Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

on

Orlando City will return to Exploria Stadium empty handed after a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on the road. Some bad luck and a good performance from one of the league’s best teams was enough to end the Lions’ hopes at a result in this match. An own goal — originally credited to Olivier Mbaizo but changed after the match — opened the floodgates and goals by Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag, Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott sunk the Lions. Andres Perea was able to spoil Philadelphia’s clean sheet at least.

Let’s take a look at how each Lion performed individually in the loss.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 5 — He didn’t have much of a chance on the Union’s first goal as a cross by Olivier Mbaizo was deflected by Moutinho. The ball went over Stajduhar’s attempted swat and into the back of the net. Stajduhar was able to get a leg to Uhre’s shot from point blank range on the Union’s second goal, but there was too much power behind it. He conceded a penalty in the second half for barely making contact with Uhre, but he spilled a fairly routine-looking cross to allow Uhre the chance to pounce on it. The 24-year-old wasn’t able to stop Gazdag’s strike from the spot and had no chance on Bedoya’s diving header a few minutes later. Elliott scored on a free header and Stajduhar ended up conceding five goals. Still, he came up with seven saves, including three good ones in a row in the second half to stop Philly from scoring off of a free kick. Stajduhar only had 14 passes, completing 71.4% of them, and was accurate on three of his seven long balls. He’s not the first goalkeeper to be brutalized by the Union’s offense this year and likely won’t be the last. Some unlucky moments will make his performance look worse than it was, but there were still good moments for the backup goalkeeper, along with some on which he could’ve done better.

D, Joao Moutinho, 5.5 — The left back had a long and busy night as he led the Lions with a whopping 103 touches. His 72 passes were also the most by an Orlando player, although he completed them at just a 65.3% rate. Just one of his five crosses were accurate, including a great one that Junior Urso couldn’t put on frame, and he delivered some decent balls late in the match. Five of his 12 long balls were accurate, and he had two key passes to set up opportunities. His lone shot was from range and went wide. Defensively, Moutinho had three clearances, a tackle, and an interception. Moutinho was dispossessed and an unlucky deflection after he got a piece of Mbaizo’s cross ended up as an own goal. He (understandably) appeared to have nothing left in the tank late in this game, tracking back far too slowly on Cory Burke late to allow a shot that resulted in a corner kick, and he also wasn’t able to stick with Elliott on the ensuing goal from that corner. However, his long throw helped create Orlando’s only goal of the game.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — Schlegel did a poor job marking Bedoya on the Union’s fourth goal. The center back finished the game with five tackles, four clearances, two blocks, and an interception. He had 28 passes at a good 85.7% success rate, but none of his four long balls were accurate. Schlegel also picked up a yellow card to stop Philly on a counter for his first booking since July.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Carlos led the Lions with five clearances and three interceptions, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Union’s red-hot offense. The center back was beaten by a good through ball by Gazdag, as Uhre beat him to the ball and buried his shot on the Union’s second goal. Carlos was beaten multiple times by Uhre’s pace, but that’s more a credit to the Philadelphia striker than anything to do with Orlando’s center back. He nearly got his head to Kai Wagner’s cross on Philly’s fourth goal, but it fell for Bedoya. It was a strong night in terms of passing for Carlos though. The 29-year-old was accurate on nine of his 10 long balls and completed 90.2% of his 32 passes. Carlos also won all three of his aerial duels. It was always going to be a tough assignment against the Union and Carlos will have to shake off this result as the team prepares for Wednesday.

D, Ruan, 4.5 — It’s no secret that the right back’s crossing needs some work, but Ruan just wasn’t able to provide enough from the wing during this match. Both of his crosses were inaccurate and his second one had a real chance to give Orlando a lead if he didn’t send it right into the lone defender’s feet. Two of his four long balls were successful and he had 36 passes at a 77.8% success rate. Ruan had two tackles and two interceptions, but the Union really made the most of the space left when he went on the attack. Sometimes the Brazilian was able to track back in time to apply pressure, but other times Carlos and the defense were left to pick up the slack. Ruan didn’t provide the offensive bite to make his trips up the field worth it in the end.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — The Peruvian defensive midfielder led the team with six tackles and also contributed three clearances and an interception. His work on defense helped limit Philadelphia’s attack through the middle of the field. Cartagena completed 78.1% of his 41 passes, but his service when attacking needed to be better and only one of his four long balls was accurate. More time playing with his teammates may correct that over time, but a bad pass from Cartagena led to Philadelphia’s second goal. It was a decent outing from the 27-year-old, although it showed some fixable areas to improve moving forward. He could have had the game’s biggest contribution when he aggravated Jose Martinez into headbutting him but it wasn’t called and the video assistant referee apparently deemed there wasn’t enough evidence to award a red card.

MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — It was a mixed bag from Perea. The 21-year-old gave the ball away after trying a harder pass than needed and the Union capitalized off of the mistake. It wasn’t his worst match offensively though, as he scored a goal, made two key passes, and had three successful dribbles. His first goal of the season was a nice one as he set it up at the top of the box and smashed it past Andre Blake, which is no easy feat. He completed 83.3% of his 42 passes but neither of his long balls. Perea also chipped in defensively with two interceptions.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 (MotM) — In his 65 minutes on the field, Pereyra pulled the strings to help Orlando build possession or surge forward on counter attacks. Although he was positioned deep in the midfield, Pereyra showed plenty of hustle to help out on both sides of the ball. The Uruguayan’s lone shot was an attempt from distance that was blocked before it could test Blake. Pereyra had 48 passes at a solid 85.4% success rate and also had a key pass by slipping a ball through the Union’s defense for Benji Michel to get a shot off and earn a corner. Although his single cross didn’t find its target, he was successful on two of his three long balls. His effort on defense shouldn’t be overlooked as he had three tackles and two interceptions to break up some of the Union’s attacks.

MF, Jake Mulraney, 4 — It was a pretty pedestrian performance by Mulraney, who was too often out of position to help the team during transition moments. It was hard to see how he fit into Orlando’s game plan as he lacked the speed to rush forward on counters and didn’t create many chances. He only had 11 passes, completing them at a 90.9% success rate, and his only cross was unsuccessful. Mulraney was subbed off at halftime and it was a night to forget for the Irishman.

MF, Niko Gioacchini, 4.5 — The American had six unstable touches and was dispossessed four times in this one as he was unable to get much going on the offensive end. He didn’t have any crosses, although that is partially because he tended to drift into the center of the field while Ruan worked the right wing when attacking. His passing needed to be a bit better as he only completed 68.4% of his 19 passes, and he didn’t have a shot. Gioacchini was a step behind opposing players at times and didn’t contribute any defensive stats in a rough game on the road.

F, Benji Michel, 5.5 — Although he won four of his five aerial duels, Michel had a tough time dealing with the strong center back pairing of Elliott and Jack Glesnes. His only shot was from a tough angle near the end line and the Homegrown Player did well to force a save from Blake and win a corner. In the second half, he had a key pass as he headed the ball towards Facundo Torres in the box. In terms of his hold-up play, Michel was successful on 84.2% of his 19 passes and had four unstable touches. His speed was certainly an asset, particularly in the first half, but he ultimately had a difficult time against the league’s best defense.

Substitutes

MF, Facundo Torres (45’), 5.5 — Torres came on with the Lions trailing by two at halftime, but the Union made sure to swarm him and force Orlando’s other players to beat them. Still, he found ways to get involved and had 32 touches and 23 passes at a strong 91.3% success rate. Torres had two shots, sending one wide and having the other blocked. His one cross and two long balls didn’t find their targets. All in all, Torres wasn’t able to make much of an impact on this game but only played one half and should be ready to roll for the upcoming matches.

MF, Ivan Angulo (45’), 5 — Like Torres, Angulo wasn’t able to create a spark to revive Orlando after coming on at halftime. Unlike Torres though, he didn’t see much of the ball and had 17 touches and 11 passes at an 81.8% success rate. Angulo’s only shot came early after coming on, but it missed the target. It was an otherwise quiet night for the Colombian and we didn’t see much of the speed and skill on the ball he’s displayed in previous matches.

MF, Junior Urso (65’), 6 — The Bear notched his seventh assist of the season with a nice headed pass to find Perea open at the top of the box following a long throw-in from Moutinho. Urso gave the Lions some needed energy on offense and was accurate on both of his long balls. He had 27 touches and 17 passes at an 82.4% success rate. The 33-year-old received some needed rest after playing nearly every minute of Orlando’s past five matches.

D, Kyle Smith (65’), 5 — Smith had 25 touches, two tackles, and two interceptions after coming on to replace Ruan. The damage had mostly been done by that point and he wasn’t able to create much on the offensive end as his only long ball was inaccurate and just one of his three crosses was successful. Smith had 14 passes at a 71.4% success rate and wasn’t part of any aerial duels.

MF, Cesar Araujo (84’), N/A — Coming on for Cartagena late in the match, Araujo had three touches and completed both of his passes. Philadelphia added its fifth goal shortly after he came on and there wasn’t enough time on the pitch for him to be graded.


The roster featured plenty of rotation following the club’s U.S. Open Cup win this past Wednesday. The Lions will have to shrug off this result as they get ready for critical matches against Atlanta United and Toronto FC this upcoming week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Mauricio Pereyra6
Andres Perea4
Junior Urso1
Someone else (Tell us who in the comments below)0

Orlando City

Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?

Stop Gil/Campana

New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.

I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.

Streak vs. Streak

Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.

Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.

No More Nil

Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.

Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.


That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/8/25

Orlando City steamrolls the Tampa Bay Rowdies in I-4 Derby, Orlando Pride aim to bounce back, U.S. Open Cup results, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s not often we get to celebrate an Orlando City victory in the middle of the week these days, but hopefully it’s a habit we get used to. The Lions took care of business in my neck of the woods, and it’s given some nice optimism to finish this week strongly. Let’s dive into the big win and more in today’s links!

Orlando City Trounces Tampa Bay Rowdies

Take a bow, Gustavo Caraballo! The 16-year-old was the star of the show in Orlando City’s dominant 5-0 U.S. Open Cup win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scoring twice to jumpstart Orlando’s attack and making history along the way. There’s plenty of scoring to enjoy, so be sure to check out our full recap!

Hopefully this game was a nice shot in the arm for Orlando’s offense and something to build on in league play. It’s always nice to take down the Rowdies and the Lions are now the last Floridian team standing in the tournament. They’ll host Nashville SC in the round of 16 later this month in what should be a good game in the City Beautiful.

Orlando Pride Aim to Bounce Back in North Carolina

After a 1-0 loss on the road to the Portland Thorns, the Orlando Pride will look to return to their winning ways when they face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. It’s going to be another tough environment for the Pride to play in, although the Courage have lost two of their three home games so far this season. Pride defender Emily Sams spoke on the team’s mentality heading into this match and how the team can raise its level after a disappointing loss in Portland.

U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Wraps Up

MLS teams mostly cruised in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32, but it was still an exciting round of soccer filled with drama. In a vintage “cupset,” the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Orlando native Beto Ydrach. Indy Eleven nearly took down the Philadelphia Union, but the MLS side converted all five kicks in the penalty shootout to advance after a 1-1 draw.

The New England Revolution escaped Pawtucket with a 2-1 road win against Rhode Island FC, with 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira scoring a late winner. Minnesota United squeezed past Louisville City 1-0, the Chicago Fire put Detroit City to the sword in a 4-0 win, and FC Dallas won 3-1 against USL League One side AV Alta FC.

UEFA Champions League Final Set

Paris Saint-Germain did everything it needed to and more at home against Arsenal, winning 2-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Great saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi propelled PSG to victory, with Bukayo Saka providing Arsenal’s only goal of the two-leg series. PSG will take on Inter Milan in the final on May 31 and it should be an interesting matchup at Allianz Arena to close out the tournament. Will PSG lift its first Champions League trophy only a year after Kylian Mbappe left the club, or will Inter come out on top after finishing as runner-up in 2023? I can’t wait to find out.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team star Mallory Swanson and her husband Dansby Swanson, as the couple announced that they’re expecting their first child!
  • Racing Louisville announced that goalkeeper Katie Lund and midfielder Maddie Pokorny will both miss the remainder of the season due to hip injuries. Jordyn Bloomer, who had five saves in Friday’s win over the Houston Dash, will serve as the team’s goalkeeper in Lund’s stead.
  • The Columbus Crew signed Daniel Gazdag to a contract extension through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well.
  • Arsene Wenger proposed a change to the offside rule so that attacking players are onside so long as any part of their body is lined up with the last defender. We’ll see if anything comes of this, but it could lead to more goals in the future.
  • Here’s what to watch for in the second legs of the Europa League semifinals. Manchester United will host Athletic Club with a three-goal lead in aggregate, while Tottenham will aim to defend its two-goal advantage in Norway against a Bodo/Glimt side that has key players returning from suspension.
  • Tottenham will be without James Maddison, who is out for the rest of the season after a knee injury sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 5-0 as Lions Roar Past Rowdies

The Lions destroyed their I-4 Derby rivals at Al Lang Stadium, advancing to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions found their scoring boots tonight at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and spent much of the 90 minutes applying those boots to the backsides of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Gustavo Caraballo’s brace led Orlando City, with Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson each adding a goal in a comprehensive road victory.

On the other end, Orlando allowed the host Rowdies very little, keeping the team’s sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, although this one was backstopped by Javier Otero rather than Pedro Gallese, who sat on the substitutes’ bench.

“I think scoring today was so healthy for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after his team’s five-goal outburst. “The first objective was trying to keep the pace that we had defensively on being solid, but at the same time, and just move on to that team that is scoring again. So we’re happy in that part, and in between the boxes, we played a good game. We saw the youngsters playing, some of the other players that were not regularly in the lineup, so it was very complete.”

Pareja’s lineup was heavily rotated from the side that played Saturday in Chicago, with Otero starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Nico Rodriguez, Martin Ojeda, and Caraballo, with Enrique up top.

It took Orlando City a while to get going, but once the Lions saw the ball in the net once, they looked dangerous for the remainder of the opening half.

Not much happened early for either side, other than some rough challenges by the Rowdies that were (eventually) punished by a single booking, but one in the opening moments to knock Freeman down while trying to get forward in transition would normally draw a yellow card.

Orlando’s first shot came in the ninth minute off a corner kick. The ball fell for Caraballo in the box and his shot hit a defender on the ground. Orlando players appealed for a handball, and it appeared the defender moved his hand on the ground up into the ball’s path, but referee Natalie Simon saw nothing wrong with it.

In the 13th minute, on what was probably the third bookable offense of the game by Tampa Bay, Simon finally showed a yellow card to Daniel Crisostomo for a hard challenge on Ojeda. Moments later, Araujo got his foot stomped on after releasing a pass but no card was given on a nasty challenge.

Enrique got into a good spot in the box in the 23rd minute and fired a shot that defender Forrest Lasso did well to block out for a corner kick. Lasso then cleared the ensuing set piece entry ball. Manuel Arteaga tried to catch Otero off his line from midfield after the clearance but the young goalkeeper wasn’t in danger of being beaten even if the attempt hadn’t been well off target.

Enrique’s flicked effort in the 26th minute was blocked by the defense, and an Ojeda attempt from a tight angle on the left in the 29th minute was well saved by goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi.

Tampa Bay got a rare shot in the 33rd minute from outside the area, but Schlegel blocked it at the top of the box. The ball sailed high into the air and served as catching practice for Otero.

Orlando City broke through a minute later. Ojeda took a good entry ball from Santos down the left and sent a low pass through the box. Caraballo got onto it and blasted it just under the bar to make it 1-0. It was the 16-year-old’s first goal with the first team, and he became the youngest player to score a first-team goal in a competitive match for Orlando City.

“It means a lot. I was able to rise to the opportunity that the coaching staff and my team gave me, and I was able to score in front of all the friends that came a long way to see us play and see us getting that very much important win to send us off to the next round,” Caraballo said.

“Congratulations to Gustavo, to the coaches in the academy, to the program that we have,” Pareja said. “I think that they have done a tremendous job on developing these kids and putting him in the first team for us is a privilege. And not just that, but to see those performances in a kid that is so young, still.”

Caraballo doubled the lead two minutes later. A takeaway in the attacking third ended up on Thorhallsson’s foot. The Icelandic midfielder cut across the box left to right. Just when it seemed he would fire a shot toward goal, he sent a diagonal pass to his right for Caraballo to run onto. The young midfielder slotted his shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute.

“I saw that there was space, that the left back wasn’t there, and if I attacked that space, I would be able to get the ball,” Caraballo said. “Thankfully, Dagur was able to see me and (it was) just a normal finish that we practice every day. And I’m just glad I was able to finish it.”

The Rowdies tried to pull one back in the 40th minute. Otero went up to catch a cross from his left and was barrelled over by Arteaga. Otero spilled the ball into his own net, but the whistle had gone for the obvious foul. A minute later, the Rowdies appealed for a penalty when a player went down in the box under contact, but Simon again wasn’t buying it.

Enrique made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Araujo sent a beautiful ball over the top that fell perfectly for Santos’ well-timed run. The Brazilian fullback slid a centering pass in front at the top of the six and Enrique flicked it through Campisi and in for the Lions’ third.

The last look of the first half was another good one for Orlando. Santos was sent down the left by Thorhallsson and was in a good position to shoot. The fullback sent a cannon shot over the bar from the left in stoppage time.

The Lions took their three-goal lead into the break. Orlando held the halftime advantage in possession (57.9%-42.1%), shots (9-3), shots on target (4-0), and corners (4-1).

“We needed to be patient just to open the first goal, or to get that first goal, and we scored in the right time, I think,” Pareja said of the team’s final 15 minutes of the half — between the hydration break and halftime. “I think in that moment we pushed the pedal and the other two goals came. But if there is one thing I said about what changed, it was that we moved the ball faster, and the dynamic that the boys had to connect that helped us just to land in the box with more numbers and with more options to score.”

With the three-goal lead, Pareja withdrew Ojeda and Freeman from the lineup before the restart, sending on Duncan McGuire and Colin Guske.

The second half, perhaps as a result of Orlando’s subs and a couple by the Rowdies, was disjointed just after the restart. Tampa Bay was able to stay on the ball a bit more.

Still, the first good look of the second half came in the 57th minute and was created by the Lions. Caraballo fizzed a good cross into the box that found Enrique. The Argentine sent a flicked header on goal, but Campisi made a good save.

The Lions added a fourth two minutes later anyway. McGuire headed down a ball from the back to Rodriguez on the right. The Colombian sent a good return ball over the top for McGuire, who used his strength to hold off his defender before blasting his first goal of the season past Campisi to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute. The pass was Rodriguez’s first assist as a Lion.

“Duncan has been in that long recovery process that he had on his shoulder, and just seeing him now getting his rhythm and his best version and scoring is so healthy for our team,” Pareja said. “And Ramiro similar, too.”

Tampa Bay started to create some half-chances past the hour mark, shortly after both teams had made more substitutions. Orlando withdrew Araujo and Schlegel, replacing them with Zakaria Taifi and David Brekalo.

The first decent look of the half for the Rowdies came in the 67th minute. Woobens Pacius received the ball at the top right corner of the Orlando box and made a good turn, firing a shot for the near post. Otero had the post covered and made a comfortable save.

After the second-half hydration break, the Rowdies put a couple of decent shots on goal but couldn’t beat Otero. The first of those came in the 78th minute from Alexander Rodriguez from the top of the box on the right. The shot had a lot of power on it, but Otero fought it off. A minute later, Smith and Santos were caught up the field, allowing Ollie Bassett to sneak in down the right. He took a pass and blasted a shot that Otero saved.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to add a fifth goal in the 86th minute. Colin Guske intercepted a pass near the top of his own penalty area and dribbled forward in transition. He did well to pick out Enrique making a run slightly right of center. The Argentine carried the ball into the box with McGuire on his left all alone. Enrique slowed and cut back to his left, firing a shot wide of the left post.

Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the 90th minute, getting onto a pass from late substitute Ivan Angulo in the semicircle just outside Tampa Bay’s penalty area and blasting a shot just inside the left post to make it 5-0. It gave Thorhallsson a goal to go with his earlier assist.

After just one minute of stoppage time, Simon blew the full-time whistle on a dominant win over a struggling USL Championship side. The first 30 minutes were tightly contested, but the rest of the match was owned by Orlando City.

In the end, Orlando held the advantage in possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (15-7), shots on target (7-3), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (91.8%-89.4%).

“We’re really excited now to put our mind into the next one against New England at home, but today it was a game that we needed,” Pareja said.

The Lions improved to 8-0-0 in all competitions against Tampa Bay.


Orlando City moves on to the Round of 16 to host Nashville SC with a date and time to be announced, but the window for that round is May 20 and 21. The Lions return to action at home Saturday against the New England Revolution.

Continue Reading

Trending