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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 5-1 as Lions’ Win Streak is Snapped

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3 years ago

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While many expected Orlando City to suffer a U.S. Open Cup hangover on short rest against the conference-leading Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park, the Lions came out in the mood for a battle. Unfortunately, some questionable officiating and a lucky deflection got the Union (18-4-9, 63 points) started and Orlando (12-11-6, 42 points) couldn’t climb back in it, suffering a lopsided 5-1 defeat on the road. That snapped City’s four-game MLS winning streak and five-game streak in all competitions.

It was the second straight time the Lions have gone to Subaru Park and had a legitimate complaint for an opponent to be sent off but nothing happened. Last year, Kacper Przybylko elbowed Rodrigo Schlegel in the face and then proceeded to score twice after not being sent off. This time, an early headbutt by Jose Martinez on Wilder Cartagena wasn’t seen by the referee and the video assistant referee didn’t bother to do anything about it either.

That could have changed the game, but instead the Union got goals from five different players — Oliver Mbaizo, Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag, Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott — to more than offset Andres Perea’s goal.

“Well, first congratulations to Philadelphia and the way they were sharp in the box and the opportunities that they had, they just put it in the back of the net and that requires a lot of work,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I know that it was going to be difficult in that end and in regards to the game, I thought it was very level. We tried to modify some positioning and some things worked, some things didn’t work.”

Pareja rotated his squad but perhaps a little less than expected. Mason Stajduhar got the start in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Cartagena started in place of Cesar Araujo with Perea in central midfield behind an attacking line of Jake Mulraney, Mauricio Pereyra, and Niko Gioacchini, with Benji Michel up top.

The Lions played a decent first half, all things considered. Pereyra had a look in the 10th minute after Andre Blake punched a Mulraney cross out of the box. Orlando’s captain fired but the shot was blocked.

Martinez smashed a cannon shot over the bar in the 14th minute. Julian Carranza scored a minute later in transition but the flag came up and a VAR check confirmed the call.

Moments later, Cartagena and Martinez got tangled up and in the aftermath, the Philadelphia midfielder got up and appeared to headbutt Cartagena in the head. Referee Armando Villarreal didn’t see it because it happened behind the play but the broadcast picked it up. However, VAR Jose Carlos Rivero did not deem it worth a look for Villarreal and he continued.

“It was a very important play for sure,” Pareja said, without commenting further.

Moments later, Martinez took Perea down from behind in transition and wasn’t booked in a second curious non-call in quick succession.

Michel fired a shot at the end of that play and Blake got a piece of it to knock it out for a corner in the 20th minute. The Lions could not get the ensuing corner cross beyond the first defender.

Orlando had a golden opportunity in the 31st minute when Ruan shook free down the right side of the box. He needed only to get his pass through one defender to set up a sitter but couldn’t do it.

The Union found the breakthrough in the 39th minute on a lucky bounce that came after an Orlando giveaway. Perea had Mulraney wide open to his left in space but ignored him and tried to play a ball to Pereyra in traffic on the right instead. He got the pass wrong and Philadelphia came the other way. Mbaizo fired either a cross or a low-percentage shot that deflected off Moutinho and went high in the air, looped over Stajduhar and somehow found its way inside the far corner to make it 1-0.

“That first goal came on a very unfortunate play,” Pareja said. “It’s the game. We’ll take it, but it was a very unlucky play and then that kind of reduced (the team’s) energy.”

“Always in those situations when you score a goal or you make a good play, you firm up your confidence a little bit, and unfortunately, it just went the other way for us,” Perea said. 

That goal energized the Union and they started becoming more dangerous immediately. Uhre fired just wide in the 41st minute after clearing himself through the defense. But two minutes later he got his goal and doubled the lead. Cartagena tried to play Ruan in on the attack but the fullback was never making the run. The Union broke 3-on-2 and Uhre beat Carlos for pace and slipped his shot past Stajduhar to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.

“With this team, you have to be concentrated and organized all the time. You cannot allow them to go through that middle channel easily,” Pareja said. “That second goal came on a counter attack when we were trying to look for the game.”

The half came moments later and the Lions, who played well overall, were in a two-goal hole. Orlando City had more possession (52.6%-47.4%) and passing accuracy (80.8%-79%), but the hosts had more shots (7-3) and shots on goal (2-1). Each team had one corner opportunity.

Pareja sent Facundo Torres and Ivan Angulo on for Gioacchini and Mulraney to start the second half but the Lions couldn’t get back into it. In fact, things got worse and a Villarreal decision again was involved. Stajduhar spilled a cross in from his left and he and Uhre went for the ball. Uhre touched it first and sent it over the end line while at full stretch and there was some light contact. Villarreal gave a penalty and even though Rivero had him take a second look at it, he stuck with his initial call. Gazdag scored from the spot and the game was effectively over in the 55th minute.

Orlando’s legs left them after that and the Lions created very little. Stajduhar made a save on a long-range try in the 60th minute and then stoned Uhre 1-v-1 in the 62nd after the striker again beat the back line for pace on a ball over the top.

But the Union struck again in the 63rd minute when Schlegel failed to track Bedoya’s run and a perfect cross split the center backs for the former USMNT midfielder to head home, making it 4-0.

In the 67th minute, Stajduhar punched away a shot from distance off a set piece and then had to come up big to deny both Uhre and Gazdag in quick succession. Leon Flach tried his luck from outside the area in the 71st but Stajduhar made another save.

Perea gave the Lions a consolation goal in the 75th minute. Moutinho sent a long throw into the box that deflected to Perea’s feet. The midfielder smashed his shot inside the left post to make it 4-1.

Two minutes later, Moutinho sent in a great cross for second-half sub Junior Urso but he got under his header and popped it well over the goal.

Philadelphia tacked on a late goal off a corner kick when nobody on Orlando tracked Elliott and he easily headed in Kai Wagner’s cross for the final margin of victory.

The Lions held more possession in the game (51.8%-48.2%) and passed more accurately (80.5%-79.5%) but the Union led in all of the other major categories, including shots (19-9), shots on target (12-2), and corners (2-1).

“In that second half we did not have energy to cope with the game, and that was the difficult part of the game,” Pareja said. “ That first goal just made us lose a little bit of confidence and they raised. But at that point, we were better than them. And then after that, it was a normal game. There’s a way to play that they have, very direct, and they affect us. Any inch that you give them in the back they’re alert on them. And we couldn’t cope with that. There were no excuses. I thought on that part of the field they were much better than us.”

“We’re all trying to push. Every team is trying to qualify for the playoffs,” Perea said. “And we’ve got to make sure that we’re continuing to fight, because those situations depend on us. The situations that are coming ahead depend on us and the results that we make of them. So, we have to make sure that we’re keeping the energy high in the group, we have to find our way back to what we did these last five games, where we were able to take stronger results.”

The Lions come home for two matches next week, starting Wednesday against Atlanta United.

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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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2 hours 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.

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22 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.

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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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