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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Suffer First Road Loss of 2022

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4 years ago

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For the second time in three matches, Orlando City didn’t look like it belonged on an MLS pitch. The Lions were — well, the word awful comes to mind — in a deserved 4-1 road loss to CF Montreal at Stade Saputo. Orlando (5-4-2, 17 points) lost on the road for the first time in 2022 and never seemed likely to challenge Montreal (5-3-2, 17 points) once the hosts scored their first goal.

The Lions scored a set piece goal to cut a 2-0 deficit in half against the run of play in the second half but then handed two more goals to Montreal with the poor giveaways that plagued the team all game long. CF Montreal set a club record by extending its unbeaten run to seven games (5-0-2).

Joao Moutinho provided Orlando’s only goal on one of just two shot attempts. Joel Waterman, Djordje Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, and Zachary Brault-Guillard all chipped in goals for Montreal.

“Certainly a difficult afternoon for us (against) a team that had a lot of initiative going forward,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And we couldn’t, first get the ball back, and second create much. The mistakes that we did allowed them to score the goals. Very fair result for Montreal and we’re just going to push forward, just keep organizing things, and being back on results.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Moutinho, Thomas Williams — in for the suspended Robin Jansson — Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan. Sebas Mendez joined Cesar Araujo in central midfield to try to provide more coverage for the back line. The attacking midfield line included Facundo Torres, Mauricio Pereyra, and Benji Michel, with Alexandre Pato as the main strike threat.

Earlier in the day, OCB sent center back Brandon Hackenberg to the senior side on a short-term loan to provide coverage in central defense in Jansson’s absence. Hackenberg was on the bench along with newly acquired winger Jake Mulraney.

The opening minutes were a bit sloppy on both sides but Montreal got the first good chance to score six minutes in. Just after Schlegel blocked a Joaquin Torres shot from the top of the box, the ball cycled out wide to Montreal’s right. A cross back into the area was met by Romell Quioto, who was hardly bothered by Williams or Schlegel but he sent his free header over Gallese’s crossbar.

Two minutes later, Ruan made a sliding attempt to deny a pass and clear the ball but instead he simply set the ball up nicely for Lassi Lappalainen to run onto in the box. Lappalainen fired from the left side of Montreal’s attacking side but Gallese made a big save.

Orlando’s first foray into the attacking end didn’t take place until the 10th minute. Moutinho sent in a cross but former Lion Kamal Miller cleared it away. The Lions tried to recycle down the left wing but Michel’s left-footed cross was right at goalkeeper Sebastian Breza.

Facu Torres fired Orlando’s first shot attempt in the 14th minute after Miller failed to properly deal with a ball over the top that was intended for Pato. His shot was well off target and since Pato was behind the defense there was no option for the winger to play a through ball for the Brazilian.

A minute later, Mihailovic was nearly in for a clear shot on target but Mendez did well to break up the play at the top of the box. Just after that, Ruan coughed up the ball in his own defensive end. Pereyra committed a foul, which handed a free kick to the hosts. Mihailovic played the free kick short and received the ball back quickly and fired a shot on target. The attempt was right at Gallese, who made the easy save in the 18th minute.

Montreal’s wingbacks were pushing higher and higher and it nearly put Mihailovic in behind in the 20th minute but Schlegel did well to get back and break up the play. However, he conceded a corner, which led to Montreal’s opener. The cross into the box hit Michel and bounced toward goal. Waterman was standing there all alone and scored. The initial ruling was that the play was offside, and Waterman was well behind the defense, but after video review, the referee saw that the ball wasn’t passed by a Montreal player and instead was knocked behind to the center back by Michel, so the goal was awarded, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The hosts should have doubled the lead in the 36th minute. The Lions lost the ball in the attack and Montreal quickly countered. Quioto put in a good ball across for Lappalainen in front. Ruan overran the play, giving the wingback a 1-v-1 opportunity against Gallese but he sent his shot just wide of the right post.

Gallese had to make a key save in the 40th minute after Mendez tried to play too fancy in his own end and turned it over. The ball cycled left to right and was slipped into Mihailovic down the right. He’d gotten in behind Araujo and Williams was slow to react, giving the winger an open look at goal but Gallese did well to get down and make the save.

Each side wasted a set piece late and the hosts took their deserved 1-0 lead into the break. Montreal dominated the opening half, leading in possession (56.4%43.6%), shots (8-1), shots on target (4-0), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (89.7%-87.1%). The Lions were fortunate to be within one, offering nothing in the attack and getting bossed around by a Montreal central midfield that was missing Victor Wanyama and Ismael Kone.

Montreal picked up where it left off after the restart. Orlando turned Montreal over at midfield but poor awareness by Michel allowed the hosts to easily dispossess the winger and go the other way, where they won a corner. Miller had a free header but didn’t get all of it and Gallese collected.

Montreal doubled the lead anyway shortly afterwards. Mendez took the ball away in midfield but instead of getting forward in transition, Pato played the ball backward. Orlando worked it around but again turned it over and Montreal bombed forward in transition. Alistair Johnston got to the end line and cut the ball back across the front of goal for Mihailovic to tap in, building the lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute.

Down two goals, Pareja made three substitutions, sending on Mulraney, Ercan Kara, and Junior Urso for Michel, Pato, and Mendez. Mulraney’s first touch nearly produced something as his dangerous cross into the box required Breza to be quick off his line to prevent a scoring chance in the 58th minute.

Moments later, Mathieu Choiniere sent a shot just inches wide of Gallese’s goal off a slight deflection. The ensuing corner kick again rattled around the area but this time Orlando cleared.

A poor header attempt by Schlegel allowed Montreal to bomb forward again and Quioto ended up on the left side. Williams did well to keep him from getting into better position and he fired a tough-angle shot that Gallese blocked in the 67th minute. Three minutes later, Gallese made another vital save.

The Lions pulled a goal back two minutes after that, when pressure from Mulraney won a corner. Pereyra’s service picked out Moutinho in the area and the left back nodded home to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute.

With the lead cut in half and everything to play for, Orlando…didn’t. The Lions couldn’t maintain possession, string together multiple passes, deliver a single accurate ball when trying to break lines, and simply didn’t make Montreal work very hard on defense. Orlando failed to even get another shot attempt off in the final 18 minutes plus five minutes of injury time.

Instead, the Lions conceded two more goals and both were off turnovers.

In the 81st minute, Joaquin Torres restored the two-goal advantage on a play that Orlando should have dealt with. Williams did well against substitute Kei Kamara but stopped playing when he thought the ball went over the end line for a goal kick. But Kamara’s hustle allowed him to get a foot around the ball and keep it in play. Williams was standing still, looking at the assistant referee when Kamara ran back onto the field past him and kept the play going. Montreal cycled it around and it ended up on the right, where it was crossed by Brault-Guillard to Torres, who spun off of Williams and put the game away with a cannon shot past Gallese.

Three minutes later, substitute Andres Perea gave the ball away with a horrible first touch to hand Montreal another transition. Brault-Guillard had little angle to shoot at from the right side, but he made an inch-perfect back-post shot count, beating Gallese to make it 4-1.

Kamara came with inches of making it five goals for Montreal in stoppage time but that was as bad as it got. Montreal dominated the stat sheet at the end of the game, leading in possession (59%-41%), shots (20-2), shots on target (10-1), corners (7-2), and passing accuracy (88.3%-83.6%).

As comprehensive as the loss to the New York Red Bulls was two weeks ago, this one was worse. Pareja didn’t have an answer for the continued stagnation of the offense but accepted responsibilty for it after the match.

“I am responsible,” he said, “just helping out to create the sequences, helping out to be the team that we want to be. And offensively when we are not being that team that is threatening, that is creating and all those things, obviously somebody needs to give some explanation. What happened is that we need to execute. It’s easy to say, but today we looked controllable and we did not threaten much behind, but that is something I need to help them out with.”

“I have to say, they were decent,” Mulraney said of Montreal, getting on the field after just arriving with his new team a couple of days ago. “It’s hard to come on the road in this league. I’m excited about this group. I feel there’s a real togetherness. So, we’ll see.”

The Lions have just 12 shot attempts and five shots on target over the last three MLS matches, and there’s not much time between now and the U.S. Open Cup match this midweek to get the offense figured out.

“This is a short turnaround. We have to focus on the next game and see how can we grow up with a team,” Pareja said. “It’s the task to do.”

The Lions return home for a Tuesday night fourth-round match-up with the Philadelphia Union in U.S. Open Cup play before heading back to Canada to face Toronto FC next Saturday.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from a hard-fought win over Nashville SC on Saturday night?

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5 hours ago

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July 26, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann dribbling the ball past Hany Mukhtar of Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City kept the good vibes rolling on Saturday night, as the Lions fought through tired legs and a weather delay to beat Nashville SC 1-0 and make it two clean sheet wins on the bounce. What follows are my five big thoughts from the victory.

Lions Look Leggy

After playing in California on Wednesday night and missing a number of regular first-team players due to a combination of injuries, suspension, and regaining match fitness, it perhaps wasn’t surprising that a largely unchanged Orlando team looked a little heavy-legged. Bernardo Rhein and Luis Otavio were the only changes from the San Jose victory that saw the Lions play an energetic, high-pressing style, and the team wasn’t able to replicate it on Saturday night. There were moments when the team put together some good passing moves and carved out some dangerous chances, but the execution and fine details just seemed to be missing when they were needed most. In short, OCSC looked like a lowly rotated team playing on short rest after traveling across the country, and it made the win over the Supporters’ Shield leaders that much more impressive.

Bernardo’s Big Night

After making just his second appearance with the first team on Wednesday and signing a Homegrown Player deal earlier on Saturday, Rhein made his first MLS start at left back and turned in a performance that belied his 18 years of age. He helped keep Nashville’s attack quiet by contributing one tackle, one clearance, two interceptions, and five recoveries. He also completed 35 of his 40 passes and created a scoring chance. He played a more balanced role than the offensive minded Griffin Dorsey, and it was notable that Nashville didn’t have much luck when trying to target the youngster’s side of the defense as he went mainly up against former OCB teammate Shak Mohammed. Time will tell if Orlando sticks with Rhein or Marin, or if the club tries to get a new left back in the building, but if nothing else, the team’s newest Homegrown signing has given the club’s decision makers something to think about.

Quiet Evening for Crepeau

Entering Saturday’s game, Nashville had scored 33 goals in 16 games, which was good for the fifth-best attack in the league. Not only did Orlando pitch its second shutout in a row, but it did so in relatively uneventful fashion. OCSC held the ‘Yotes to six shots with just three on target, and neither Hany Mukhtar nor Sam Surridge were able to put a shot on Crepeau’s net. Nashville’s best chances of the game — by Mohammed and Alex Muyl — were right at the Canadian shot stopper, and he had a much quieter game than he did midweek. All six of the Orlando City defenders who played on the night had solid outings, and they played a big part in helping the team pick up its second clean sheet of the year. While Marin looked a little shaky when defending 1-v-1 in wide areas, he still put in two tackles and four clearances in just 20 minutes and rebounded well from a difficult outing against San Jose.

Attacking Trio at it Again

Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis, and Ivan Angulo were once again the most impressive starters for Orlando. Griezmann touched the ball a team-high 81 times, Angulo played a game-high three key passes, and Ellis had the all-important assist on the game-winning goal. Griezmann looks every bit the do-it-all Designated Player that he was brought in to be, Angulo has thrived in a hybrid wide midfield/no.10 role, and Ellis was a complete terror with the ball at his feet. The 19-year-old is shifty, physical, an excellent dribbler, and has the vision and confidence to thread passes into tight windows. Enjoy him while you can, because European teams are going to come calling soon, and rightly so.

Spicer Sparks from the Bench

Tyrese Spicer so often seems to thrive when coming off the bench to be a difference maker, and so it was again on Saturday night. He came on for Tiago early in the second half and caused problems for the ‘Yotes with both his willingness to run at the defense and his work rate in pressing and harrying the Nashville players. His three tackles tied Luis Otavio for the most on the team, and he was rewarded for all his hard work when he scored the game-winning goal. Ellis’ no-look through ball was absolutely sublime, and the substitute applied the finish it deserved by smashing his shot past Brian Schwake at the near post before the goalkeeper even had a chance to move. It was the sort of incisive execution that had been missing all night, and he came up big off the bench once again.

Those are the aspects of Saturday’s win that stood out to me. What did you see? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-0 as Spicer’s Goal Sinks League Leaders

The Lions followed up their big win in San Jose by taking down the MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders at home.

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16 hours ago

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July 26, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer shooting against Nashville.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions look to be a different team since the World Cup break ended. After beating Western Conference co-leaders San Jose on the road Wednesday, they battled to a hard-fought 1-0 win over MLS Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at Orlando City’s home stadium tonight.

Second-half substitute Tyrese Spicer scored the game’s only goal in the second half to lift the Lions (6-9-2, 20 points) to their second big win of the week. It was only the second loss of the year for Nashville SC (12-2-3, 39 points) as Orlando avenged its 5-0 loss in Tennessee back on March 21.

“Very happy for everyone here in the club. I think this was a really good victory against a very difficult opponent,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Highlight the effort of our players and highlight the support of our people. Today they brought an amazing energy to the stadium. They filled the stadium. It was a really, really good night. We really enjoyed it.”

Perelman’s side changed out only two starters from Wednesday night’s win at San Jose. Luis Otavio stepped into the midfield for the suspended Eduard Atuesta (yellow card accumulation), while newly signed Homegrown Player Bernardo Rhein made his first MLS start in place of Adrian Marin.

Perleman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Ivan Angulo, Otavio, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago made up the midfield four, with Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

After both teams played Wednesday and traveled, it wasn’t surprising that the teams came out after the hour-long weather delay looking to stay organized and prevent chances, leading to a defensive opening half. The Lions started the game with some good pressure early but couldn’t fashion a clear-cut chance.

Nashville’s first opportunity came in the ninth minute, when Hany Mukhtar got forward down the right, but Jansson did well to track back and block his shot out for a corner. Orlando was able to clear the danger to end the threat.

Griezmann was active, spending much of his time out wide on the right, looking to find space to work in against the compact Nashville defense. The Frenchman served in a good cross in the 15th minute, looking for Ellis. The ball was headed weakly goalward by either Ellis or Andy Najar, allowing Brian Schwake to collect it. Ellis got a good look in the 22nd minute after taking a pass from Angulo, but the young forward didn’t make good contact on it. Schwake still had to make a good effort to keep it out, as the placement of the shot was good.

Rhein did well to force a turnover in the 28th minute and Griezmann found space on the left but he fired his shot over the bar.

Nashville came close in the 42nd minute after a long period of back-and-forth possession. He got in behind but Crepeau made himself big and blocked the shot at the end of a sequence in which Angulo looked to get clipped but no call was made, allowing the visitors to break in transition.

Ellis got the last decent look of the half a minute into first-half stoppage time, finding space outside the box. He put his shot on target but right at Schwake.

At the break, Nashville led in possession (51.1%-48.9%) and corners (3-1). Orlando City had the advantage in shots (8-3), shots on target (4-1), and passing accuracy (91.4%-88.8%).

As with the first half, the Lions came out and put Nashville under pressure to start the second half. Griezmann found room for a shot from the top of the box on the left side in the 48th minute but Maxwell Woledzi headed it away. Orlando quickly regained possession and Ellis tried a long-range effort but sent it sizzling over the crossbar.

A minute later, Ellis cut inside from the left and fired, but his shot hit Angulo on the way in.

Griezmann sent second-half sub Spicer down the left in the 57th minute. The speedy winger tried to pick out Dorsey in front but the defense arrived at the same time as Orlando’s right back and broke up the play.

Nashville’s first good look of the second half came in the 63rd minute when the visitors broke in transition and a ball deflected into the path of former Lion Shak Mohammed. He took his shot quickly and hit it well, but Crepeau made the save. Nashville broke again four minutes later and Rhein got caught too high, giving the guests numbers in transition. Ahmed Qasem fired from the right side but the defense deflected it just wide into the outside netting, and the Lions cleared the subsequent corner.

The Lions broke the scoreless deadlock moments later. Ellis did well to bring the ball forward and drew the defense before releasing it through traffic to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international angled in from the left and blasted a shot past Schwake and in to make it 1-0 in the 72nd minute.

“Leading up to the goal, I know Justin likes to dribble a lot, and I was just like, you know, let me give it to him and run in the space,” Spicer said. “But I know he was going to cut in, and I was just waiting for it. I was yelling his name as loud as I could, like just give it to me. And as soon as I got that ball, I know I had to go first (touch). It was just like muscle memory, there.”

From there, the Lions did well to see out the game, withstanding some Nashville pressure and several set pieces without allowing anything too dangerous to develop. There were a few nervy moments when clearance attempts didn’t quite go as planned, but it’s a testament to the Orlando City defensive effort that it held to just six shot attempts on the night. The high-scoring duo of Sam Surridge and Mukhtar combined did not manage a shot on target in the match.

In the end, Nashville controlled more of the possession (55.3%-44.7%) and won more corners (7-2), but Orlando City finished with more shots (12-6) and shots on target (6-3). Both teams passed at an 89.7% rate.

“Happy with the win. More than anything, I take away the effort from the whole team — the work we put in from the first minute until the end,” Griezmann said. “We played against the team at the top of the table, a great team. It was difficult for us to create chances because we came up against a very good defense, but we managed to score that goal.”

“I think this is a very big win,” Spicer said. “Just coming into the back to the league, facing San Jose, who was like second in the West, and then facing Nashville. I know we had like a big task against us, but leading up to the game, winning this game is a big momentum to carry us through the season.”

“I think at the end of the day, it is the the players. I mean, we coaches we can do many tactics, but at the end of the day, the protagonists are the players, and I think our players today, they performed really well,” Perelman said. “They did a huge effort both with and without the ball, and I think that’s the reason (for the win). If I need to find one (reason), then again we faced a really, really good opponent that we respect very much, and it was a really tough game. I’m happy we could win it.”

The Lions head back on the road for a match a week from tonight at New York Red Bulls before starting up Leagues Cup play through the middle of August.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to build on Wednesday’s impressive win at San Jose, but it won’t be easy against the MLS leaders.

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda dribbling the ball up the field against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (5-9-2, 17 points) and Nashville SC (12-1-3, 39 points) on the Lions’ home grounds (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in the 2026 regular season.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 5-4-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 7-6-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 3-2-1 at home in the regular season against Nashville and 4-3-4 in all competitions in the City Beautiful against tonight’s visitors.

It’s wrong to say the most recent meeting between the sides was a forgettable one for Orlando City fans, as 5-0 beatdowns tend to stick in the memory. That’s exactly what happened on March 21, as Martin Perelman suffered his first loss as Orlando’s interim head coach in his first road match and second game overall. Sam Surridge scored a hat trick, with Cristian Espinoza and Warren Madrigal also finding the net on a terrible night in Tennessee.

The last time these teams met in Orlando took place on Sept. 20, 2025, with the Lions winning 3-2. Martin Ojeda scored two goals two minutes apart to give Orlando a first-half lead, but Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg scored moments before and after halftime, respectively, to knot things up. Duncan McGuire’s goal deep in stoppage time lifted the Lions to all three points. Just a few weeks earlier in Nashville, on Aug. 23, things did not go well for the Lions as Nashville SC blasted Orlando 5-1. Surridge and Mukhtar netted braces and Jeisson Palacios added a late goal. Luis Muriel scored a consolation goal to spoil the shutout.

These teams faced each other in U.S. Open Cup play on May 21, 2025 with Nashville claiming a 3-2 road win. Marco Pasalic provided the Lions with an early lead before an own goal by Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal put Nashville ahead at the break. Ramiro Enrique equalized in the second half, but Wyatt Meyer’s goal knocked Orlando out of the competition.

The teams met at Inter&Co Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 with the Lions blasting Nashville 3-0. Facundo Torres’ brace and an opening goal by Ivan Angulo led Orlando City to the season sweep. Orlando City visited Nashville SC at Geodis Park on July 17, 2024, with the Lions cruising to a 3-0 road win. Goals by Cesar Araujo and Enrique sandwiched an Alex Muyl own goal as Orlando City got its fourth consecutive shutout victory over Nashville.

The teams met at the end of the previous season on Nov. 7, 2023 in the best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area provided the game’s only score.

The teams met in the 2023 regular season on Oct. 4, with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame. Nashville visited Orlando on April 1 of 2023 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in the regular season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-5.

These clubs met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team ahead in the second half. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss of the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar and Cadiz just before and into stoppage time turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended. That draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney opened the scoring for Nashville, but Orlando scored the last three. Dike scored a brace and Chris Mueller added a goal.

Overview

The Lions are coming off an impressive 4-0 win at San Jose in their first game after the World Cup break. Antoine Griezmann made his MLS debut and opened his Orlando City account, but it was a team effort. David Brekalo and Angulo gave the Lions the lead, with Griezmann and Braian Ojeda ensuring there would be no Quakes comeback. Maxime Crepeau had his best night in goal for Orlando to help the cause. While it was impressive that it happened at all, let alone without the injured Martin Ojeda, Designated Player Marco Pasalic, or newly re-signed Dike, it remains to be seen if it was a one-off after the layoff or the start of something for the Lions.

Orlando City is just 3-3-1 at home this season, but that’s still far better than its road record.

Nashville SC has been dominant all season — maybe not always quite as dominant as it was on March 21 against the Lions, but still quite good. The Coyotes are seven points clear in the Supporters’ Shielf race and lead MLS with both the most wins (12), fewest losses (1), and goal differential (+22). Tonight’s opponent has only dropped points on the road three times, going 4-1-2 away from Geodis Park. Nashville rides a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten run into tonight and hasn’t allowed a goal in its last two outings.

To get anything from this game, Orlando City must figure out a way to stop (or at least significantly slow down) Nashville’s star forwards, Surridge and Mukhtar (I would add Espinoza here but he’s ruled out with a lower body injury). Both Surridge and Mukhtar have absolutely destroyed Orlando City over the years. Surridge has scored 10 goals in MLS play this season, with Mukhtar chipping in six goals and five assists. At the other end, Palacios has paired with Maxwell Woledzi to form a solid central defense in front of emerging goalkeeper Brian Schwake. This second meeting is going to be another difficult matchup for the Lions, who will need their best performance to take anything from this game.

The Lions will be without Martin Ojeda (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Joran Gerbet (knee), Eduard Atuesta (yellow card suspension), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archange (international duty), however, Marco Pasalic has only recently returned to Orlando from the World Cup and Dike is still returning to match fitness, so they may also be missing when the lineup drops.

Nashville will be without Chris Applewhite (international duty), Espinoza (lower body), Madrigal (lower body), Joe Willis (lower body), and Patrick Yazbek (lower body), while Reed Baker-Whiting is questionable with (what else) a lower body injury.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Tiago.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer.

Nashville SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Brian Schwake.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jeison Palacios, Maxwell Woledzi, Josh Bauer.

Midfielders: Alex Muyl, Matthew Corcoran, Edvard Tagseth.

Forwards: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Shak Mohammed.

Bench: Joe Willis, Andy Najar, Jack Maher, Thomas Williams, Bryan Acosta, Woobens Pacios, Jordan Knight, Ahmed Qasem, Charles Brunet.

Referees

REF: Ramy Touchan.
AR1: Eric Weisbrod.
AR2: Meghan Mullen.
4TH: Carlos Rodriguez.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Kevin Huet.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: 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 game. Go City!

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