7-0 at home and there will be no help forthcoming after the front office squandered the recent midseason secondary transfer window while everyone else in the conference got better.
“Difficult night for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We couldn’t (finish), but I think it’s much more than that, because through the game, we were losing energy. And then second half, it was painful for us and we couldn’t find the rhythm and and we stopped just being dangerous as well.”
Pareja’s starting lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo played central midfield next to the deep-lying Mauricio Pereyra behind an attacking line of Junior Urso, Alexandre Pato, and Facundo Torres, with Benji Michel up top for the third straight match. Ercan Kara picked up a knock late in the week and wasn’t in the game day roster, but the two newest Lions — Ivan Angulo and Wilder Cartagena — were on the substitutes’ bench.
The Revs came in with the idea of staying deep, gumming up the middle, and trying to hit on the counter and it worked. The Lions couldn’t work through the defense with passes that were precise or quick enough to create the defense any issues. New England used Orlando’s poor passes or deflections to jumpstart transition opportunities.
Kaptoum and DeJuan Jones sent some dangerous balls into the area in the early going but Gallese dealt with them. Jones came within inches of picking out Justin Rennicks in the 17th minute with a dangerous cross. The breakthrough came three minutes later.
A routine ball up the middle was won by New England and quickly sent up field. Polster made a run from a deep-lying position and neither Pereyra nor Ruan picked him up. Polster’s first touch off a Tommy McNamara pass was good and his second sent the ball past Gallese to open the scoring in the 20th minute.
What a dime from @Tommy_Mc15 to set up @MattPolster. 😎 pic.twitter.com/Tp745GrNWU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 7, 2022
“I think the first goal when they scored, we tried to do our best. We tried to push them. We took a surprise goal and that changed the game,” Pato said. “
Things could have gotten worse moments later when Urso conceded an unnecessary free kick just outside the area but Carles Gil’s shot hit the wall.
The Lions woke up a bit after that in terms of getting shots away but didn’t do much with them. Torres sent in a dangerous cross from the left to the far post that Djordje Petrovic misplayed but no Lions were in position to take advantage. Pereyra sent in a good ball over the top to Ruan down the right and the fullback won a corner. The service fell to Urso on the far side but he took a touch to settle it and by then the defense was in position to block it. That was Orlando’s first shot and it happened in the 27th minute.
Michel headed a corner kick cross on frame in the 31st minute but it was cleared away in front.
Orlando’s most dangerous chance came in the 33rd minute when Urso laid off for Pato at the top of the area. Pato smashed his shot on target but it was just a bit too close to Petrovic, who still had to make a great save to keep it out.
❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/iUyBLuqyPk
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) August 7, 2022
Pato missed the net with an effort in the 35th minute and Pereyra and Urso also sent errant shots from around the perimeter as the Revolution continued to prevent the Lions from breaking through the defense. As a result, the low-percentage shots were often rushed or hit out of frustration and offered little threat.
Jansson and Araujo did just enough late in the half to prevent a clear-cut chance in their own box, with the Uruguayan midfielder taking the ball from Gil, who flopped to try to get a penalty call but referee Ramy Touchan wasn’t buying it.
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) August 7, 2022
The Revs took their 1-0 lead into the break. Orlando led in possession (53.4%-46.6%), shots (8-6), shots on goal (2-1), and corners (3-1), but the Revs passed more accurately (87.8%-87.6%) and had the only goal of the half.
The Lions continued looking for a way through in the second half but New England stood its ground. Torres sent the first shot toward goal in the second period but his effort from the distance on theleft skipped wide of the right post.
Pereyra sent a layoff from Michel into the upper deck in the 51st minute with plenty of room to shoot and moments later, the Revs put the game away.
A simple ball in from the right to an unmarked Kaptoum allowed the Revs’ other defensive midfielder to match Polster with a goal.
#NERevs double their lead on the road as @Kaptoum5 finds the back of the net. 2-0. pic.twitter.com/a3xjYJjRMd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 7, 2022
Torres should have pulled one back in the 60th minute when a ball in from the left intended for Pato fell perfectly for him but the Uruguayan hit the right post squarely with a lot of net at which to shoot.
Michel sent a free header wide three minutes later, as the opposition’s net continued to be the safest place in the stadium.
Jones showed his solidarity with Orlando’s players by sending a shot well off target in transition in the 69th minute.
New England finished its business in Orlando with a goal off a set piece in the 75th minute. After an attacking move that appeared offside, Carlos knocked the ball behind to concede the corner. Gil sent in a good ball and Kessler was easily able to head it past Gallese to make it 3-0.
12th assist on the year for Carles Gil as he finds @HenryKessler4 and @NERevolution lead 3-0 on the road. 👀 pic.twitter.com/tiOiEKX1TQ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 7, 2022
After Kessler’s goal the team basically had a kick-about to finish off the remaining time, passing around the outside and then eventually passing to a New England center back just to have something different to do.
Gallese made a good save in stoppage time on Brandon Bye to prevent things from getting worse.
And that was that. A New England team that was winless in six games, didn’t have Dylan Borrero or Gustavo Bou, and didn’t play Giacomo Vrioni had no trouble blasting Orlando City.
The Lions finished with more possession (53.2%-46.8%), shots (18-11), and corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (88.4%-84.8%), but the Revs got more shots on target (5-3).
“We are in the storm right now,” Pato said of the team’s form.
“The numbers are not a secret for us that we have been disappointed at home, especially where we used to be very strong,” Pareja said. “The question comes from what’s next then? And I don’t know any other answer to that than just keep working and keep moving forward and keep trying to fix the things. What we think we’ll do is to refresh this group,” Pareja said. “That’s what we’re going to do in the next two days — try to rest and try to get some energy back.”
Next up for Orlando City is a trip to Red Bull Arena to take on the New York Red Bulls next Saturday night. Much has to change or this once-promising season is going to end very badly for the Lions.
Orlando City
Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence
The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.

Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.
When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.
There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.
While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.
So, why the sudden change?
Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.
It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.
He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.
It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.
At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.
Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/16/25
Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.

Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday
There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.
Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season
With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.
“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.
“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”
He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.
Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent
Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.
Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend
The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.
NWSL Contenders and Underperformers
We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.
Free Kicks
- You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
- This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.
- Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
- FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
- FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
- Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory in Sunday’s edition of Tropic Thunder?

The first Tropic Thunder match of the season is here. As I recently said on The Mane Land PawedCast, I am both looking forward to and dreading this match. I think that is an appropriate feeling. Orlando City is in the midst of a congested May schedule, but every match matters.
Inter Miami tops my list of hated teams at this point. As such, I very much want the Lions to win and for Florida to be purple. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against their in-state rivals?
Pocket Messi
Orlando City must keep Lionel Messi from having too big of an impact on the match. There are plenty of other players that the defense will need to worry about, and I’ll get to them. What I’m looking for is a frustrated Messi — Messi that feels he should be getting calls on the lightest of touches but is not.
The pair of players that I’m expecting to keep an eye on Messi are Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel. The lion’s share of that burden will fall to Araujo. I want him to be hounding Messi every time he gets the ball. If Messi is able to get past Araujo, I want Schlegel to be right in his face. We’re all sick of MLS and Apple TV putting his smug mug in our faces at every opportunity. It’s time for two of Orlando’s defenders to take the shine off of Messi.
Deal with the Rest
Assuming Araujo can limit Messi, Orlando City still has to deal with Miami’s talented attacking players not named Messi. Miami and Orlando entered Wednesday night’s game with the same number of goals scored (21) and allowed (15) this season, although the Herons conceded more at San Jose (3) than the Lions (1) did at home against Charlotte. Each scored three times on Wednesday. However, the memory of the last time the Lions faced Miami at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale is a 5-0 loss. That isn’t something we want to see again.
Theoretically, no match is more important than another, although an argument could be made that Tropic Thunder is no mere match. I fully expect a starting back line of Alex Freeman, Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo in front of Pedro Gallese to stop Miami’s attack. A clean sheet is the objective.
Alex vs. Alba
As you can tell, this is a very defensive heavy Three Keys, but given what happened in this fixture last year, I don’t think it’s out of line. Alex Freeman has been good this season. He has secured the starting spot at right back and seems unlikely to give it back. One of the things he is good at is getting into the attack with Marco Pasalic. That isn’t what I’m looking for from him this weekend.
Miami’s Jordi Alba is a dangerous player that Freeman will be expected to help contain. Alba has five assists, seven successful crosses, and 13 key passes so far this season. If Freeman is still getting up the pitch to assist in the attack, he will need to make sure he isn’t allowing Alba free rein to get behind him and serve as a provider in Orlando’s half of the field.
That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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