Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 6 |
| Andres Perea | 4 |
| Junior Urso | 1 |
| Someone else (Tell us who in the comments below) | 0 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Orlando City hosted Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium Saturday, and it was a tale of two halves. The first half was one of the most boring first halves of soccer ever, and the second half was a wild free-for-all with Orlando City coming to life. The Lions were able to earn all three points at home, defeating RSL 2-1. Here are my five takeaways from the match.
An Inevitable Goal
Orlando City put out a mostly first-choice team on short rest, while RSL rotated pretty heavily due to their schedule congestion and a Leagues Cup knockout match coming up on Tuesday.The Lions had the majority of the possession through the first 35 mintues, while RSL was able to send the ball over the top a few times early, but the visitors kept getting the timing wrong against Orlando’s high line, resulting in offside calls. That was until the 36th minute, when Dominik Marczuk managed to stay onside, blazed past Zakaria Taifi, and was all alone on the back post. It wasn’t hard to put it in from there. Orlando City had the better of the play up to that point, but it still felt like Real Salt Lake’s goal was more likely.
Possession Without Purpose
Despite holding 58% possession in the first half, Orlando City managed to get exactly zero shots on goal on zero shots total. Zero shots taken the entire first half! As I mentioned above, that was zero shots against a heavily rotated RSL squad. For a team with Antoine Griezmann, Marco Pasalic, and Griffin Dorsey in the starting lineup, that stat is unacceptable. The lack of any chances resulted in Martin Perelman bringing on Justin Ellis and Daryl Dike as offensive halftime substitutions.
Subs Make a Difference
It took less than 10 minutes for Ellis and Dike, along with fellow substitute Joran Gerbet, to make a difference. While it was ultimately Griezmann who scored the goal, it was Gerbet, Ellis, and Dike that made it happen. Gerbet picked up a loose ball Eduard Atuesta won and sent it to Ellis on the right. Ellis sent the ball into the box to Dike, who took it with his back to goal, pirouetted with the ball, and shot it. Unfortunately for Dike, Mason Stajduhar was there to block it. Unfortunately for Stajduhar, Griezmann was there for the poacher’s goal to level the score for Orlando City. Griezmann positioned himself wisely without the ball, but it was the three halftime subs that really made it happen.
Griezmann Gets Another
After equalizing, Orlando City had all the momentum and pressed for a second goal. It was Griezmann who provided the winning goal with his first brace for the Lions. If his first goal was a “right time, right place” type of goal, his second was luck and skill combined. He took a pass in the box from Tyrese Spicer and tried to back heel it to Dike. The ball bounced off the defender and right back to Griezmann, who wasted no time in putting it in the back of the net. It was a microcosm of Griezmann’s time in Orlando for me. He tried to be unselfish, but ultimately taking the shot himself was what was needed. More of this please.
Possession With Purpose
If Orlando City did almost nothing with the ball in the first half, the Lions did everything needed with the ball in the second half. They actually raised the possession to 60% by the end of the match, scored two goals, and didn’t allow a second from RSL. The defenders were able to clear most of the attacks and Maxime Crepeau cleaned up anything that got through. Orlando City was able to continue to push into the attack even after the second goal. As I said above, it was a tale of two halves, and fortunately, the second half was enough for the win.
That is what I saw in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Griezmann’s Brace Lifts Lions to Win
Antoine Griezmann scored twice in the second half to help Orlando City erase a 1-0 deficit and beat RSL at home.
Antoine Griezmann scored two second-half goals for his first Orlando City brace, leading the Lions to a 2-1 comeback win over Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium tonight. After a lethargic opening 45 minutes that saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead into the half on Dominik Marczuk’s goal, an energetic trio of halftime subs injected life into the attack for Orlando (7-11-3, 24 points).
Griezmann’s two goals pushed the Lions past Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points), but it’s fair to say Orlando City wasn’t clean enough in the first half and couldn’t turn possession into attacking threat until the introduction of second-half subs Justin Ellis, Joran Gerbet, Daryl Dike, and Tyrese Spicer.
The Lions snapped an 0-2-2 winless streak in all competitions and a 0-2-1 skid in league play with tonight’s win, moving just over the playoff line into ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a tough game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “It wasn’t easy the first half; we tried good and sometimes it happens like that, the game. I think the team in the second half was able to to play in a very difficult moment. It’s not easy and the guys did an amazing job.”
Perelman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Tiago joining Antoine Griezmann up top.
The first half consisted of long spells of Orlando possession that came to nothing against a heavily rotated RSL side, with former Lion Mason Stajduhar having to do nothing in goal, because the Lions couldn’t even manage one first-half shot attempt. The visitors were content to stay in their low block of five at the back and four midfielders, wait for the exhausted-looking hosts to misplace a pass or have a bad touch, and look for chances to hit on the counter or with balls over the top.
Griezmann looked the most in need of a rest, as several of his touches were heavy in the first half, but he was far from the only one.
There was a scary moment early in the game when Jansson collided with Marczuk on an attempted RSL switch of play. The Orlando City captain was fouled and stayed down to get treatment, eventually leaving the field under his own power. He was able to return moments later.
Orlando City won a few set pieces in the opening half but did nothing with them, while the visitors looked dangerous if they could stay onside, which they struggled to do early. When the Lions did manage to find space against RSL’s back line, the crosses were poor, ending up either out of play or in the goalkeeper’s hands.
The visitors broke through the dull affair in the 36th minute. Alexandros Katranis laid off a ball on the left flank for Sam Junqua behind him. Junqua picked up his head and spotted Marczuk’s well-timed run behind Taifi and delivered a nice cross. Marczuk met the ball in the air with his foot and knocked it past Crepeau to make it 1-0.
Crepeau kept things from getting worse just before halftime. Angulo turned the ball over on an attempted recycle of a failed set piece, igniting a Real Salt Lake counter. The ball ended up with Marczuk again on the right and this time Crepeau was able to get a hand on it to palm it out for a corner.
The Lions dealt with the set piece and the half came to an end with Orlando’s starters trailing 1-0 to an RSL B-squad that dien’t allow a single shot attempt.
At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (59.4%-40.6%) and passing accuracy (89.7-84.2%), while Real Salt Lake led in shots (3-0) and shots on target (2-0) and each team won one corner.
“It was a complicated game,” Griezmann said. “It’s never easy starting off with with a negative mark like that, but we made changes at halftime and put more more guys further up the field, and we were able to to get that goal and really kind of give ourselves some time of tranquility to create more opportunities to create those occasions to go out and get the winner.”
Looking to injuct some life into the game, or at least some fresh legs, Perelman sent Gerbet, Dike, and Ellis into the game at halftime for Otavio, Tiago, and Pasalic. It took a few minutes for the subs to settle in, but it made a difference in the Lions’ energy level.
Marczuk had the first look at goal in the second half, however, firing from distance from the right side, but it caused no trouble for Crepeau in the 50th minute.
Gerbet and Atuesta worked well together in the middle, keeping the ball better and allowing Taifi to jump into the play on the left. Taifi had a shot blocked out for a corner in the 51st minute. A minute later, Atuesta played a slick through ball for Griezmann. With Stajduhar coming off his line, the Frenchman chipped a shot over him but it went inches wide of the left post.
Orlando scored seconds after Stajduhar put the ball back into play. Atuesta won the ball to Gerbet at midfield, and he turned and found Ellis on the right. Ellis sent it in front to Dike for the shot, but it was blocked to Griezmann, who cleaned up in front, making it 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
Taifi got down the left in the 55th minute and did well to cut back a cross for Griezmann entering the box. Griezmann hit his shot immediately but it fizzed just over the bar. Three minutes later, Taifi cut inside and fired but hit the outside of the left post.
Real Salt Lake sent on Diego Luna, Saba Lobjanidze, and Morgan Guilavogui to try to counter the energy Orlando’s subs had brought into the game, and things opened up a bit. Dorsey did well to stick out a foot to deny a pass that would have put Luna in on goal in the 64th minute.
Spicer came on for Taifi in the 69th minute and injected even more energy into the match. He quickly won a set piece on the left just moments after coming on near the left corner flag. Atuesta sent his delivery on target toward the near post but it was headed behind for a corner kick. The ensuing corner bounced out to Ellis near the top of the area. The Homegrown forward used some deft footwork to work his way past two defenders before getting his shot blocked out for another corner.
Real Salt Lake broke the other way after the set piece and Luna ended up with it. He fired on target but Crepeau blocked it out of play for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the set piece delivery and Katranis tried a shot from long range that was well off target.
Orlando City took the lead moments later. Jansson sent the ball long out of the back to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international did well to get a cross in for Griezmann in the box. The first touch got away from the Frenchman but he picked up the rebound and slotted it past Stajduhar to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute.
“I think it’s a very good cross from ‘Spice’ and I was thinking to do one touch to score but I did very bad,” Griezmann said. “The defender touched the ball and the ball came to me, and yeah I saw a lot of legs and I tried to just make a pass between the legs of the defender and here is where you need to be patient just for one or two seconds. And today I was very patient in this time and this is why I scored.”
“It’s mandatory for us to enjoy Griezmann,” Perelman said. “We are lucky to be in the moment that he’s here with us. He’s one of the best players in the history of this sport. We have the privilege to see him. It’s just about enjoying him, watching him and enjoying him.”
Real Salt Lake threw bodies forward into the attack, but aside from some corner kicks, the visitors couldn’t produce much. Any time it looked like RSL might create something in the final third, Orlando was able to block crosses or head them out of danger. Orlando City also kept the ball well for spells down the stretch, taking the pressure off and allowing the Lions to see out the game.
At the final whistle, the Lions held the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (13-9), passing accuracy (88.8%-82%), and corners (5-4). Real Salt Lake put more shots on target (4-3). Ultimately, the Lions were sharp enough in the second half to make up for the slow start, although RSL helped out by being offside seven times to just once for Orlando.
“In the final zone, we were a lot more aggressive,” Griezmann said of the second half. “We were pressing more and more aggressive with our press, and it was a really good way to to get the win tonight.”
“The players were wanting to give us that control of the game against a team who sat back a little bit,” Perelman said. “I think the guys did a huge effort. Fortunately we could come back, win, because we really need it, and now we need to rest and think (about) the next one.”
“Just so happy to have the win at home,” Gerbet said. “It’s been like a gritty one, but a necessary one, an important one towards like the end of the season to get some momentum, because we’re going to start to go away as well, so we need to start to gain momentum, and I think that was a great way to do it.”
The Lions now get an honest-to-goodness normal work week. Their next match will be a week from tonight at Minnesota United.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to finish their long homestand with a bounce-back performance against RSL.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night showdown between Orlando City (6-11-3, 21 points) and Real Salt Lake (8-7-4, 28 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first and only scheduled meeting between the two teams from opposing conferences and the first time they’ve met since 2023 in Utah.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 2-2-3 in seven previous MLS meetings with RSL, including a 1-0-2 mark at home. However, Orlando City is 0-2-1 in their last three games against tonight’s visitors.
The last time the teams met, it was a forgettable result for Orlando City fans. But if you do remember, it’s not for good reasons, because it was a 4-0 beatdown that Real Salt Lake laid on the Lions on July 8, 2023. Cristian Arango, Justen Glad, Jefferson Savarino, and Anderson Julio did the damage.
During the most recent matchup in Orlando, most of us had no idea what COVID-19 was yet. The Lions and Real Salt Lake met on opening day of the 2020 MLS season, playing to a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium on Feb. 29. Despite it being a Leap Day, no one wanted to leap onto the scoresheet.
Orlando City lost the previous meeting, a 2-1 Real Salt Lake win in Utah on April 13, 2019. Nani scored Orlando’s only goal that day, but it came late in the match after Sam Johnson and Demir Kreilach had staked RSL to a 2-0 lead.
The May 6, 2018 meeting in Orlando was a wild 3-1 win for the Lions in which RSL missed multiple good scoring chances, hitting the woodwork and forcing Joe Bendik into some big saves. Dom Dwyer, Lamine Sané, and Yoshimar Yotún provided Orlando’s offense to offset Corey Baird’s early strike.
When the teams met in 2017 at Rio Tinto, Will Johnson provided all the offense against his old club in a 1-0 Orlando City victory. Johnson’s tally in the 17th minute was all Orlando City needed to take the first win of the series after two draws the previous two seasons.
In 2016, the teams played a memorable opening day match in which the Lions roared back with a frantic rally, as Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter pulled City level in a 2-2 draw at the Citrus Bowl. Joao Plata scored both RSL goals — one from the penalty spot — and RSL led 2-0 despite going down a man for 25 minutes, prior to Chris Penso evening things out by sending off Darwin Ceren.
Orlando drew 1-1 on the road in 2015 while down to 10 men after Kaká was sent off at the end of the first half. The captain opened the scoring. Sebastian Jaime found the equalizer in the 28th.
Match Overview
Orlando City enters on a poor run of form in a congested fixture schedule. The Lions lost 2-1 at home against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, making it four games without a win in all competitions (0-2-2) and they haven’t won in MLS play in their last three (0-2-1). While the defense is leaking just one or two goals per game of late, the offense has been less tidy in finishing chances, which could be attributed to some players, including Antoine Griezmann, not getting much rest during this stretch of seven games in 22 days. Orlando is a pedestrian 4-4-2 at home this season and is winless in its last two home matches (0-1-1).
Real Salt Lake sits eighth in the Western Conference after going 0-3-3 in its last six league matches, including a 4-3 home loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday. But, oddly enough, that stretch of matches sandwiches a 2-0-1 run in Leagues Cup, and RSL advanced to the knockout rounds, where it will play Club Leon on Tuesday, so we may see some rotation, assuming the Utah-based club is going all in on trying to win Leagues Cup or at least one of the three coveted Concacaf Champions Cup spots. Tonight’s match will be RSL’s first on the road since Aug. 1, where the team is 1-5-3 in 2026 in league play.
Sergi Solans leads tonight’s opponents in goals (9) and goal contributions (12), with Diego Luna leading in assists (6) while adding five goals for 11 total goal contributions. The departure of Zavier Gozo and his six goals and five assists is a tough break for RSL, because beyond those three, 10 goals are spread across eight different players.
The Lions must rediscover their scoring boots for this game, as the Orlando defense pitches precious few shutouts, and if RSL plays its starters, either Solans, Luna, or both could do some damage on the other end.
The Lions will be without Braian Ojeda (foot), Martin Ojeda (thigh), and Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Adrian Marin (thigh) is questionable, so left back may be an adventure, with Zakaria Taifi, Ivan Angulo, and David Brekalo as the leading candidates to play there, and all of them are right-footed. Real Salt Lake will be without Zach Booth (hamstring), Griffin Dillon (foot), Emeka Eneli (knee), Glad (adductor), and Ariath Piol (Achilles).
Match Content
- The most recent episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- David Rohe gave his three keys to an Orlando City victory in tonight’s match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Tiago, Antoine Griezmann.
Bench: Javier Otero, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.
Real Salt Lake (5-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.
Defenders: Alexandros Katranis, Sam Junqua, Juan Arias, Kobi Henry, Domink Marczuk.
Midfielders: Aiden Hezarkhan, Luca Moisa, Pablo Ruiz, Lineker Rodrigues.
Forward: Victor Olatunji.
Bench: Rafael Cabral, Juan Sanabria, Philip Quinton, Lukas Engel, Noel Caliskan, Colin Guske, Morgan Guilavogui, Saba Lobjanidze, Diego Luna.
Referees
REF: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Brian Dunn.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
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