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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-0 as Ercan Kara Opens His Account in Lions Win

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3 years ago

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Ercan Kara opened his Orlando City account to lift a massively wasteful Lions team to a 1-0 win over the 10-man Chicago Fire at Exploria Stadium. Orlando (3-2-2, 11 points) snapped a two-match home losing streak and finished the season set against the Fire (2-1-3, 9 points) with a 1-0-1 record and four points. It was Chicago’s first loss of the season, which might have been two if not for a poor refereeing decision in the two teams’ first match-up of the season.

The Lions wasted numerous opportunities to stretch the lead by missing the net from excellent scoring positions throughout the second half against the 10-man Fire, who were without Brian Gutierrez from the 43rd minute on. The 18-year-old Chicago Homegrown Player received two first-half yellow cards, putting his team a man down.

“Good day to walk out with three points,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The red card changed a lot for the rival. We may think that just winning 1-0 isn’t enough, but I said to the players that we can choose just being worried about things, be negative about things that didn’t work the way we wanted, or enjoy the victory that was necessary for the team. It was not an easy game and we created a ton of chances. I know we all have that feeling now we need to be more precise. Sometimes we get worried by not creating them.”

Pareja’s lineup included goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel (in for the injured Antonio Carlos), and Ruan. Sebas Mendez replaced Junior Urso in central midfield with Cesar Araujo behind an attacking midfield line of Facu Torres, Mauricio Pereyra, and Alexandre Pato, with Ercan Kara at striker.

The opening minutes were played between the boxes as the teams settled in and Gutierrez took a silly early yellow for delaying a restart, which ended up coming back to haunt him later in the half.

Orlando got the game’s first scoring opportunity when Pereyra slipped a ball down the left side of the penalty area for Kara. The Austrian fired a hard, low shot from a tough angle and Gabriel Slonina made a good save.

Four minutes later, Pato sent either a shot or a cross wide of the left post from the right side and afterward said something to Kara, so I’m inclined to think it was a pass.

Gutierrez found himself in acres of space at the top of the Orlando area in the 15th minute. He fired a shot but it was parried away by Gallese, who kept the game scoreless. Two minutes later, Jansson did well to block a shot by Stanislav Ivanov.

Pato forced a near-post save from Slonina in the 20th minute as the Lions regrouped and continued to look dangerous. However, Orlando often struggled to get that final pass through Chicago’s defense or get the proper weight on the ball.

Orlando City was fortunate not to fall behind in the 24th minute after a Mendez turnover ended up giving Kacper Przybylko an open look from the right. He fizzed his shot just off target.

Pereyra slipped Ruan down the right side of the box in the 31st minute and the fullback sent an easy near-post shot at Slonina when a better option may have been a cut-back ball across the top of the six for Kara and Pato.

Three minutes later, the Lions were fortunate again when they turned the ball over on a too-deliberate counter-attack and Schlegel was caught up the field. Chicago came forward and Gutierrez tried an ill-advised long-range shot that didn’t trouble Gallese.

Moutinho came close in the 37th minute with a volleyed effort that went just over the crossbar. Torres fired a shot into the ground a few minutes later and it bounced over the net.

Gutierrez fouled Araujo from behind in the 43rd minute and saw his second yellow card of the match, putting the Fire down a man for the remainder of the match.

Orlando didn’t do much with the last two minutes of normal time and a minute of stoppage, getting just a long-range Araujo shot that the midfielder wasn’t able to get any power into, and Slonina easily stopped it.

The Lions held a halftime advantage in possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (10-5), shots on target (4-2), and passing accuracy (86.7%-79.1%), with each team earning just one corner.

Pareja sent Junior Urso into the game for Araujo at the break and it helped the Lions play quicker through the Chicago defense. He won the Lions an early corner and Orlando fashioned a chance in the 51st minute on a ball over the top that Kara took in the air but hit well over the bar.

“It (was) a big difference when Junior Urso on the field because Junior Urso is more box to box,” Mendez said. “It was a little better for our team because Junior Urso helps in the marking and to attack, and Junior Urso is a very good player for us.”

Pato smashed a shot just wide in the 56th minute and then had a shot deflected out by the defense a minute later for an Orlando corner. Jansson got a head to the ensuing cross but could only knock it up in the air and Chicago cleared.

The breakthrough came in the 59th minute. Torres was fouled near the left corner of the box, setting up an Orlando free kick. The Young Designated Player took the kick and sent a cross to Pato at the back post. Pato headed the ball across the top of the six and Kara nodded it home for his first MLS goal.

“I saw the space and it was a great assist from (Pato) and he played a very good header to me,” Kara said. “It was not the hardest goal for me but I’m happy.”

“We have suffered a lot of fouls. It was a concern for us,” Pareja said after his team finally punished a team for fouling often. “But then we need to take advantage of those moments. We were not taking advantage. Today we did. We’ll take it. Being effective in set plays is important.”

The Fire sent offensive subs into the match after the goal and had a bit more possession for the next five minutes before Orlando regained control of the match. Ruan’s last opportunity to affect the match took place in the 73rd minute when he got forward in transition but again opted to take a bad-angle shot that gave Slonina no trouble, despite having some passing options.

A minute later, the Lions should have doubled the lead. Torres got on the ball in the box but opted not to shoot, instead passing back to Pato, who fired from the top of the area. Slonina made a sprawling save but couldn’t control the rebound, which popped up into the air perfectly for Kara, who sent his point-blank header wide of goal.

Pareja subbed off Kara, Torres, and Ruan just after that, sending on Benji Michel, Tesho Akindele, and Kyle Smith.

Michel’s introduction almost paid dividends instantly, as Pato found him at the back post with a cross, but the Homegrown sent his header wide in the 77th minute. Akindele’s hustle won the team a corner shortly after that and a well-worked short corner ended up getting crossed in by Pato but this time it was Schlegel heading wide of the near post.

Orlando City again should have put the game away in the 88th minute. Akindele slipped Pato in between the defenders and he managed to work around Slonina but sent his shot off the crossbar.

That was the last good opportunity and the Lions were content to knock the ball around and eat up the final few minutes of the match to earn the victory.

Orlando held lopsided advantages in possession (61.7%-38.3%), shots (21-7), shots on target (6-2), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (89.3%-78.9%).

“The players did a terrific effort today and they walked out with three points that (were) very necessary, so we’re good,” Pareja said.

“Today was a very important game for us because we lost the last game against LAFC,” Mendez said. “But now we need to continue to work because we have another game. Every single game in MLS is difficult so we need to continue to work.”

The Lions are back on the road next Saturday when they visit the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/23/25

Pride fall to Racing Louisville, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes share insight on path to success in Orlando, USMNT defeats Haiti, and more.

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17 hours ago

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June 23, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working and catching up with friends over the past week. Before we get started, let’s wish a belated happy birthday to Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, who turned 41 on Saturday. The Pride was the lone team in action over the weekend, while the Lions and OCB were off. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall at Racing Louisville

The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 2-0 Friday at Lynn Family Stadium. Arin Wright scored the opening goal in the first half, and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint converted a penalty kick for Racing Louisville. The Pride struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Orlando’s struggles in Louisville continue, as the club is winless in five matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The Pride will be on a long break, and their next match will be Aug. 3, taking on the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.

Seb Hines, Giles Barnes Share Insight on Path to Success in Orlando

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and Assistant Coach Giles Barnes were featured in an interview in The Guardian. Both Hines and Barnes shared insight into their longtime friendship, which began with playing in English youth international camps, their different paths to playing in Major League Soccer, and how they became involved in coaching. Hines discussed his time as interim manager of the Pride in 2022 and how he brought in Barnes to help change the club’s culture. Hines and Barnes helped change the perception of the club and led the Pride to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season.

USMNT Defeats Haiti to Win Group D in Gold Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Haiti 2-1 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, in their final match in the group stage of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT finished atop its group with three wins and nine points. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his third consecutive start and played 90 minutes.

Malik Tillman scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the match to give the USMNT the early lead. Haiti tied the match not long after Tillman’s goal. In the second half, Patrick Agyemang pulled the USMNT back in front. The USMNT advances to the quarterfinals as the group winner and will play its next match Sunday against the Group A runner-up which was the late game Sunday night and had yet to conclude as of this writing.

Club World Cup Weekend Recap

Another weekend of matches from the FIFA Club World Cup is in the books. On Friday, Benfica crushed Auckland City FC 6-0, while Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1. LAFC was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round after a 1-0 defeat to ES Tunis. Bayern Munich edged Boca Juniors 2-1. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3. Inter Milan needed a late stoppage-time winning goal from Valentin Carboni to edge Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. Fluminense beat Ulsan HD 4-2, and River Plate and Monterrey ended in a scoreless draw. On Sunday, Juventus cruised to a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. Xabi Alonso secured his first win as manager of Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory against Pachuca. Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal played to a scoreless draw, with Manchester City playing Al-Ain in the late match Sunday. Today’s matches feature Atletico Madrid facing Botafogo, the Seattle Sounders hosting Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto vs. Al Ahly, and Inter Miami taking on Palmeiras.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos and forward Simone Jackson have been called-up to the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. The U-23 camp will be led by Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas.

USL Championship side San Antonio FC has signed former Orlando City defender Abdi Salim to a 25-day contract.

San Diego Wave winger Maria Sanchez has reportedly reach an agreement to return to her former club, Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, on a four-year contract.

Paul Pogba is reportedly set to return to playing soccer and has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

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

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Opinion

Orlando City Has Been Better than Expected Halfway Through the Season

While there was plenty to worry about at the start of the season, Orlando has had a good first half of 2025.

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4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With 18 matches in the books, we’ve moved just past the halfway point of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and based off my feelings before Orlando City played its opening game of the season, the Lions have performed above expectations so far. There were plenty of valid reasons to be concerned heading into the year. Orlando had sold its all-time leading goal scorer, and there were questions about whether he’d been adequately replaced. There were worries about depth at multiple positions, and the defense was coming off an uncharacteristically poor year. Here we are though, with the Lions sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of second place and seven points out of first. So how did we get to this point?

For one thing, Marco Pasalic has been much better than I (and I think a lot of other people) expected him to be. The Croatian has six goals and four assists across 18 matches, and is second on the team in both categories. He scored 10 goals in 49 appearances in the Croatian first division before coming to Orlando and was extremely one-footed, which was enough evidence to sow real doubt about whether he could adequately replace the impact of Facundo Torres.

So far, it’s mostly been so good. His direct style of play is a good complement to the styles of Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel, and he’s largely hit the ground running in a league that can be difficult to adapt to. It hasn’t been perfect, as he’s still very one-footed, and can sometimes disappear if he’s stringently man marked, but on the whole there’s been much more good than bad.

Speaking of Ojeda and Muriel, they’ve also had strong years. Ojeda in particular has continued his great second half of the 2024 season and has nine goals and five assists in 18 games to show for it. He looks fast, confident, and decisive and is a far cry from the player who struggled frequently during his first year as a Lion. Muriel has cooled off a little after a scorching start to 2025, but he still has six goals and three assists in 18 matches. He looks vastly improved from last year, when he looked a little off the pace of play and quickly lost the starting striker role. He still has a tendency to not be as selfish as he needs to be in front of goal, but he’s been much better than 2024.

I mentioned depth being a big concern, and not just at one position. At the beginning of the season Orlando City was, and arguably still is, thin at striker, center back, defensive midfield, and fullback. Duncan McGuire was injured to start the year and is now injured again, leaving Orlando with two true strikers in Muriel and Ramiro Enrique. There was no true backup left back, only one reliable backup center back, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson starting at right back meant that defensive midfield depth consisted of rookie Joran Gerbet and the Swiss army knife that is Kyle Smith.

Things have mostly worked out though. David Brekalo has supplanted Rafael Santos, meaning the Brazilian is now a proven backup option at the position, and Smith has filled in there as well. That means that in games in which Rodrigo Schlegel or Robin Jansson are unavailable, Brekalo fills in at center back, Santos starts at left back, and Smith is the backup for both positions, so it isn’t a flawless system. Gerbet has been playing better and better and got some valuable minutes when Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo were unavailable. His emergence has been a crucial piece of the puzzle this year. So too has the rise of Alex Freeman, as his locking down the right back role has allowed Thorhallsson to fill in at defensive midfield, attacking midfield, and right back. The situation isn’t perfect, as a couple untimely injuries to the wrong guys would leave the Lions looking pretty threadbare, but so far it’s just about worked.

Another big concern was the defense. The Lions conceded 50 goals in the regular season last year, which was tied for the second-most of any Eastern Conference playoff team and fourth-most of any playoff team. With no defensive signings and the aforementioned depth concerns, there were plenty of reasons to worry about Orlando’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

Things have looked much better in 2025, though. The 22 goals OCSC has conceded are the fifth-fewest in the league, and Pedro Gallese’s eight clean sheets are tied for most in the league. Aside from a few egregious defensive performances against the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, and the Chicago Fire, things have mostly been tidy at the back, and when they haven’t been, El Pulpo has been around to pick up the slack. Again, things haven’t been perfect, as there have been moments where individual and collective errors have hurt the team, but it’s been better.

I thought the Lions would struggle this year. Going into the start of the season, we were talking about a team that lost Torres, arguably didn’t do enough to strengthen the team across the board, was facing depth issues, and was dealing with a leaky defense — all while pretty much every other contender in the East got stronger on paper. Instead, OCSC tied a club-best unbeaten streak and is just three points out of second place.

That being said, the East is so tight that Orlando is only five points above the playoff line, and injuries to the wrong guys could easily topple the fragile ecosystem that is the depth chart, but so far things are going better than I thought they would be. There are still a lot of matches to play, but this isn’t a bad position to be in at the halfway mark.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/20/25

Orlando Pride take on Racing Louisville FC tonight, Orlando Pride players called up by Zambia, USMNT beats Saudi Arabia, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! June continues to fly by as we enjoy the buffet of soccer here in the U.S. this month. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working, but I am hoping to get some reading done after being gifted some books for my birthday. But enough about me, let’s jump right into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Face Racing Louisville Tonight

The Orlando Pride are on the road tonight for a match against Racing Louisville FC at 8 p.m. in the final game before a league break until August. Going into the break with four straight wins would be nice for the Pride, but they’ve struggled at Lynn Family Stadium over the years. Louisville enters this match following a 4-2 loss to the league-leading Kansas City Current and has scored eight goals over the past three games. Orlando’s defense has been phenomenal this year, conceding just eight goals this season and only one during this win streak. Midfielder Cori Dyke spoke on how the team is finding its groove and shutting out opponents.

Zambia Calls Up Orlando Pride Trio

Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were all called up for Zambia’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations roster ahead of this summer’s tournament. Banda has eight goals this season with the Pride and had four goals at last year’s Olympics, including a hat trick against Australia. The Copper Queens claimed third place in the 2022 edition of this tournament, and they’ll need to be at their best to win this summer against tough opponents like South Africa and Nigeria. Zambia’s tournament campaign will kick off on July 5 against the host nation, Morocco.

USMNT Beats Saudi Arabia to Qualify for Quarterfinals

The United States Men’s National Team won 1-0 against Saudi Arabia to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. After a scoreless first half, the Yanks broke through in the 63rd minute thanks to a free kick. Sebastian Berhalter served the ball on a silver platter to Chris Richards, who buried it for the crucial goal. The defense did well to secure its second shutout of the tournament, with Orlando City’s Alex Freeman starting at right back yet again. The USMNT will play Haiti on Sunday and should be able to win the group for a smoother path in the knockout stage.

FIFA Club World Cup Roundup

An MLS club finally won a game during this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, with Inter Miami beating Porto 2-1 in Atlanta. Lionel Messi scored the winner from a free kick to complete the comeback after conceding an early goal. The Seattle Sounders had a rougher day, falling 3-1 to Atletico Madrid, with Pablo Barrios scoring a brace. Former Lion Facundo Torres started for Palmeiras in the Brazilian club’s 2-0 win over Egypt’s Al Ahly.

Today’s action features more soccer at Inter&Co Stadium, with Benfica and Auckland City squaring off in the City Beautiful. Our Michael Citro will be on hand to report on it. Elsewhere in the U.S., Chelsea will take on Flamengo, LAFC will face ES Tunis, and Bayern Munich will play Boca Juniors.

Free Kicks

  • Canada Head Coach Jesse Marsch, who is already serving a suspension for misconduct during the Nations League, is under investigation by Concacaf for incidents during this Gold Cup. Reports detail that Marsch disregarded regulations and used offensive language toward match officials.
  • Kylian Mbappe was discharged from the hospital after suffering from a case of gastroenteritis. It’s unclear if or when he’ll play for Real Madrid during the Club World Cup.
  • Carlos Cuesta was hired as Parma’s next head coach after five years with Arsenal as an assistant coach. The 29-year-old becomes the second-youngest coach in Serie A history.
  • Manchester City was fined over $1 million by the English Premier League for repeated delays regarding kickoff times.

That’s all I have for you all today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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