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Orlando City vs. Sacramento Republic FC: Photo Gallery

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City did the thing. The Lions patiently battered their heads against a stout Sacramento Republic FC bunker for an hour and a quarter before Ivan Angulo’s pressure created the crack that Orlando needed to bash down the door to its first major trophy since joining MLS for the 2015 season. The 3-0 victory over the upstart Republic also gave the Lions their first qualification to the Concacaf Champions League and they’ll play for the continental championship in 2023.

While the visitors were seldom threatening in the match, the game seemed to be unfolding just the way they would have hoped. Referee Ramy Touchan let a lot of contact go, and the Lions moved the ball slowly and cautiously, opting to keep it under control instead of trying to play to striker Ercan Kara over the top. The few times those attempts came, long balls were overhit and either went out for a goal kick or were easily collected by Sacramento goalkeeper Danny Vitiello.

The rain — usually a friend to the Lions — also seemed to be an advantage for Sacramento, taking some of the crispness off Orlando’s passing.

Oscar Pareja inserted Homegrown Player and Orlando native Benji Michel into the lineup for Kara just past the hour mark to provide energy and it worked. When Angulo dispossessed defender Dan Casey on the left edge of the box, he knocked it to Michel, who did well to spot the oncoming Facundo Torres and deliver an easy pass for the Uruguayan winger to handle. Torres smashed it first time into the upper left corner for the opener the Lions had been looking for.

With the Republic having to chase the game over the last quarter of an hour, the cracks and spaces began to grow and Orlando took full advantage. A good ball over the top found Michel in the box and as he settled the ball to take his shot, he was fouled by Casey, earning his team a penalty. Torres dispatched the spot kick with class and coolness, sending Vitiello the wrong way to make it 2-0.

Torres returned the two Michel favors deep in stoppage time, sending a pass that split two midfielders and two defenders to pick out Benji making a diagonal run. Michel placed his shot perfectly, slotting just inside the left post to put the game away and allowing Exploria Stadium to celebrate.

Speaking of celebrations, the joy and chaos on the field after the final whistle was a sight to behold. The Lions jumped, danced, and sang, filming themselves with cell phones, donning various bits of costume, and draping their national flags around their shoulders, while quickly changing into 2022 U.S. Open Cup champion t-shirts. They walked through a classy honor guard of Sacramento players to the podium and lifted their trophy in front of their home fans, finishing a run of six consecutive home matches in the competition en route to the title.

We hope you enjoy these images from an absolutely unforgettable night in the history of Orlando City SC.


Images: Dan MacDonald
Words: Michael Citro

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Photo Gallery

A gallery of photos from the Orlando Pride’s home loss against the Washington Spriit.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land


The Orlando Pride generally controlled the game against a significantly weakened Washington Spirit team, but fate came down on the side of the Spirit, who managed to steal the whole result 1-0. The Pride dominated most statistical categories and Washington generated little danger, but Orlando could not finish its chances and an Anna Moorhouse gaffe provided Gift Monday with a tap-in goal. The defeat was the Pride’s first defeat of the season and their first home defeat since August of 2023.

Orlando dominated the first half, not allowing a shot at all from Washington until the 30th minute. The Pride generally got the ball into good attacking areas, but for some reason Orlando was unable to produce very many dangerous shots. Those they did produce missed the target or were blocked, so credit Washington for have a stout final defense.

As always, the second half brought adjustments and was more balanced until Ashley Hatch took a ball to the head. This broke any game rhythm as it took several minutes for the initial evaluation, but then a few minutes later Hatch needed re-evaluation and was removed from the match.

A few minutes later, Moorhouse was not attentive in receipt of a back pass from Emily Sams in the six-yard box. Monday made just a moderate press but managed to close the space. Moorhouse inexplicably turned into Monday’s press rather than allowing the play to flow to the other side of the pitch (with an open teammate ready to receive the pass), and Monday nicked the ball and touched it across the goal line.

The Pride showed their characteristic confidence after that, keeping well organized and pushing for a goal. They even managed to put the ball in the net in the 83rd minute, but the goal was overturned after video review for a foul. However, Orlando failed to produce a goal in the end, and Washington left with the win.

We hope you enjoy the photos despite the disappointing result. The Pride play next on Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium, hosting Angel City FC at 8 p.m.

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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Photo Gallery

An album of images from Orlando’s scoreless home draw with the New York Red Bulls.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land


Orlando City hosted New York Red Bulls on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to already close out the season series. While Orlando generally dominated the game, the Lions did not take their chances in the first half and found themselves down a man for most of the second half. While Orlando continued to push for the win — even down a man — being shorthanded proved too much and the team had to settle for the second scoreless draw in a row.

Luis Muriel and Marco Pašalić had good looks in the first half that just missed. Ivan Angulo also missed wide from the middle of the top of the area in the opening half. Of the chances on target, Red Bulls netminder Carlos Coronel had a good save on Martin Ojeda and snuffed out a one-on-one opportunity with Muriel. When contrasted with the Red Bulls’ single low-quality chance, based on the first half, it looked that Orlando had the game well under control, despite the lack of score.

If Orlando had managed to convert one of these chances, it would have made for a much different game, however, the match was turned on its head early in the second half when Rodrigo Schlegel was sent off with a second yellow card in the 56th minute. Orlando still found opportunities for a good chunk of the rest of the game, but eventually the game devolved to the typical 10-man game.

Despite putting on the remaining attacking power from the bench, Orlando wound up staying in an organized defense for the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time, fighting to earn a single point.

We hope you enjoy the gallery of images from a rare (these days, anyway) Orlando City day game.

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Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave: Photo Gallery

A gallery of images from Orlando’s 2-1 home victory over the San Diego Wave.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land


The Pride welcomed San Diego to town on a beautiful March day. Hopefully, the visitors enjoyed the weather, as Orlando continued its winning ways, dispatching the Wave 2-1 in a hard-fought match on a hot afternoon.

Maybe due to the early start, both teams seemed to take awhile to find their rhythm. The Pride pulled out their scoring boots at the intermission, going ahead on yet another Haley McCutcheon goal shortly after the intermission. Unfortunately, Seb Hines’ side switched off for a moment shortly after that and the Wave drew level on their only real chance of the game two minutes later.

The Pride kept showing their grit, with Barbra Banda drawing a penalty, which was eventually dispatched by Marta in the 75th minute. It did take Marta two attempts — she had a rare miss off the right post on her first attempt, but a retake was awarded for encroachment as San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan came off her line early. After the penalty, the game really opened up, with San Diego forced to push for an equalizer. The Wave managed to get several good runs in behind, but the Pride defense covered well, running down and cleanly tackling several breaks.

Goal excepted, it was another excellent showing by the Orlando defense. While San Diego did get forward multiple times, the only shot on goal resulted in the goal, and the other four attempts were all blocked.

We hope you enjoy these photos of another Pride victory on a beautiful day at Inter&Co Stadium.

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