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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Second-Half Lead

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4 years ago

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If Orlando City is going to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs in 2022, it’s going to have to wait. The Lions (13-13-6, 45 points) coughed up a 1-0 second-half lead and lost 2-1 to New York City FC (15-11-7, 52 points) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. It was NYCFC’s first win at the venue in three “home” tries this year.

Alex Callens and Talles Magno erased the lead provided by Facundo Torres’ strike to lift the defending champions. The loss sinks a sharp dagger into Orlando’s chance to play a home postseason game (but doesn’t mathematically eliminate the possibility), clinches a home playoff match for the team with the worst home in MLS, and makes the final two games for the Lions more nervy than they needed to be.

“A very tight game for both teams who understand the situation and the implication of the results,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought it was very (hard) fought. We were all working and trying to get the result. I thought we had the initiative on not just opening the scoring but just trying to keep up on the ambition to win the three points. At the point where we get unorganized on a couple plays where they tie the game and score the second one, we have a couple actions to tidy it up. And we couldn’t finish, but I thought the effort from the players was very good.”

Pareja’s lineup was nearly a fully first-choice group, with the exception of center back Robin Jansson (lower leg) still out despite two more weeks of rest and being listed as questionable. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese played behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo returned to the lineup in central midfield with Junior Urso behind an attacking midfield line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Torres, with Ercan Kara up top.

The Lions got on the front foot first in the match with Pereyra getting a shot off in the third minute but he took too long to let the ball to settle first and Callens blocked his effort. Ruan came close to opening the scoring in the seventh minute off a long throw by Moutinho. The ball was cleared to Ruan at the top of the box and the fullback took his shot on the volley but it deflected wide off Callens, who made another block.

Schlegel did all he could to get onto the ensuing corner cross but could not put any power on his shot or place it where he wanted to as it bounced meekly wide.

The first NYCFC chance came in the 10th minute on a quick attack with Magno firing his shot just wide of the left post.

Two minutes later, the hosts thought they’d opened the scoring after a Ruan turnover started the counter. The ball was crossed from the left to Tayvon Gray on the right and his header ended up in the net but the flag went up immediately for Santiago Rodriguez, who either just got a touch on it or was judged to have been interfering by being in the goalkeeper’s vision. Video review confirmed the call on the pitch, but it was a close call.

Urso appeared to have a chance in the 21st minute on a good cross from Ruan but he smashed his shot right at Sean Johnson. The poor finish didn’t matter because Ruan was offside in the buildup.

Magno headed over off a good cross from Kevin O’Toole in the 24th minute on another good chance for New York City.

Torres tried to put Urso in behind in transition in the 29th minute with a good pass but the Brazilian missed the ball on his attempted first touch and by the time he caught back up to it, Johnson had come off his line to grab it.

The best buildup that led to a scoring chance in the half for either side came in first-half stoppage time. Carlos won the ball back with a good tackle in the middle of the pitch and the ball ended up with Torres, who played to Pereyra in the middle and then made a run. The captain sent a great through ball to Kara, who touched it on for Torres to run onto. The Uruguayan took a shot with his weaker right foot but a sliding Maxime Chanot got a piece of it to knock it into the outside netting.

The Lions couldn’t do anything with the ensuing corner kick or a long throw by Moutinho and the half ended scoreless.

New York City FC held the lead in possession (56.6%-43.4%) and passing accuracy (86.8%-80.8%), while Orlando had more shots (5-2) and corners (6-1). Neither side put a shot on target in a cagey first 45 minutes.

The Lions wasted no time jumping on top after the break. Kara got his head to a long throw-in by Araujo and flicked it into traffic in the box. Torres anticipated where the ball would land, got there first, and swept it into the back of the net in the 47th minute. It was Torres’ eighth goal and 17th goal contribution of his first MLS season and Kara’s third assist and 13th goal contribution.

“It’s definitely one of our set plays that we work on,” Torres said of the buildup to the goal. “Pretty much before every game with Josema (Bazan). We worked on it two days before the game. Thankfully, it worked out in our favor to where we were able to get a goal and a little bit of luck.”

NYCFC immediately went into hyperdrive, playing as quickly as possible and even getting frustrated when Orlando didn’t restart the game quickly enough. Gabriel Pereira went for glory from outside the box in the 49th minute and hit his shot pretty well, but it fizzed over the bar.

Urso tried from a similar distance a minute later but it was nowhere near the target. Kara came close to doubling the lead in the 60th minute when he took a pass from Pereyra in traffic, quickly turned his body, and fired a shot. It missed the net but not by much.

Substitute Keaton Parks smashed a shot from distance after a corner kick was cleared in the 61st minute and the ball dipped and bounced just in front of Gallese, who could only fight it off rather than catch it. Callens got to the rebound first but had to fire while turning and chipped his shot over the bar from a tight angle.

In the 64th minute, Gallese made his best save, coming out and blocking a shot by Rodriguez, who got in behind with a well-timed run. Schlegel did well to head the rebound out of harm’s way on a contested ball in the air. But two minutes later, the hosts equalized anyway.

Orlando City cleared the corner kick following Schlegel’s header off the Gallese save but NYCFC maintained possession outside the area. The Pigeons worked the ball across the top of the box and it took multiple bounces to stay in the area. Angulo tried to block it but Parks faked his shot and it got through him, then Carlos went for a clearance and missed it. Ultimately, it squirted to Magno on the left, who crossed in from the left past Gallese’s sliding attempt to block it. It fell in the six to Callens, who was left unmarked due to Carlos being too slow to recover after trying to clear. Callens was all alone in front and tapped it in for his third goal in as many games in all competitions, tying the game at 1-1 in the 66th minute.

The Lions weren’t content with the 1-1 scoreline and continued to press for a win. Urso had a shot blocked at the top of the area in the 70th minute and a beautiful curling cross was just out of substitute Tesho Akindele’s reach moments later on a run that got him in behind.

The game could have changed in the 79th minute. Torres got forward in transition and his shot was blocked by Chanot. Torres shouted for handball but it wasn’t off Chanot’s hand and the play continued. On an ensuing ball into the area, there was another shout for handball as it appeared Parks may have handled it but there was again no call made and when the ball went out for a goal kick at the other end, there didn’t seem to be a stop for a review. The home broadcast feed never reviewed the second play so I couldn’t say if it should have been a penalty but Pareja was adamant about it after the match, calling it a “clear handball” that wasn’t given.

“Obviously disappointed about the call,” Pareja said. “It was the thing that just kept us down right now. Not even a (VAR) check and that’s what frustrated us the most, but I don’t want to keep going on this. You saw it. Everybody saw it. It’s clear.”

A road point would still have helped Orlando City’s cause but that evaporated in the 81st minute. The Lions got caught too far forward in defense and New York City made them pay for it. Moutinho was high on the pitch helping to press but then the ball sprung in behind him to start the break. Schlegel tried to cut the transition chance off before it started but the ball got through him and Magno, who hadn’t scored in ages, carried down the right side of the box and placed a perfect shot inside the far post past Gallese to make it 2-1.

“A bad decision from us,” Pareja said about the play. “I think it’s a product of our ambition to go and win the game in that moment when the game was tied. And on that particular play that we should have delayed it and waited. But it was a very quick and fast play where the ambition of the two defenders that we had, Joao and Rodri, we could have delayed it. But they did an excellent job of just trying to be ahead as well, and push and press. And then this one, we just unfortunately just conceded that space. We could handle it different, obviously.”

Orlando struggled to maintain enough possession to create chances late in normal time and referee Joe Dickerson added only three minutes of stoppage time despite three goals, numerous substitutions by both teams, and a couple of knocks that delayed restarts. Whether Orlando would have done anything with more time is unknown, but that doesn’t mean three minutes was the appropriate time to give. It’s all immaterial at this point anyway.

NYCFC finished with more possession (57%-43%), passing accuracy (84.9%-80.9%), and shots on target (5-1), while both teams attempted 13 shots and Orlando won more corners (7-4).

“We’re hurting after that loss,” Torres said. “We arrived into the game with a lot of hope and goals to win this game and to put ourselves in a good position on the table, and we came away with a loss.” 

City can only get a home playoff match by winning out and having Charlotte take something from its final match at the New York Red Bulls on Decision Day. As the Lions have dropped three of their last four league matches, the focus has to just be on getting in at this point, and if it leads to hosting a game, so be it.

“We have been in this mode of must-win and games that are important in the last two months and a half, so it’s not strange for us to be in this mode of needing to win and get the points to qualify,” Pareja said. “We hope that these two days are enough to recover the group and face the next game on Wednesday in Miami, and we still have another one at home.”

Orlando City will close out the road portion of the regular-season on Wednesday with a quick turnaround against Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale. That match obviously takes on much more importance after the Lions failed to bring any points home from today’s game.

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Lion Links: 6/1/26

Pride and OCB win, Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau called up, USMNT beats Senegal, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

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June 1, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work and just wrapped up covering high school spring season sports for the school year up here in Chicago. We had the Pride, OCB, and the USMNT all in action, and we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Beat Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday. Barbra Banda scored the opener early in the first half for Orlando, but Bay FC’s Caroline Conti scored the equalizer. In the second half, Banda scored her second goal of the night and added an assist on Cori Dyke’s goal in the 55th minute. Banda went down with an injury late in the match and had to leave the pitch. Since Orlando had already used all its substitutions, the team had to play the final 15 minutes of the match, including stoppage time, down to 10 players, but the Pride held on for the win. Banda has been called up to the Zambia Women’s National Team for the Four Nations Tournament, with the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations set to kick off next month in Morocco.

The Pride will be off until early July due to the NWSL World Cup break. Their next match will be on the road at BMO Stadium against Angel City FC on July 3.

OCB Defeats Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B defeated Chattanooga FC 5-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday. Ignacio Gomez scored for the Young Lions six minutes into the match. Chattanooga FC responded with two goals later in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, it was all OCB as Pedro Leao, Harvey Sarajian, and Justin Hylton each added a goal to extend the Young Lions’ lead to 4-2. Leao added a penalty kick goal as OCB secured back-to-back wins in league play and moved to fourth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 22 points. OCB will face Carolina Core FC Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau Called Up

Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau have been called up to their respective national teams. Reid-Brown will be joining the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team for upcoming friendlies against Georgia and North Macedonia in Bulgaria.

Crepeau will be with the Canadian Men’s National Team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canada has two international friendlies this week, facing Uzbekistan today and taking on Ireland Friday. Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch stated that he has not yet decided which goalkeeper will start in his team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, but Crepeau and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair will split time in goal against Uzbekistan.

USMNT Defeats Senegal in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Senegal 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, Sunday in an international friendly. Former Lion Alex Freeman started the match and played 45 minutes. Sergino Dest struck first to give the Yanks an early lead, and Christian Pulisic scored his first international goal since November 2024 for the U.S. to take a 2-0 lead in the first half. Sadio Mane pulled one back for Senegal to make it 2-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Mane added another goal to level the match, but Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored the final goal of the match to seal the win for the Americans. The USMNT will face Germany Saturday in another international friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, before opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, taking on Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Paris Saint-Germain Repeats as UEFA Champions League Winner in Penalties

Paris Saint-Germain edged Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw Saturday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to win the UEFA Champions League title for the second time in a row. Kai Havertz scored the first goal six minutes into the match to give Arsenal the lead in the first half. However, in the second half, Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, resulting in a penalty for Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot to tie the match. After 120 minutes of play, the match went to penalties, where Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made one save, but Paris Saint-Germain still scored four goals. In the final round, Arsenal defender Gabriel sailed his shot over the net, and Paris Saint-Germain became just the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles in the modern era, since 1992. The other club was Real Madrid, which won three consecutive titles from 2015-2016 through 2017-2018.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando City Academy U-14 squad defeated Inter Miami 3-1 Sunday to win the MLS Next Cup.
  • According to Sportico, Major League Soccer viewership has risen significantly in the first three months of the season.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

An Early Look at Orlando City’s Contract Decisions

Here is an early look at the decisions the club will have to make regarding the roster at the end of the 2026 season.

Published

2 days ago

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May 30, 2026

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Image of Wilder Cartagena controlling the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we head into a dead period of Major League Soccer with the arrival of the World Cup break, it’s worth looking into the future to see how the roster may look in the future. Orlando City has one player out of contract after the 2026 season and several that are on the last guaranteed year of their deal but have option years the club could exercise. Let’s take a look at the decisions Orlando City has to make at season’s end.

Ivan Angulo — Attacking Midfielder

The Colombian midfielder has been a tireless worker and a good soldier for Orlando City since his arrival in July of 2022. Regardless of what you think of his finishing (and it hasn’t been good the last two years after back-to-back seasons with five goals in 2023 and 2024 and 15 total goal contributions in the latter of those years) or those games in which he turns the ball over repeatedly, Angulo has generally been an asset to the team. What he lacks in goal production he makes up for in important hustle plays to break up opposition attacks and with his high pressure.

Angulo is out of contract after the 2026 season after signing through the 2025 season in January of 2024. Orlando City exercised his option year for 2026 last November. He could leave on a free transfer and there will be clubs interested in the 27-year-old, who will likely be one of the fastest players in whatever league he’s in for the next several seasons. At a total guaranteed compensation of $582,656, he’s not terribly expensive for a starting-caliber winger. Orlando City should re-sign Angulo or upgrade the position, and perhaps the club wants Tyrese Spicer to show he can take that spot. Spicer has been inconsistent as a starter but generally better off the bench. He hasn’t yet shown himself to be an everyday option.

Wilder Cartagena — Midfielder

The Peruvian midfield stopper has, like Angulo, been a solid performer for the Lions since signing with Orlando City in August of 2022. Last season’s Achilles injury derailed the club’s best-ever midfield double pivot, as Cartagena and Cesar Araujo combined to make life miserable for Orlando’s opponents and did a great job of shielding the back line. He even filled in admirably on the back line whenever Oscar Pareja went to five at the back as an extra center back. Cartagena suffered another injury in the 2026 season opener and is just getting back up to speed, but it seems as if he’s having difficulty breaking through to get enough minutes to round back into form.

Cartagena is on a contract through the end of 2026, which he signed last November, but there is an option year on his deal. At 31 years old and making a guaranteed $530,250 per year, it may be time to move on from the veteran defensive midfielder unless he can regain his form before the end of the season. The hope is that Luis Otavio can develop into a similar midfield stopper and the club has invested in the Brazilian. The Lions also seem more interested in the kind of offense that favors more attack-minded players in the central midfield, which has proven successful in scoring goals so far this year but has failed miserably at preventing them.

Joran Gerbet — Midfielder

The French-born product out of Clemson University signed in February 2025 after being drafted in the first round (No. 27 overall) in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. He had a promising rookie campaign going until sustaining a serious knee injury last October against Columbus and had season-ending surgery. Gerbet will likely be able to return to game action after the World Cup break, and perhaps he could even play some games with OCB during the pause.

He’ll be out of contract at the end of 2026 but there are options for 2027 and 2028 on his rookie deal. If he can return to full speed and produce, the club would likely bring him back. With total guaranteed compensation of $113,400, Gerbet is an inexpensive piece of the roster, and he’ll be eager to earn a new deal. Plus, he’ll have at least one new French-speaking teammate as soon as Antoine Griezmann arrives. Gerbet’s return could mitigate the loss of Cartagena if the club parts ways with the Peruvian international.

Adrian Marin — Defender

The Spaniard arrived in August of 2025 on a deal through this season with a club option for 2027. He wasn’t able to quite jell or acclimate well to Major League Soccer over the course of last season. He entered 2026 looking to lock down the starting left back spot and can play as a center back in a three-man back line, but so far this season he’s been inconsistent at best. While he can send the occasional excellent cross or long ball in to create a scoring chance, contributing three assists already this season, he’s not been quite able to consistently operate at an MLS level.

A good left back can be pricey, so his guaranteed pay of $577,972 isn’t terrible, but he’s not quite lived up to it either. It will be interesting to see if Marin can finish out the 2026 campaign strong and if it’s enough to warrant picking up his contract option or offering him a new deal.

Nolan Miller — Defender

The rookie out of Michigan had a strong start to his first professional year but then showed some growing pains. He signed through the 2026 season back in early February but the club holds options for Miller for the 2027 sprint season, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029. Miller most recently played with Orlando City B on Sunday, helping the Young Lions defeat Inter Miami CF II 4-1 at home. There’s a lot of season left for Miller to make his mark, and playing with OCB during the World Cup break is a good way to get him minutes in a developmental setting.

All indications from the club are that the technical staff believe Miller has enough upside to potentially become an MLS starter. The 22-year-old will be given an opportunity to develop, and it seems likely Orlando City will exercise his option unless the player asks for his release to pursue other opportunities.

Javier Otero — Goalkeeper

If there’s one thing that’s been clear for years, it’s that Orlando City likes to have one primary goalkeeper and a young, inexpensive backup who plays only sparingly, whether it’s Mason Stajduhar, Adam Grinwis, or Otero. The Lions signed Otero to a new contract through 2026 just a year ago in May 2025, with option years for 2027 and 2028. Otero has played well at times and gotten shelled a few times in his MLS career, but he’s filled his role well and is inexpensive at $163,750 in guaranteed annual compensation. Orlando will likely exercise the option on Otero’s deal unless the 23-year-old Venezuelan wants to go elsewhere.

Nicolas Rodriguez — Attacking Midfield

While not technically out of contract, the club may have to do something with Rodriguez, who is currently on loan with Atletico Nacional in Colombia through 2026. The Colombian side has an option to purchase, but it’s unclear whether that will be exercised. The former MLS U22 Initiative signing was suspended in March for an alleged sexual assault earlier this year — charges that Rodriguez denies. He returned to the pitch in May in a loss to Once Caldas.

With the commitment Orlando City made to Otavio, Iago, and Tiago, it’s unlikely the club will bring back Rodriguez unless one of the Brazilians is sold. Rodriguez struggled to get on the pitch with the first team last year, and Tiago seems light years ahead of the Colombian in his development. It seems likely the club will hope Nacional purchases Rodriguez, and if not, the Lions will probably try to sell him or loan him out again. Rodriguez’s contract expires at the end of 2027.

Zakaria Taifi — Fullback/Midfielder

Homegrown defender/winger Taifi is signed through 2026 with club options for 2027, 2028, and 2029. The 20-year-old has shown great promise and made the jump to the first team midway through 2025, although he played sparingly. Taifi already has career highs with the first team in 2026 in games played (10), starts (3), and assists (2). If not for Griffin Dorsey’s play, Taifi might otherwise be seeing regular minutes, although there is work to be done in developing his defending. At present, he projects more as a wingback than a fullback, but the same was once true of Alex Freeman, who improved his one-on-one defending by leaps and bounds.

As a Homegrown Player starting to bear fruit, it is a no-brainer for the club to pick up Taifi’s option after the 2026 season.

Yutaro Tsukada — Attacking Midfielder

Orlando City selected Tsukada with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft in December of 2023. The club signed Tsukada to an MLS NEXT Pro deal through 2024 and then signed him through 2025 with option years for 2026 and 2027, so he’s currently in the first of those two option years.

The young winger has shown some glimpses of quality in both dead-ball delivery and his crafty one-on-one moves out wide, but he’s not been able to break through just yet and he was left off both the senior team and OCB matchday rosters since April 26, despite a club spokesman telling me he wasn’t injured. Tsukada’s budget charge isn’t big ($113,400), but at 24, he’s entering his prime years and hasn’t yet developed into an MLS player. Whether he’s back next year may be up to the player in Tsukada’s case.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: May 31, 2017 vs. D.C. United

Hop in the time machine and relive a wet, weird Orlando City game from almost nine years ago.

Published

3 days ago

on

May 29, 2026

By

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

With no Orlando City match to entertain us for almost two months during the World Cup break, this is an optimal time to reflect on some of the team’s history and enjoy a trip down memory lane. We’re taking one hell of a trip today, as we go almost nine years into the past to reminisce on the Lions taking on D.C. United all the way back on May 31, 2017.

Just how different were things as OCSC got ready to take the field against D.C. that Wednesday? Well for one thing, the ground now known as Inter&Co Stadium had just opened a little over two months previously, and it was still called Orlando City Stadium. Jason Kreis had the reins as the team’s second full-time head coach, and teams were only allowed to make three substitutions per game instead of five.

Kreis set up his team in a 4-4-2 that had Joe Bendik in goal, a back line of Scott Sutter, Jose Aja, Jonathan Spector, and Donny Toia; Matias Perez Garcia, Will Johnson, Cristian Higuita, and Luis Gil in the midfield; and Cyle Larin alongside Carlos Rivas up top.

The defining characteristic of the game in the first half was the conditions in which it was played. The stadium was pounded by rain in the leadup to kickoff, and the wet weather continued during the opening 45 minutes. The Lions had the better of things in the first half, but things could have been different if Larin had been called for a handball in the box in the 15th minute, but the referee didn’t see it, the D.C. players didn’t call for it, and video review wouldn’t be introduced to MLS until later in the season.

D.C. went close through Julian Buscher in the 43rd minute when he turned well at the top of the box and sent a left footed shot toward goal, but Bendik did well to get down and push the ball away with his right hand. Orlando’s best chance of the half came as the first 45 minutes were winding down, when Gil sprung Larin on the break, but the Canadian had to shoot from an angle and Bill Hamid was able to deal with it fairly comfortably in the D.C. net. Before the half could end, OCSC had a penalty shout of its own as Sutter felt he was clipped from behind by Buscher in stoppage time, but referee Allen Chapman disagreed and the game went to halftime scoreless.

The Lions finished the first half with 59% possession and took nine shots but only put three on target, while D.C. totaled three shots with two on target, and 41% of the ball.

The rain mercifully subsided at halftime, but the game continued to be a sloppy affair as the second half got underway. D.C really should have opened the scoring in the 56th minute when a ball played down the right found Lamar Neagle near the penalty spot. He turned and played a great pass into space for Buscher, who was unmarked roughly 10 yards from goal on the left side of the box. Luckily for the Lions, with just Bendik to beat, the midfielder somehow contrived to blast his first-time shot over the bar so badly that it just missed the Heineken sign by a couple of inches.

That scare spurred Kreis into action, as he brought on Giles Barnes for Gil just three minutes later. It proved to be an inspired move, as the Jamaican provided an immediate spark and won a free kick in a dangerous area in the 65th minute after slaloming through several defenders. It fell to Johnson to take the resulting set piece, and he dialed up a doozy, curling a ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Larin fought through heavy contact from Steve Birnbaum and headed the ball into the net beyond a helpless Hamid to open the scoring for Orlando.

The strike ended a scoreless drought of 266 minutes for Orlando, and the team continued to look invigorated after the introduction of Barnes. He played a great cutback pass for Larin just two minutes after the goal, and the Canadian might have scored had D.C. not gotten bodies in the way and blocked it. He then played Rivas in on goal in the 71st minute, but Kofi Opare made a great last-ditch tackle to prevent a shot and MPG wasn’t able to bundle the loose ball over the line as Hamid came out to contest.

That was Perez-Garcia’s last meaningful action of the evening, as he made way for Tony Rocha two minutes later.

In the 74th minute, Orlando had another almighty scare and D.C. wasted its second excellent chance of the game. Aja played a badly underhit pass back to Bendik, and Neagle got to it first as the goalkeeper charged out to try to clear the danger. Neagle took it around him and had only Spector to beat as the last man back, but he put his shot entirely too close to the center back, who was able to make himself big and keep the effort out. The rebound then spun into the air and looked to be falling kindly for Sebastien Le Toux to head into the empty net, but Bendik parachuted in at the last second and acrobatically punched the danger clear.

The two teams then traded decent chances over the next 10 minutes, but a combination of blocks, misses, and a Bendik save kept things at 1-0. Kreis then made his final move of the game in the 83rd minute when Antonio Nocerino entered the game for Rivas.

OCSC looked all set to go more conservative and try to escape with a 1-0 win when it got a fortunate break just two minutes from the end of regulation. Barnes lined up a shot from roughly 25 yards out, and while it was hit with venom, it looked to be straight at Hamid and relatively straightforward. That made it all the more surprising when D.C.’s goalkeeper got two hands on it but either fluffed his attempt at a catch or whiffed on a punch, and the ball squirted past him into the back of the net. Barnes was rewarded for an energetic, game-changing substitute appearance, and the Lions got an insurance goal.

Four minutes of stoppage time passed without incident, and the Lions finished a dominant, but ultimately slightly nervy, performance with a 2-0 victory. Orlando ended the game with an edge in possession (57%-43%), shots (20-10), shots on target (5-4), and passing accuracy (81%-71%).

Current Orlando City staffer Austin David was on our staff and handed out player grades for the game, and he gave Barnes the Man of the Match award with an 8 out of 10. The other high performers on the night were Bendik and Spector, who were both awarded a 7.5 out of 10.

Larin’s goal was his eighth of the campaign, and the victory ended a six-game winless run for Orlando. Sadly, it wasn’t a sign of good things to come, as OCSC immediately endured another five-game winless run that included the infamous 3-1 loss to Miami FC that saw a Stefano Pinho hat trick earn him a move to the Lions at the end of the season. Orlando went on to win just three games the rest of the season, and finished 10th in the 11-team Eastern Conference with 39 points, ahead of only D.C. United.

With any luck, this season will follow a much different arc. Antoine Griezmann will be here before we know it, and the Lions have some time to make some tweaks to the roster, work on things in training, and will have an opportunity to make a cup final in the fall. Here’s to remembering the good parts of the past, and not repeating the bad ones. Vamos Orlando!

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