Orlando City
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Choke Away All Three Points in Stoppage Time
Orlando City played an outstanding first half and solid road match overall but threw away all three points by allowing the tying and winning goals in a 2-1 loss to D.C. United at Audi Field. The Lions (8-9-6, 30 points) threw away a one-goal lead in the second half for the third consecutive road match but made it worse by allowing a second to host D.C. (6-12-3, 21 points) in its first match under new manager Wayne Rooney.
Junior Urso’s wondergoal put the Lions ahead in the first half but two huge missed chances on empty nets cost the team what would have been a commanding lead. Still, it was hard to imagine Orlando getting nothing from the game until Chris Durkin and Taxi Fountas scored in the 91st and 95th minutes, respectively.
With tonight’s loss, the Lions were swept in the season series by the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
“We have tremendous pain on tonight’s result after a great first half and part of the second one too,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We just ended up giving up a result that was very important for us. I think I did not coach them well, especially in the second half. I take that responsibility. I feel like I could have done a much, much better job of helping them.”
Pareja’s lineup reflected a “they can rest when they’re dead” attitude toward squad rotation, as the gaffer made no changes to the lineup that played Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo and Junior Urso took up their customary spots in central midfield behind an attacking line of Alexandre Pato, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Benji Michel in the striker role.
Despite a lack of rest, the Lions started the game on the front foot, harassing the hosts in their own end, causing turnovers, and getting numbers quickly into the attack. The waves of attack started in the fourth minute, with a fantastic pass from Pato sending Ruan down the right side. The right back’s crossing pass for Michel was just a tad too far out in front, however.
Three minutes later, Urso caused a turnover in the attacking third but Pereyra overcooked the entry pass. In the eighth minute, Michel sent a weak header on target that didn’t worry the goalkeeper. Nevertheless, the Lions grabbed the lead moments later.
Pato chipped a pass over the defense to Urso on the right side to create an attack in the ninth minute. Urso finished that attack with a chip of his own, sending an absurd ball over Rafael Romo and into the inside netting from the right side near the top of the box.
What a finish from Junior Urso! 💫@OrlandoCitySC take the early lead. pic.twitter.com/azD9XqTmrI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2022
“Always in my career when I have that chance, I never tried to put it over the keeper,” Urso said of his unusual goal. “I always tried to bring the ball and tried to score on a hard shot. But today I had good confidence to do that. If I had the opportunity, I would change my goal for the three points.”
The rest of the first half seemed like a series of plays designed to test the will of all Orlando City fans, as the Lions continued to get into good scoring positions but refused to put a second shot in the net.
That started in the 19th minute when Torres took the ball down the left and fed into the box to Pato, who fired over the bar. Moutinho headed a recycled corner kick ball across the box to Michel in front in the 24th minute but he took too many touches and had his attempt blocked in front.
Urso sent a header wide in the 26th minute off a good cross from Ruan before the really egregious errors started. The first was a perfect ball over the top from Pereyra that sent Michel and Pato in behind the defense on the right. Michel pulled Romo way out of goal and fed to Pato, who turned and missed the gaping wide, goalkeeper-free net in front of him in the 28th minute.
In the 37th minute, Urso went for a brace with a good, low shot toward the right corner, but Romo made a good last-ditch diving save. A minute later, Michel had a worse miss than Pato’s empty-net whiff. Torres cut a beautiful ball back across the top of the six and Romo was caught at his post, but the Orlando attacker missed the net. The game could have been well over at that point but the Lions just weren’t ruthless enough.
Urso fired another shot at Romo in the 42nd minute but it was straight at the goalkeeper, giving him no trouble. It was the last decent look at goal for either side in the first half and the Lions took a 1-0 lead into the break that should have been three times that.
Orlando’s dominance in the game may not have shown on the scoreboard, but it did on the stat sheet, with the Lions leading in possession (51.8%-48.2%), shots (10-1), shots on target (4-1), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (90.9%-87.3%).
The second half began a bit more evenly played after D.C. sent on Martin Rodriguez to add width to the midfield, substituting off Sofiane Djeffal. United found its footing in the match after Pereyra subbed off in the 55th minute for Andres Perea and started to create opportunities and get more possession in the attacking third.
“He came out with a pain in his knee,” Pareja said of Pereyra’s substitution. “He let us know in the middle of the game. We decided to continue in the second half with him and after 10 minutes or so the pain was increasing and he couldn’t continue. We lost control in there with the ball. I thought we had a lot of connections from (Pereyra) dropping those 10-15 yards and creating from there.”
The first warning sign for Orlando came in the 61st minute when a cross from Jackson Hopkins found Fountas in front for a golden opportunity. Gallese made himself big and came up with a huge save to protect the lead. The hosts sent the rebound wide.
Are you kidding, @pedrogallese?! 🐙 #DaleMiAmor | #DCvORL pic.twitter.com/2HTHlFK1Hj
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 31, 2022
Pato made a good run through the D.C. defense in the 64th minute but his shot was deflected out for a corner by Brendan Hines-Ike.
64' | What a run and chance for Pato 🔥
0-1 | #DCvORL pic.twitter.com/4OrwnPGRfJ
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 31, 2022
Pato had another look — this time in space at the left corner of the box — in the 69th minute but he missed the target again.
Orlando got sloppy in the late stages (almost like a team that played a midweek cup semifinal). A poor exchange in midfield gave the ball away in Orlando’s defensive third in the 71st minute but Hopkins sent his shot wide. Moments later, Ravel Morrison had his shot at the top of the area blocked.
The rest of normal time consisted mostly of Orlando doing well to hold the ball and eat up minutes and it seemed as though the Lions would come home with all three points but disaster struck in the 91st minute with a simple ball over the top to Ola Kamara on D.C.’s left side. Kamara cut back a diagonal pass to Durkin who sent it past Gallese to pull the hosts level.
It's not over yet! Chris Durkin with the second half stoppage time equalizer for @dcunited! pic.twitter.com/0WeKgkUbsc
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2022
Ruan was shaken up on the play and the time spent tending to him cost the Lions the point they still had, because it turned four minutes of stoppage into more than six. Kimarni Smith sent a ball into the area and this time Fountas didn’t leave his shot where Gallese could reach it.
TAXI! 😱
Fountas finds the go-ahead goal for @dcunited! pic.twitter.com/F4Cs2uNcNC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 31, 2022
The D.C. Designated Player’s winner in the 95th minute seemed a harsh result for Orlando but that’s what can happen when a team wastes sitters like the ones the Lions missed.
United turned most of Orlando’s statistical advantages around in the second half, finishing with more possession (56.3%-43.7%), passing accuracy (90.3%-89.7%), and corners (4-3). Orlando still had more shots (15-8), but each team finished with four on target.
“They added more numbers up front and started creating some sequences that for us were difficult to sustain, especially on the left side with the winger that they brought up,” Pareja said. “But then that’s circumstances in that moment we needed to have control the way we did it in the first half and we couldn’t do it.”
“I think the last 10 minutes were terrible,” Urso said. “The first half, we were really good on the field. In the second half we were really deep and then they had more control of the game. I think we have to keep more attention.
“Oscar puts us on the field to do what he says. He tells us to keep the ball and try to find space to score the goals, but sometimes we don’t try that. Sometimes we just stay and wait on the (other) team coming, so this is not the idea of Oscar. So, I think we have to follow what he says. And sometimes we don’t follow, we just defend there and wait for the other team coming, so I think we made a mistake.”
Apart from the U.S. Open Cup, it was a July to forget, and a critical month to get through. The Lions hardly navigated it in optimal fashion and continue to be fragile when the game most calls for nerve — moments in front of net and defending late against teams throwing numbers forward.
It’s something that needs to be fixed quickly or Orlando City will be on the outside of the playoff chase at season’s end.
The Lions will get a bona fide normal work week, returning to action next Saturday night when the New England Revolution visit Exploria Stadium.
Orlando City
Orlando City: Contender or Pretender?
Orlando City’s results against teams in the top, middle, and bottom third of the standings and what it means.
The dictionary definition of a mirage involves physics and how light bends as it travels through different air temperatures. I think exactly zero of you opened this article to read about science, so we can quickly move from the physics definition to the more generally used definition of mirage, which is that people think they see something, but what they see is not real.
Orlando City has played 20 real games of MLS soccer this season and currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and has the ninth best points earned per game rating in the entire league, but do those rankings reflect (see what I did there?) reality, and are the Lions one of the league’s best teams? Let’s take a look.
Orlando City is three games into the second half of the season — 59% of the way through the full season to be more precise — and at this point, there are still some scheduling quirks, but for the most part teams have played enough games that we can look at the results and not worry about a small sample size. The table below shows how the Lions performed at home and on the road as well as how they fared in games against teams in the top third, middle third, and bottom third of the overall league rankings for points earned per game. You read each cell in the table as two different values, the first being the number of games played and the number after the slash is the average points earned per game.
| Opponents | At Home | On the Road | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games Against Top Third | 3 / 1.00 | 2 / 2.00 | 5 / 1.40 |
| Games Against Middle Third | 4 / 1.25 | 4 / 1.25 | 8 / 1.25 |
| Games Against Bottom Third | 3 / 3.00 | 4 / 1.75 | 7 / 2.29 |
| Overall | 10 / 1.70 | 10 / 1.60 | 20 / 1.65 |
- Top Third = Cin (H), Mia (A), Phi (A&H) Port (H)
- Middle Third = Char (H), Chi (A&H), Col (A), NE (H), NYC (A), NYRB (A&H)
- Bottom Third = Atl (A&H), D.C. (H), LA Gal (A), Mon (A), STL (A), Tor (H)
The schedule makers were fair to Orlando City, giving the team an even 10 home games and 10 away matches among their first 20 outings, and at the macro level the Lions were consistent, earning nearly the same points per game at home as they did on the road. Looking at the different segments, however, it is clear that Orlando beats up on the teams in the bottom third and then has mixed results against the teams ranked in the top and middle thirds.
This brings the mirage question back up, as teams in the bottom third will not qualify for the playoffs, and in games against the top two-thirds (the top 20 teams) in the league, Orlando City is 4-5-4, meaning the Lions earn points in most matches, but they are just as likely to win as they are to lose.
Looking at a performance table for the league’s top 10 teams, however, lends credence to the idea that that those might be real lions you see on the field when watching Orlando City. This table shows the average points earned per match by the top teams, and Orlando City is not alone among the top teams in how they earn their points.
| Team | vs. Top Third | vs. Middle Third | vs. Bottom Third | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1.13 | 2.25 | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Vancouver | 1.40 | 2.00 | 2.43 | 2.00 |
| Cincinnati | 1.75 | 2.14 | 1.89 | 1.95 |
| San Diego | 2.33 | 1.50 | 2.22 | 1.95 |
| Nashville | 1.75 | 1.70 | 2.33 | 1.90 |
| Columbus | 1.25 | 2.17 | 2.33 | 1.85 |
| Miami | 1.67 | 1.80 | 2.00 | 1.81 |
| Minnesota | 1.00 | 2.00 | 1.78 | 1.70 |
| Orlando City | 1.40 | 1.25 | 2.29 | 1.65 |
| Portland | 0.00 | 1.63 | 2.13 | 1.58 |
I did not list out the performances of all 30 teams, but Orlando City’s 1.40 points earned per game against teams in the top third of MLS is tied for the sixth best in the entire league. The Lions struggle against the middle of the pack, ranking 18th, and then are elite again when it comes to playing the bottom teams (seventh).
Only two teams in the league are in the top 10 against teams in all three categories: Vancouver (sixth, fourth, third) and Columbus (ninth, second, fourth). Portland is the only team in MLS that has earned zero points against teams in the top third, but because the Timbers have only played three opponents in that category and because they have done well against the teams in the bottom 20, they are 10th overall in the league.
That’s enough talk about other teams for now, but it is important to note that the number of games against teams in each category weighs heavily on the overall ranking. Orlando City has had a varied schedule, but there are teams that have played as few as three games against top 10 teams and others who have played as many as nine. Teams have no control over their schedule, and since MLS has an unbalanced schedule every year, some teams get lucky or unlucky with their cross-conference games.
Orlando City has 14 games remaining, and while it has had a pretty varied schedule so far in terms of opponents, the club’s final 14 games are backloaded with teams currently in the top 10. This is not ideal, but it is how it is, and Óscar Pareja’s teams have been excellent closers in recent years, so if the Lions can do that again, they have a great chance to make some leaps up the table as half of their final 14 games are against teams above them in the overall standings.
| Team | vs. Top Third | vs. Middle Third | vs. Bottom Third | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 3 | 7 | 4 | 14 |
| Vancouver | 4 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
| Cincinnati | 7 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| San Diego | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| Nashville | 8 | 1 | 5 | 14 |
| Columbus | 4 | 6 | 4 | 14 |
| Miami | 5 | 7 | 6 | 18 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| Orlando City | 7 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| Portland | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
- Top Third = Cin (A), Col (A&H), Mia (H), Nash (A&H), Van (H)
- Middle Third = Cha (A), NE (A), NYC (H)
- Bottom Third = D.C. (A), KC (H), Mon (H), Tor(A)
If Orlando City does not close well, however, the Lions could find themselves dropping rapidly down the table due to 10 of their final 14 games being against teams in the top 20. The draws against a weak CF Montréal team, a Chicago Fire team that played down a player for nearly 55 minutes, and a New England team that was beaten before Robin Jansson gave away a needless penalty kick in the final minutes will loom large no matter how the season ends up, but considering Orlando City was the better team or a man up in all three of those games and none of those teams is a top 10 team, those will be six huge dropped points in the final standings.
Playing the woulda/coulda/shoulda/didn’t game accomplishes nothing, but those extra six points would have the Lions tied with Cincinnati (which they also could have beaten or at least tied!) as the third-best team in the league in points earned per game, and that would just be from beating teams much lower in the overall standings.
Ugh.
So, where did we end up? Orlando City is a top 10 team in points per game and in points per game against top 10 teams, and our eye test (important in an evaluation of whether something is or is not a mirage) says that it probably should have earned more points than it did. The glass-half-empty side of “the Lions should have earned more points than they did,” however, is that multiple times they were unable to earn points that were there for the taking, and that is generally not a sign of a championship-caliber team.
With a backloaded schedule that is one of the more difficult ones in the league (only Nashville has more games left against teams in the top 10, and two of those are against Orlando City), the Lions will need to be ruthless and not play with their food when they have chances to eat during the final months. I am far more optimistic than pessimistic, both in general and also when looking at the 2025 Orlando City team, and I think the team will finish strong and be a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The 2024 team finished the season at 1.52 points earned per game, 8% lower than this year’s team’s current average of 1.65, and that team went all the way to the conference final. I believe this team is better than last year’s team, not just from those points earned per game, but also because of the talent of the players on the field, and that as Pareja’s teams often do, they will find their ideal lineup and get on a roll to end the season.
At least that is what I think I see out in front of us.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City at Charlotte FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road in Charlotte?
Orlando City travels to North Carolina to take on Charlotte FC in an important Eastern Conference match. The Lions need to get back on the winning side following their home loss to FC Cincinnati. Orlando City has been good on the road lately, so perhaps that is a positive. Despite Charlotte missing some players on international duty, it will still be a tough match. What does Orlando City need to do to bring home all three points from Charlotte?
Left Side Puzzle
Orlando City’s attack has been lacking on the left side. Ivan Angulo has not been great so far this season. He has taken 23 shots, putting eight on target, and has not scored. Additionally, Angulo only has three assists. David Brekalo has been the first choice at left back for most of the season, but he’s not the most adept at getting into the attack. He has no completed crosses and only two assists.
The reason Brekalo has been starting is because Rafael Santos has been poor defensively. Of course, he’s a better crosser than Brekalo, meaning if Oscar Pareja did start Santos, it might help the attack on the left. I don’t know that there is an ideal lineup. Brekalo is better on defense, Santos is better on offense, and Angulo is fast. All three won’t be on the left side, so does Pareja prioritize the attack or the defense? I say the attack, given Orlando’s scarcity of goals in recent matches — the St. Louis match notwithstanding.
Defense Central
Charlotte has a very good attacking midfield with Wilfried Zaha, Pep Biel, and Liel Abada. The three have combined for 16 goals and 15 assists. Even if Charlotte is missing Patrick Agyemang due to his being with the USMNT, there is still plenty of firepower for Cesar Araujo and the back line to deal with on Saturday.
I expect we’ll see a back line consisting of Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. I’m also expecting Angulo and Eduard Atuesta in the midfield. It will be essential for all six to contain Charlotte’s attack. A return to form from Pedro Gallese might be in order as well.
Finally Finishing
In the St. Louis match, Orlando City scored four goals on 23 shots with 12 on target. Last match, the Lions took 17 shots with only three on target, totaling one goal. Orlando City will need to do better against Charlotte if the club is to keep pace or climb the standings in the Eastern Conference.
Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic won’t have to deal with Tim Ream, who is also away with the USMNT, but they will need to get the ball past Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina, who is a good keeper. And you can bet the defense will be looking at Enrique and Pasalic. That is why I want Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel to get back to scoring some goals in this match.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/3/25
Orlando Pride loan five players out, Orlando City academy players selected for All-Star Team, USMNT beats Guatemala, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a weird week for me so far, as it’s felt simultaneously like it’s flying by and taking forever for the weekend to get here. All of the soccer has been nice at least, and I’ve been able to get some reading and painting done when not swamped. But enough about me, let’s dive into today’s links!
Orlando Pride Loan Multiple Players Out
The Orlando Pride loaned out five players for the rest of the 2025 season, with four of them joining USL Super League teams. Forward Amanda Allen, who was loaned to Lexington SC last year and injured her shoulder in December, is headed to her home country of Canada to join Halifax Tides FC in the Northern Super League. As for the players headed to the USL Super League, right back Brianna Martinez will join Carolina Ascent FC, goalkeeper Kat Asman and forward Mariana Larroquette were loaned to Lexington, and Aryssa Mahrt was sent to Spokane Zephyr FC. These loans should provide solid opportunities for minutes for these players, so hopefully they can make some noise with their respective teams.
Orlando City Academy Players Make All-Star Team
The rosters for the 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game are out and Orlando City B midfielders Gustavo Caraballo and Dylan Judelson were both selected for the event. The East All-Stars will be coached by Orlando City SC Academy Director Javier Carrillo, who also coached Orlando’s U-18 team to victory in the Generation Adidas Cup this year. Caraballo was named MVP of that tournament’s U-18 age group and scored 16 goals over the course of the MLS NEXT season. Judelson appeared in 32 games for Orlando this season and could factor into Canada’s U-17 World Cup plans come November. The MLS NEXT All-Star Game will take place on July 21 and can be viewed on the MLS YouTube channel.
USMNT Takes Down Guatemala in Gold Cup
The United States Men’s National Team secured a spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup final after winning 2-1 against Guatemala in St. Louis. The Yanks got off to a hot start thanks to Diego Luna’s brace in the first 15 minutes of the match. The offense wasn’t able to extend the lead beyond that though, and a late goal by Olger Escobar made the match a bit more tense the U.S. would have liked. Regardless, the U.S. got the job done in the end and will play in Sunday’s final in Houston.
USWNT Breezes Past Canada in Friendly
The United States Women’s National Team beat Canada in convincing fashion, shutting out its northern rival 3-0 in a friendly. Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton scored in the first half to give the USWNT a nice lead, and Yazmeen Ryan came off the bench to put the nail in the coffin with a late goal. The defense did well to claim its third clean sheet of this series of summer friendlies. Emily Sams didn’t make an appearance for the U.S., and Zara Chavoshi didn’t come off the bench for Canada either.
NWSL Announces Layout For 2026 Schedule
The 2026 NWSL regular season will kick off on March 13 and finish on Nov. 1 according to the league’s announced framework for next year’s action. Although there will be 16 teams next year, the playoff format remains the same and the top eight teams in the standings will qualify, with the 2026 NWSL Championship set for Nov. 21. There will once again be a balanced schedule, with each team playing 30 matches over the course of 27 weeks. The league will also notably be on break for a majority of June due to the FIFA World Cup, citing expectations to accommodate stadium demands in markets where World Cup games will take place
Free Kicks
- Boston Legacy FC signed American midfielder Annie Karich as its first player ahead of its inaugural season next year. Karich spent the past two seasons with SC Freiburg in Germany and joins Boston as a free agent.
- San Diego FC forward Anders Dreyer was named MLS Player of the Month after recording three goals and six assists in June. He leads the league with 23 goal contributions this season and is a major reason behind San Diego’s rise to the top of the Western Conference standings.
- Atlanta United bolstered its defense by signing Albanian center back Enea Mihaj to a contract through 2028. The 26-year-old joins as a free agent after spending the past three seasons with FC Famalicao in Portugal top flight.
- The 2025 Women’s European Championship kicked off in Switzerland, with Finland beating Iceland 1-0 in the first match of the tournament. Switzerland struck first against Norway, but Ada Hegerberg scored an equalizer and an own goal by Swiss defender Julia Stierli gave Norway the 2-1 win.
- It seems the Concacaf co-hosts for next year’s World Cup will be able to serve suspensions in friendlies rather than missing out on the World Cup.
That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City: Contender or Pretender?
Orlando City at Charlotte FC: Three Keys to Victory
Lion Links: 7/3/25
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