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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Final Score 4-1 as Lions in Free Fall with Another Loss

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8 months ago

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Orlando City sank beneath the weight of bad bounces and defensive transition mistakes in an inconceivable 4-1 beatdown loss to Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. The loss dropped the Lions below the playoff line with one match day remaining.

Starting in the game’s very first minute, awful mistakes cost the team and luck played a little bit of a role as well, as the Lions (13-14-6, 45 points) fell back below .500, fell below .500 on the road (5-6-6), and lost their fourth game in the last five since winning the U.S. Open Cup. Meanwhile, Miami (14-13-6, 48 points) climbed above .500 and clinched a postseason berth for the first time.

Leonardo Campana, Gonzalo Higuain (twice), and Ariel Lassiter did the damage on the scoreboard, but the Lions were honestly their own worst enemies in the first Tropic Thunder match that was decided by more than one goal. Ercan Kara pulled a goal back in the second half but by then the game was effectively over.

“I know what these kinds of games mean for our fans and I’m very disappointed not to perform the way we should,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “In that part, I take responsibility.”

“I want to say sorry to our fans, because they come from Orlando to Miami to to push us and today was not so good for us,” Junior Urso said.

Pareja rotated his lineup somewhat, playing Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo played his customary stopper role next to a deep-lying Mauricio Pereyra, with an attacking midfield line of Benji Michel, Junior Urso, and Facundo Torres, with Tesho Akindele up top.

It took less than a minute for that lineup to break down. Smith somehow knocked a pass attempt off an opponent and the ball squirted in behind the Orlando center backs. Neither Carlos nor Schlegel went to get the ball so Campana ran onto it and chipped Gallese, who was off his line but not nearly far enough out to get to the ball before the Miami forward. Just over 30 seconds into the match, Orlando City trailed. (Warning: sound off is better, so you can avoid Ray Hudson’s overblown, maniacal commentary.)

The Lions didn’t respond well to going behind, despite getting a ton of possession. Orlando looked unsettled, consistently did nothing with set piece opportunities, and broke down in transition when there were chances to get numbers forward. Wayward passes from Torres, Akindele, and Urso and a couple of poor touches from Michel prevented some quality chances from materializing. The Lions did set up some half chances but did nothing with them.

“It’s normal when you start the game in the first minute just conceding the goal and then obviously, the other team with energy and with this momentum that they have, they take advantage of that situation,” Pareja said. “And then from there, our energy was doubtful and we were not precise in the movements, and then we started losing confidence.”

Akindele tried to flick a pass from Smith on target but he didn’t quite pull it off, slowing the ball too much and sending it off target. Smith sent a blistering pass through the six in the 18th minute, but there was no way Akindele could get to it in time and Michel didn’t anticipate the pass quickly enough to get to the back post for the tap-in.

Higuain nearly got in behind in the 21st minute but Carlos did just enough to force him wide and Gallese chased him into the corner and knocked it out of play. Two minutes later, Campana got in for a first-time shot but just missed wide.

Moutinho smashed a shot well wide from the top of the area when a long throw fell to him. A failure to put shots on target was a problem Sunday at New York City FC and it definitely continued into tonight.

The hosts doubled the lead in the 38th minute on a weird transition as Akindele tried to force a pass into traffic. Miami came the other way and Schlegel got caught pressing high, giving the Herons a 2-on-1 break. Ariel Lassiter crossed in early to Higuain and his first touch was a shot past Gallese to make it 2-0.

Akindele ‘s headed flick went just over the bar in the 43rd minute off a corner kick cross, which was the closest the Lions came in the opening half. In the final minute of the half, a good cross found Urso but he swung and missed at it and kicked DeAndre Yedlin instead.

Orlando City held more possession in the half (61.9%-38.1%), had more shots (7-4) and corners (2-1), and passed more accurately (87.3%-78.3%) but Miami got more shots on target (2-0) and both of those went in. It was the second consecutive first half in which Orlando failed to get a single shot on frame and the Lions had only one on target in its last three halves.

The Lions brought on offensive-minded reinforcements to start the second half as Pareja withdrew Akindele, Michel, and Smith, sending Kara, Ivan Angulo, and Ruan onto the pitch. The changes made Orlando seem more dangerous immediately. Angulo got in the box, made a good move to bypass two defenders and took a shot. The Lions screamed for a handball but Victor Rivas did not give it and a check by the video assistant referee maintained the call on the field. The only replay shown on the broadcast was inconclusive.

But Rivas wasn’t opposed to giving Miami a penalty moments later when the Lions were bit again by a bad bounce. A ball in for Lassiter skipped up off the Miami forward’s foot and hit Ruan’s arm at close range. The fullback’s arm wasn’t extended unnaturally, nor was the play intentional, but the call was upheld again and Higuain scored on the ensuing penalty to make it 3-0 in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later, Lassiter added to Orlando’s misery with a shot just inside the right post, making it 4-0. Don’t ask me why Carlos was trailing on the play, my stream froze a few seconds earlier and started back up right where this video begins.

Things got worse for Orlando City moments after the fourth goal when Carlos was booked, meaning he’ll miss Sunday’s regular-season finale against Columbus with a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

“It’s a little bit soon to answer it but we always have to think about what’s next,” Pareja said when asked if he had formulated a plan for the back line on Sunday yet with Carlos suspended and Robin Jansson injured. “(The booking) was probably the thing that frustrated me the most. It’s the lack of common sense from the referee. It’s unbelievable. Their responsibility is to protect the game and they need to have the context of the players. And it was a very, very, very unnecessary yellow card, and that’s what disappoints me. Not a good call for me, and it affects us not having Antonio, but we have to find a different answer and see how we can set out that back four. Somebody needs to do the job.”

Kara spoiled Miami’s shutout bid in the 71st minute, taking a pass from Torres at the top of the box, then turning and firing a well-placed shot just inside the left post. It was the big Austrian’s 11th goal of the season.

Ruan had a chance to set up Kara for another moments later. With Kara running free to his left, Ruan tried to chip a pass across to him over Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite get the pass high enough and Callender caught it to prevent the easy header at the back post.

Orlando squandered a late series of corner kicks and Ruan got deep into the box but sent a pass behind both of his teammates crashing the net and that was basically the end.

As a product of chasing the game for all but a few seconds of the match, Orlando finished with more possession (60%-40%), shots (16-6), corners (8-1), and passing accuracy (89.1%-83.4%), but Miami got more shots on target (4-1). Every shot on target in the match ended up in the net. The Lions now have one shot on target in each of the last two matches, which is just two on 29 attempts.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Urso said of the lack of precision. “We had good passing, we had good combinations, but like Oscar told us we have to get more confidence in front of the target and to shoot well. I think we have to be more calm in front of the goal, but no excuses for us.”

“We’re going to leave it there, we’re going to make our corrections,” Pareja said. “We’ve got to move on. This is a quick turnaround. We have a possibility at home that nobody gave us. We fought for that one during the season and this opportunity belongs to us. We’ll see. If we don’t beat Columbus then maybe we didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs, but certainly we have a great opportunity at home to get our qualification.”

The Lions have a knockout game in the final match of the regular season on Sunday, when the Columbus Crew visit Exploria Stadium. A draw won’t be good enough unless Cincinnati somehow loses at D.C. United.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Extend Unbeaten Run to Five Games

A Facundo Torres brace and two goal contributions from Ivan Angulo led the Lions past 10-man New York.

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10 hours ago

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June 3, 2023

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Facundo Torres scored a brace — getting one of his goals from the penalty spot — after Ivan Angulo opened the scoring, and the two wingers led Orlando City to a 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The Lions (6-4-5, 23 points) extended their unbeaten streak to five games (2-0-3), improved to 4-1-2 on the road, and beat the Red Bulls (4-6-7, 19 points) for the fourth consecutive match in all competitions.

Angulo’s first-half goal was the difference at halftime but just after the restart, the hosts had a player sent off, then conceded a penalty, and New York finished with nine men after using all five substitutions due to Lewis Morgan picking up an injury.

“It’s a great victory for our team. We needed something like that at this stage of the season,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We’re still finding ways to get better, but when you look back and see how we have overcome moments…today was another good example of the character of the players. And under that discipline and cohesiveness with the players on the field, we found our ways to score in the right moments and beat a difficult rival that never gave up. So we’re very happy with the victory.”

It was Pareja’s 50th win as Orlando City’s coach in all competitions.

Pareja’s lineup was the same as last weekend vs. Atlanta, featuring Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena continued their central midfield partnership behind an attacking line of Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Torres, while Ercan Kara led the attack up top.

The first half was a complete rock fight, with neither side getting much done in the first 15 minutes. New York had the better of the play, however, with Gallese getting caught far from his net in the 12th minute, but the defense was able to clear the centering pass. Two minutes later, New York got forward when Carlos took a forearm in the back and went down. When no call came, Dru Yearwood raced forward and got to the ball at the end line, but Gallese blocked his tight-angle shot out for a corner.

The Lions opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Defender John Tolkin got caught high up the pitch and Orlando made the hosts pay. Cartagena unlocked the defense with a through ball for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian dribbled in, avoided a sliding challenge attempt from Dylan Nealis, and fired home with his left foot for his third goal of the season.

Much of the rest of the half consisted of Orlando surviving transition attacks and then turning the ball over shortly after taking a goal kick. The Red Bulls had a golden opportunity in transition in the 30th minute, but Luquinhas hit a soft shot right at Gallese after Pererya lost the ball just past the halfway line, igniting the Red Bulls’ transition game.

Torres laid off a ball for Smith in the box in the 41st minute, and the defender should have done better from that position, but he sent his shot about six yards wide of the left post.

The Red Bulls presented a ton of difficulty in what was announced as a minimum of five minutes of stoppage time (for…reasons), which ended up becoming eight. Tom Barlow should have scored into an empty net in the seventh minute of injury time but he fired well over the bar from the top of the box with Gallese out of position from an initial shot attempt.

The Lions held more possession in the opening half (52.1%-47.9%). The Red Bulls had more shots (7-2) and shots on target (2-1), earning the only corner of the opening period. Neither team passed well, with Orlando City holding a slim 76.1%-74.9% advantage. But it’s where the Lions made poor passes — the middle third of the field — that was concerning and led to most of the danger New York presented.

The game got weird just after the restart. Just two minutes after the break, a ball over the top found Kara, who powered past Andres Reyes. The big center back, who was on a yellow card for a high hit on Torres late in the first half — a play that was reviewed as a possible red but wasn’t changed after review — pulled Kara back in transition and received a second yellow card, ending his night after 47 minutes.

The Red Bulls cleared the ensuing free kick, but moments later, when play stopped, referee Victor Rivas went to the monitor again to review the earlier set piece. Sean Nealis had pulled Jansson down from behind as the ball was arriving, and Rivas awarded a penalty after watching the replay. Torres stepped up to the spot and beat Coronel — who guessed correctly — putting it in the top right of the net with a great deal of power. Torres’ second goal via penalty against New York this season made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute.

Torres said Coronel tried to psych him out before the penalty.

“I think everyone agrees that if a penalty is well taken, there’s limited possibilities that the goalkeeper has to save it,” Torres said through a club interpeter. “And so, I had that in my mind walking up, even though this goalkeeper knows me a little bit. And he was actually saying that to me when I was walking up to take the penalty and mentioning that he knows me and that he’s faced me before. But like I said, when when you’re taking a penalty, if it’s well taken, the penalty taker has the more possibilities to put it in the back of the net. So that was kind of what I was thinking going in, is if I take this well, there’s not much that he can do about it.”

Torres took it well.

Things looked good for Orlando after the second goal, but then Araujo went down with an injury and had to be subbed off, with Felipe entering the battle in the 57th minute.

Even down two goals and a man, the Red Bulls continued to press high up the pitch. Even up a man, Orlando City continued to be careless with the ball, giving up possession repeatedly and flirting with New York’s counterattack game. Tolkin saw his shot deflect out for a corner in the 58th minute. Orlando cleared and Torres raced down the field in transition but somehow managed to get dispossessed, allowing the hosts to come the other way. Yearwood fired wide on the other end to end the counter-counterattack.

Pareja sacrificed Kara and Pereyra for Duncan McGuire and Martin Ojeda after that, and things calmed down for a few moments. Angulo was sent down the left in the 65th minute and his shot from a tight angle was saved by Coronel.

Torres put the game away in the 72nd minute. The Lions cleared a set piece and Ojeda knocked the ball down the pitch on the recycle attempt. The ball ended up in acres of space and Angulo blazed past Frankie Amaya to reach it first and carry it down the left. He drew a second defender toward him, and then fed a perfect pass to his right for Torres to bury.

The hosts, to their credit, did not give up. Down a man and three goals, after playing in Miami three nights earlier, the Red Bulls just kept coming. Second-half sub Elias Manoel fired a shot that Jansson blocked in the 76th minute.

Torres had a chance to complete his hat trick a minute later, but he unselfishly tried to cross for Ojeda, and the defense knocked it out for a corner. A minute later, Torres sent a well-shaped cross from the left to Ojeda, but the Argentine smashed his volley effort into the ground and it bounced off target.

New York then won a series of late corners and Orlando had a scary moment in the 82nd minute when Dylan Nealis fell into Gallese’s leg as the goalkeeper was landing after catching the ball. Gallese looked to be in a great deal of pain and distress, but after several minutes of treatment he was able to continue.

He didn’t look steady moments later though, when he took too much time to make a pass and it was nearly blocked into the goal behind him by Manoel. It went just wide.

Jansson blocked a menacing shot from Morgan in the 91st minute, and the New York midfielder went down after the shot. Morgan was unable to continue. The Red Bulls were out of subs and had to finish the game with nine men. Nevertheless, they kept pressing and winning the ball from a careless Orlando side, but the Lions were able to see out the eight minutes of stoppage and claim all three points.

The Lions finished with more possession (51.2%-48.8%) and fired more shots on target (5-2). The hosts passed more accurately (79.2%-78%), attempted more shots (14-7), and won more corners (8-2).

Orlando City’s three goals were the most conceded by New York’s stingy defense this season, and the Lions matched their season high with three goals in the match, which they set in their last road game at Inter Miami.

Pareja said the counterattacking style of play was the game plan entering the match.

“New York is a team who like to press high all the time, and their intensity to create chaos and and confuse the teams, forcing them to make mistakes, is a style that we respect and we know. Every time we play against them it’s that way. But that provides some spaces in behind and with them it’s a key to be sharp in the moments that the game allows us to get in behind and be lethal in those moments, and that was exactly what happened tonight.”

Orlando City returns home next Saturday to host the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to get their offense going on the road against one of the league’s stingiest teams.

Published

22 hours ago

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June 3, 2023

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night match-up between Orlando City (5-4-5, 20 points) and the New York Red Bulls (4-5-7, 19 points) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled league matches between the sides this season.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 7-9-2 in 18 league meetings with the Red Bulls in the all-time series (8-9-2 in all competitions), with a record of 3-5-1 in road matches.

The most recent meeting between the sides took place on opening day, with Orlando City winning 1-0 on a Facundo Torres penalty kick on Feb. 25 at Exploria Stadium. Sean Nealis’ handball allowed the Lions to start the season with a victory.

Orlando City won the most recent meeting at Red Bull Arena, a 1-0 decision on Aug. 13, 2022, thanks to a Torres goal. That allowed the Lions to split the regular-season meetings and take two of three against New York in all competitions in 2022.

The Lions scored five unanswered goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 romp in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on July 27, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Cesar Araujo scored his first two professional goals on set pieces, while Mauricio Pereyra, Torres, and Benji Michel also found the net.

The win last August allowed the Lions to snap a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) in the regular-season series. The last of those non-wins came on April 24, 2022, when the Lions were walloped 3-0 at home on goals by Luquinhas, Cristian Casseres Jr., and Lewis Morgan, and Orlando City failed to get any of its measly three shot attempts on target.

The Red Bulls swept the season series in 2021. The teams met at Exploria Stadium on July 3 of that season with New York taking home a 2-1 win. Casseres opened the scoring just six minutes in, but Chris Mueller pulled the Lions level early in the second half. Fabio’s late goal lifted the visitors. Pereyra’s poor penalty was saved by Carlos Coronel, which cost Orlando City a better result.

The Red Bulls also handed Orlando City its first loss of the 2021 season, a 2-1 affair at Red Bull Arena, on May 29, 2021. Nani was suspended for that match and it showed, as the Lions were sloppy in possession and lacked composure on the ball. New York took the lead on goals by Caden Clark and Casseres, before Silvester van der Water pulled one back late. The Dutchman had a golden opportunity to tie the match moments later but skied his shot well over the bar.

The Lions got a road draw on Oct. 18, 2020, with Brian White equalizing deep in stoppage time in a 1-1 match. Nani had put the Lions ahead in the second half with a penalty kick goal and Orlando clinched its first ever MLS playoff spot despite spilling those late two points. That was the last match in the club’s record 12-match unbeaten streak in MLS play.

Orlando got the better of New York at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 3, 2020, winning 3-1 on goals by Daryl Dike, Junior Urso, and Antonio Carlos. Florian Valot scored for New York.

The Red Bulls won 1-0 at Exploria Stadium on July 21, 2019. White’s goal stood up as Carlos Ascues, Tesho Akindele, and Sacha Kljestan each hit the woodwork in the second half. Prior to that, the Lions eked out a 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena on Kljestan’s goal on March 23, 2019. Before that game, the home team had won each of the previous five home games in the series, splitting a pair of matches during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The teams split two meetings in 2018, with the Red Bulls grabbing a 1-0 result in the 2018 season finale to capture the Supporters’ Shield and the Lions pulling off a 4-3 home victory on March 31, 2018. Each team won at home in 2017 to split the two-game series, with New York winning 3-1 on Aug. 12, and Orlando City opening the season series with a 1-0 win on April 9 behind Servando Carrasco’s goal.

The teams met three times in 2016, with New York going 2-0-1. The teams split two games in 2015, with the road team winning both times, including Orlando City’s 5-2 win in New Jersey behind a Cyle Larin hat trick.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters this match on a four-game unbeaten run but only one of those was a win (1-0-3) — on the road at Inter Miami two weeks ago. Two of those three draws saw Orlando take a 1-0 lead but fail to add a second goal, with both New York City FC and Atlanta United stealing points with equalizers after the 85th minute.

The Lions are 3-1-2 on the road this season, which is much better than their 2-3-3 home mark. City has gotten a result in two straight away games (1-0-1).

New York is coming off a 1-0 win at Inter Miami on Wednesday night. That was the Red Bulls’ first road victory of the year, as they improved to 1-4-4 away from Red Bull Arena. They’ve been much better at home, going 3-1-3 so far in 2023. New York has won two straight home games and has gone 3-1-2 since Troy Lesesne took over as coach following the firing of Gerhard Struber.

The Red Bulls’ success has been entirely predicated on their defense. They’ve scored just 11 goals in 16 games — the worst in Major League Soccer — but they have conceded only 13 goals on the season, which is second only to Nashville’s 10 (in 15 games). New York doesn’t allow many shots, and the Lions have been held to fewer than four shot attempts in two of the last three regular-season meetings and just six back in February (one on target). That defense, led by John Tolkin, Andres Reyes, and Nealis, and fronted by several capable defensive midfielders/wingbacks, has limited opponents’ chances and Coronel is a solid goalkeeper behind them.

Morgan’s return from injury could bolster the New York attack, which is generated largely through turning opponents over and getting transition opportunities. Tom Barlow and Cory Burke pace the Red Bulls with two goals apiece, along with Reyes — a formidable aerial presence — and the injured Omir Fernandez.

“We played them [the New York Red Bulls] already here at home. We know how they are and their characteristics,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We will work during the week with our tools. It will be great if we cannot just dominate the game but open it up and then lead the game and just walk out with three points. That’s what we want.”

Orlando City will be without Gastón González (thigh), Abdi Salim (knee), and Michael Halliday (international duty), while Luca Petrasso (thigh) has been upgraded to questionable. New York is without Serge Ngoma (hamstring), Fernandez (hamstring), Steven Sserwadda (knee), Cam Harper (red card suspension), and Daniel Edelman (international duty).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Kyle Smith.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ercan Kara.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Thomas Williams, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Felipe, Shak Mohammed, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire.

New York Red Bulls (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Carlos Coronel.

Defenders: John Tolkin, Sean Nealis, Andres Reyes, Dylan Nealis.

Defensive Midfielders: Dru Yearwood, Peter Stroud.

Attacking Midfielders: Tom Barlow, Cristian Casseres Jr., Luquinhas.

Forward: Cory Burke.

Bench: Ryan Meara, Hassan Ndam, Kyle Duncan, Wikelman Carmona, Frankie Amaya, Lewis Morgan, Elias Manoel, Dante Vanzeir.

Referees

REF: Victor Rivas.
AR1: Jeffrey Greeson.
AR2: Adam Garner.
4TH: Alexis Da Silva.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Eric Weisbrod.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7;30 p.m.

Venue: Red Bull Arena — Harrison, NJ.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM and 810 AM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Lion Links: 6/3/23

The Orlando Pride hit the road, OCB players called up, USMNT U-20 squad can make history, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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June 3, 2023

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Merry match day morning, Mane Landers! I hope you have multiple screens ready as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are in action this evening. Hopefully, it will be a weekend of better results for the clubs, as both are coming off difficult results. It’s been a busy week for me already and it won’t slow down anytime soon, so enjoying matches is a nice break. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Start a Busy Stretch

The Orlando Pride are heading west to play the Houston Dash tonight, followed by an NWSL Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Wednesday, and then back to Exploria Stadium to host the Portland Thorns next Sunday. Three games in nine days will test the club’s depth and it’s reasonable to expect a heavily rotated side in the Challenge Cup match. The Pride enter tonight looking for a second straight win over the Dash. To make that a reality the Pride will need to create and this time convert on the chances on goal.

OCB Venezuelan Call-ups

Goalkeeper Javier Otero and fullback/winger Moises Tablante have been called up to the Venezuelan National Football Team for a pair of friendlies this month (translate). Venezuela will face Honduras on June 15 in Washington, D.C. and Guatemala at Rentschler Field on June 18 in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Orlando City B may only be without them for one match, but the team will certainly miss the pair during the time they are on international duty. Otero has been very good in goal, and Tablante has been contributing to the attack. Of course, it is an honor for both to represent their national team and we wish them well.

Pride Month Kicks Off

Both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are celebrating Pride Month with logo changes for both squads. The Pride will be hosting the “Pride in our City” match against the Portland Thorns on June 11 in tribute to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy.

The Lions and the Pride are only two of many other sports teams to recognize and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ communities in June. Other teams include the Wilf-owned Minnesota Vikings and Florida-based Major League Baseball club, the Tampa Bay Rays.

USMNT U-20 Opportunities

When the U-20 USMNT squad meets Uruguay on Sunday there is the possibility that some of the players will also make an appearance for the senior squad in the 2026 World Cup. It’s also possible that this team can advance, possibly to the final. If so, they will make history. If the team makes it past Uruguay either Brazil or Israel will await in the semifinal. Of course, the U.S. is not the only team in Argentina with a path to the trophy.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Vamos Orlando!

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