Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as a Facundo Torres Penalty Lifts Lions to Opening Day Victory
After a subpar first half, the Lions grabbed their second straight home-opening win.

Facundo Torres scored from the penalty spot in the second half providing all the offense on opening night at Exploria Stadium, as Orlando City defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0. The Lions (1-0-0, 3 points) got some big saves from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese down the stretch and survived a couple of late free kicks in stoppage time to hold on against the Red Bulls (0-1-0, 0 points).
The team raised a U.S. Open Cup championship banner to the rafters over The Wall prior to the match on an electric night in front of a crowd of 24,088 fans. Red Bulls Head Coach Gerhard Struber called the amosphere “brilliant” and despite that it was a tough slog for the hosts but the Lions ultimately prevailed on Torres’ penalty.
Orlando City remains unbeaten on opening day (3-0-6) and has now won two straight openers. The Lions have not conceded a goal on opening day in four seasons under Oscar Pareja.
“A very intense game against a rival that doesn’t give up in any minute,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said of the match. “And certainly New York, with their pressing and the way they structure their defensive zones in the middle and up front, is very difficult to break. For us, it was a big challenge to find the spaces that we normally do. I think the best part of the game for us was that we kept intensity all the time and in our heart was great today.”
Pareja’s starting lineup included Gallese in net behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo and Mauricio Pereyra played in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ercan Kara up top.
Throughout the first half, New York’s pressure gave Orlando City trouble and the few times the Lions had something going in possession, players split their teammates with passes and sent them straight to the opposition.
Frankie Amaya sent a shot wide in the 10th minute from outside the box and Lewis Morgan followed suit a minute later as Orlando continually lost control of the ball.
The game was 15 minutes old before the Lions got the ball into the opposing penalty area when Petrasso sent in a low cross that Andres Reyes cut out for a throw-in. The Lions then won a corner kick in the 19th minute and played it short. The set play was so poorly executed that the Red Bulls were about a foot away from being able to catch Gallese off his line from midfield, but Angulo poked the ball away at the last moment to deny the visitors the chance.
Morgan blasted a shot right at Gallese in the 22nd minute and that should have served as a warning sign but instead the Lions just kept playing the ball into danger. A turnover in the defensive third just seconds after the save on Morgan’s shot fizzed just wide of the right post.
A minute later, Jansson gave the ball away and then took a yellow card keeping Elias Manoel from breaking in behind the defense. The ensuing free kick was blocked by the wall.
The game settled down a bit after that but Orlando struggled to get the ball past the midway line and once there, could not put an accurate pass on a teammate’s foot. The first half mercifully came to an end without the team conceding but the Lions were completely dominated in the opening 45 minutes.
Orlando City ended up with more possession (60.2%-39.8%), and was slightly more accurate in passing (74.6%-72.5%) but the visitors dominated in shots (7-1). There were no shots on the halftime stats but one was later credited to Torres. Thankfully, of New York’s seven, only Morgan’s effort was on target. Each team won one corner kick.
Pareja said he liked his team’s demeanor even though they were struggling to break through the Red Bulls’ press.
“I went in the locker room and I asked, ‘(assistant coach) Diego (Torres) we haven’t taken a shot, now, have we?’ ‘No.’ And I said, ‘And you know what? I like the game. But we haven’t taken a shot.’ And he said, ‘But we have heart. These guys are a good team and it’s going to be tight. It’s going to be very tight.’”
Not much changed in the opening minutes of the second half, but Orlando did eventually get more control in the match. The Lions continued to be sloppy in possession at times, though.
Araujo gave the ball away in his defensive third in the 47th minute and scrambled back to block the ensuing shot after the giveaway. Five minutes later, Torres sent a poor pass across in the attacking third and New York countered. Morgan ended up firing wide at the end of the play.
Orlando finally fashioned a chance in the 54th minute when Halliday shook free on the right and sent a dangerous cross that skipped just out of Kara’s reach in front. The ensuing corner, however, led to the opener. The cross into the box found Araujo’s head. The midfielder nodded a shot toward goal that bounced up and caught the outstretched arm of Sean Nealis. Referee Guido Gonzales Jr. pointed to the spot immediately. Struber called the penalty a “wrong decision” by the referee in his postgame press conference, but the play was reviewed and the call upheld by the video assistant referee, Jose Carlos Rivero.
Torres stepped to the spot and Coronel dove to his left. The shot went slightly the other direction to open the scoring in the 56th minute.
Prior to taking the shot, Torres was standing at the spot having a discussion with Kara and Ojeda.
“We talked and trained penalties yesterday and today. I just felt like I had a ton of confidence,” Torres said. “And so I told that to my teammates, and thankfully they agreed, and let me take the PK, and thankfully I scored.”
After his goal, Torres celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt to indicate that he and his partner are expecting a child.
“I’m going through a very happy time in my life right now — not just with my football, but off the field as well,” he said after the match. “So, thankfully we were able to get three points as well against a Red Bull team that’s very difficult and in a game that was incredibly difficult. They’re always running, they all press, and they give you absolutely no space. So to take three points tonight was fantastic.”
Shortly after the goal, Ramiro Enrique replaced Kara, making his MLS/Orlando City debut. His relentless energy helped Orlando win some 50/50 balls as the visitors’ legs grew heavier.
But the Red Bulls kept coming after the equalizer. In the 72nd minute, John Tolkin sent a floating, hopeful ball into the area. Gallese came off his line to punch it away but a shot was immediately sent back toward his goal. From his knees, the Peruvian parried it away and the Lions were able to clear and counter attack, with Enrique winning a free kick on the other end.
In the 80th minute, Enrique was on the end of a good passing sequence up the right and he danced past two defenders before unleashing a shot that was deflected wide.
Orlando seemed to be about to get a free kick just outside the area when Torres was taken down in the 86th minute but the ref allowed play to continue. The Red Bulls countered and Casseres smashed what appeared like an equalizer toward goal but Gallese got his shoulder on the shot and it caromed off the side of his face, but he made the stop.
After shaking off the cobwebs, Gallese was able to continue. He was interfered with on the ensuing corner kick and Orlando was able to take a breath.
Pareja went to a five-man back line down the stretch and Orlando City had eight minutes of stoppage time to survive. The Red Bulls won two dangerous free kicks in injury time but Morgan sent the first of those well over the net and Casseres fired his effort straight to Gallese. That was the last action of the match.
Orlando held slightly more possession (50.6%-49.4%) and earned more corners (4-3), but the rest of the statistics favored the visitors. New York passed more accurately (75.7%-71.7%) and finished with more shots (14-6) and more shots on target (4-1).
“In the second half, we kind of got our groove and once we got that penalty and Facundo Torres put it in the back of the net, we kind of calmed down and settled into the game a bit more,” Petrasso said.
Orlando City improved to 7-9-2 in the all-time series in league matches (8-9-2 in all competitions). The Lions have won three straight against the Red Bulls in all competitions, including consecutive 1-0 decisions in the regular season, and improved to 4-4-1 at home against New York in MLS play — 5-4-1 in all competitions.
Orlando City will be back in action at home again next Saturday when FC Cincinnati visits Exploria Stadium.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution
Get caught up on the New England Revolution, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

While Orlando City’s recent results haven’t exactly gone the way any of us had hoped they would, the good thing about this time of year is that a chance to get back to winning ways is right around the corner. It won’t be easy though, as the Lions are set to hit the road up to Massachusetts, where they’ll face the New England Revolution.
A match with the Revs means I spoke to Sam Minton, who runs the show over at the always-excellent independent site The Blazing Musket. He was very helpful in bringing us up to speed on New England, and we appreciate his assistance.
Carles Gil has been his usual self with eight goals and seven assists in 22 games. He’s the only Revolution player with double-digit goal contributions though. Why hasn’t he been getting more help?
Sam Minton: Injuries and a lack of finishing. New England’s forwards have all struggled to stay healthy. Leo Campana, Luca Langoni, and Tomas Chancalay have all had stints on the sidelines. But even when healthy, all three players have struggled to put goals away. All three have been gifted chances from Gil and others in front of goal but failed to put the ball in the net and sometimes simply on target.
Even though New England suffered a devastating loss to the New York Red Bulls, Campana scored his first goal since May. Langoni has worked well alongside the striker, so the Revs will be hoping that Saturday is the game where they will finally be able to put everything together.
The Revs are in the midst of a seven-game winless run, stretching back to May 31. Have there been any patterns that have emerged during this stretch of games?
SM: Besides the pattern of being unable to win, New England has struggled to close out games and its defending has been questionable. Throughout Caleb Porter’s tenure, the team has been prone to struggles towards the beginning of both halves and Wednesday’s match was a prime example of struggling to see out a win. Allowing five goals in one half is usually a fireable offense for a head coach, but here we are.
When having a lead, the Revolution play extremely conservatively and allow opponents to rack up possession. The Red Bulls took advantage of this, and if New England grabs a lead at home, Orlando should expect to have a lot of the ball. This also opens up the defense to exploitation, and that is exactly what opponents have done. Brayan Ceballos is the lone bright spot at center back, but he could miss Saturday’s match due to an upper-body injury. That leaves Mamadou Fofana, who has struggled since playing well early on, and second-rate center backs in Tanner Beason, Keegan Hughes, and Wyatt Omsberg.
With just six points separating New England from the last playoff place, the postseason is still achievable. What’s the thing you think needs to change most for the team to make the playoffs?
SM: Honestly, the head coach. New England has talented players, so the fact that the club is struggling is really damaging to Porter. His tactical rigidity has cost New England games in both 2024 and 2025, as he now seems married to starting out matches with three center backs, even when missing a starter. New England’s struggles in the second half are emblematic of a larger problem.
“But then, I just don’t understand from there why we stopped doing it,” Porter said after the 5-3 loss. “It wasn’t because we wanted to tactically stop doing that […] At the end of the day, we want to play the way we played in the first 30 [minutes], and we just weren’t able to do that. I have to figure out why that happened.”
This is not what you want to hear from a head coach after your seventh straight match without a win. This sounds like players tuning out a coach, but I will note that some bench players were forced to play larger roles, and so far there are no signs of discontent from the locker room.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?
SM: Ignatius Ganago is out due to injury while Peyton Miller, Ilay Feingold, and Ceballos are all questionable. Personally, I think that Ceballos will not play and Miller could come off the bench if he appears at all.
Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Aljaz Ivacic, Mamadou Fofana, Tanner Beason, Wyatt Omsberg, Ilay Feingold, Matt Polster, Alhassan Yusuf, Brandon Bye, Carles Gil, Luca Langoni, Leo Campana.
3-2 Orlando win.
Thank you again to Sam for for his information on New England. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/18/25
Justin Ellis named U-19 MLS NEXT MVP, Orlando Pride announce historic apparel collection, landing spots for USMNT players, and more.

Happy Friday! It’s been a long week, but the weekend is nearly upon us. My parents are in town on vacation, so I’m looking forward to having an excuse to go out to brunch. It should be a nice few days with plenty of soccer to keep us all entertained. Let’s get to the links!
Justin Ellis Named U-19 MLS NEXT MVP
Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis was named MLS NEXT MVP for the U-19 age group after a stellar season that included 18 goals for the Lions. The 18-year-old was the top scorer of this year’s Generation Adidas Cup to help his team lift the trophy and helped the team reach the semifinals of the MLS NEXT Cup. In MLS NEXT Pro action, Ellis has recorded seven goals and three assists in 11 appearances for OCB. It’s quite the accolade for the forward and hopefully he can continue to make strides in his development to make an impact with the first team.
Orlando Pride Announce Full-Team Apparel Collection
The Orlando Pride became the first NWSL club to offer a merchandise line featuring every player on the roster after announcing a new apparel collection. The Pride, in collaboration with apparel brand 500 Level, will offer over 500 player-specific items to form the largest player collection across the major U.S. sports leagues. As someone who is usually a fan of the unsung heroes when it comes to sports, I think it’s pretty great that fans are now able to get apparel representing their favorite Pride player no matter who that is.
Ideal Transfer Landing Spots for USMNT Players
ESPN took a stab at identifying the best fits for United States Men’s National Team players with transfer buzz following the Concacaf Gold Cup. Orlando City right back Alex Freeman was listed but could need a bit more time solidifying his game with the Lions before big clubs come knocking. Midfielder Diego Luna had a strong tournament with the U.S. this summer and could fit in well with Celta Vigo’s rebuilding plans. As for other intriguing things to keep an eye on, a move to MLS could give Giovanni Reyna the playing time he desperately needs; Ricardo Pepi may be best off staying at PSV Eindhoven; and Marseille may be just what the doctor ordered for Tim Weah.
England Comes Back to Reach Euro Semifinals
England secured its spot in the Women’s European Championship semifinals in dramatic fashion, advancing on penalties against Sweden after a 2-2 draw. A pair of goals in the first half by Sweden had the Scandinavian nation on top for most of the match, but Lucy Bronze scored in the 79th minute, before 19-year-old substitute Michelle Agyemang scored the equalizer in the 81st. The penalty shootout included nine misses, but the defending champs prevailed in the end. It’s a brutal way for Peter Gerhardsson’s tenure as Sweden’s head coach to come to a close. England will face Italy in the semifinals on Tuesday.
Free Kicks
- Alex Freeman will take part in this year’s MLS All-Star Skills Challenge and here’s everything you need to know before it takes place on Tuesday.
- Arsenal signed Canadian forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool for a reported record $1.34 million transfer fee. The 20-year-old was Liverpool’s Player of the Season after scoring nine goals in 25 appearances this past season.
- FC Cincinnati’s Evander was named MLS Player of the Matchday, forcing me to once again wonder what life would be like if he was playing in Orlando. The Brazilian had a brace in a 3-0 win over Inter Miami, furthering his case for MLS MVP.
- A 12-year ban of away fans in Argentina’s leagues will gradually be lifted, starting with Rosario Central’s match against Lanus on Saturday.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-1 loss to NYCFC?

Orlando City gave up two late goals to drop all three points in a 2-1 home loss against New York City FC. The Lions had plenty of chances to put the game away, but once again were unable to score multiple goals at home. Despite having the better of the match for the first 87 minutes, this team continues to allow teams to stick around and steal points late. Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this extremely disappointing match.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — I feel bad for Gallese. He made two saves, including his 500th save as Orlando City’s keeper, but gave up two goals that were very difficult to stop. The first was the own goal at point blank range just seconds after his outstanding save against former Lion Andres Perea. There was nothing he could have done on that. The second was a two-on-one attack in stoppage time, when he came out to cut down the angle, but it was a lost cause. As for the first part of the match, it was slow. He didn’t even make his first save until the 53rd minute. Gallese touched the ball 25 times, completing 56.3% of his 16 passes, though he did not connect on any of his seven long balls. Defensively, he made one tackle, and two clearances.
D, David Brekalo, 7 — With the return of Jansson, Brekalo resumed his left back duties. He was active in the attack early. He sent a header on target off of a corner in 30th minute but didn’t put enough on it. He headed another corner in 35th minute, but it was too high and off target. The third time was the charm though, as he once again headed a corner kick. This time, he sent the ball to Jansson for the goal to earn an assist. Brekalo had 55 touches, completing 91.3% of his 46 passes, including one key pass and two of his four long balls. Offensively, he had one shot on target. Defensively, he had one tackle, one clearance, and two interceptions. He wasn’t at fault for either of NYCFC’s goals.
D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 (MotM) — Jansson scored his first goal of the season and perhaps his best goal for the Lions. Brekalo headed the corner kick from Ojeda over to Jansson, who chested it down and then left-footed it into the back of the net. It was a good performance from the captain, but the goal is what put him over the top for Man of the Match. Jansson had 42 touches, completing 88.2% of his 34 passes and two of his five long balls. Offensively, he had the one shot on target for the goal. Defensively he had two clearances, one interception, one blocked shot, and he suffered one foul. Most importantly, he wasn’t culpable on either of NYCFC’s goals either.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Until the final minutes of the match, Schlegel wasn’t doing too badly. He had 49 touches, completing 87.5% of his 40 passes, and one of his five long balls. Offensively, he had two shots, with one on target, though he failed to score for Orlando City. Defensively he had one tackle, two clearances, one blocked shot, and a foul. While he didn’t have a goal contribution for the Lions he did kick the ball off of Kyle Smith and into the net to give NYCFC the equalizer in the 87th minute. Smith is credited with the own goal, but Schlegel gets the own assist.
D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Freeman was dangerous in this match. His speed, skill, and size present problems for defenses and that was the case again in this match. Even though he didn’t get a goal contribution, he did create opportunities for both himself and his teammates. His efforts created four first-half corner kicks. He also stole the ball in the 58th minute, made a run up the field — including a give-and-go with Marco Pasalic — and got into the box to receive the ball back after continuing his run, but hhe sent his shot high. Freeman had 64 touches, completing 80.6% of his 36 passes, two crosses, and one of his three long balls. Offensively, he had four shots, with one on target, and two dribbles. Defensively, he logged three tackles, three clearances, three interceptions, and two fouls committed.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo was better in this match. He was not great, as he still failed to earn a goal contribution, but neither was he the place where the attack went to die. He provided pressure on the defense and almost took the ball away from the keeper early on. Angulo had 31 touches, completing 82.6% of his 23 passes, and made three key passes. Offensively, he had one off-target shot, suffered two fouls, and was only dispossessed once. Defensively, he recorded two interceptions. His grade comes as much from what he didn’t do — good and bad — as for what he did do. He came off for Kyle Smith in the 74th minute.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — This was a typical night for Araujo. He did mostly well in the defensive midfield, sniffing out attacks and winning the ball back. The one time he couldn’t, he committed a professional foul in the 61st minute that earned him a yellow card after Jansson was caught upfield. Araujo had 60 touches, completing 89.6% of his 48 passes, including two key passes and two of his five long balls. Offensively, he had one shot that was off target. Defensively, he logged one clearance, two interceptions, and one blocked shot. He committed the aforementioned foul, though he also suffered three fouls. Like almost everyone else, he was caught up the field on NYCFC’s second goal, and there wasn’t anything he could have done.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta was active, as usual, in this match. Like some of his teammates, he was generally pretty good, but it was his ball into the box that was intercepted and sprung NYCFC’s counterattack on the second goal. Atuesta had a team-high 82 touches, completing 86.6% of his 67 passes, including five key passes, three crosses, and five of his 10 long balls. Offensively, he attempted two shots with neither on target, one dribble, and two fouls committed. Defensively, he logged one tackle, and suffered two fouls.
MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Much like Martin Ojeda, Pasalic was not as clinical as he usually is. He placed an excellent through ball to Luis Muriel in the 20th minute, but Muriel’s shot was stopped. He had several shots that were blocked out for corner kicks. Pasalic had 40 touches, completing 90.5% of his 21 passes, including three key passes, one cross, and one of his two long balls. Offensively, he had a team-high six shots with one on target, completed two dribbles, and suffered one foul. Defensively, he notched one interception. He came off in the 74th minute for Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.
F, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — It was an “almost” night for Ojeda. He earned a secondary assist on Jansson’s goal after delivering the corner kick to Brekalo to bring his season total to 10 assists and his goal contribution streak to eight matches. However, he should have been more clinical. Case in point: he missed a golden opportunity in the 47th minute on an NYCFC turnover with only the keeper to beat, but he sent the shot wide left. All of his shots were either off target or right at Matt Freese. Ojeda had 45 touches, completing 81.5% of his 27 passes, including four crosses and one of his two long balls. Offensively, he fired five shots with only one on target, completed one dribble, and committed one foul. Defensively, he had one interception, and suffered one foul. Ojeda came off in the 84th minute for Nico Rodriguez.
F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — It was another uninspiring match from Muriel. The forward certainly put in the effort early on, pressing the defense and Matt Freese, but he was never able to make it pay off. He had a golden opportunity in the 20th minute, but he couldn’t beat the keeper. Muriel finished with just 19 touches, completing 90% of his 10 passes, including one key pass, one long ball, and two crosses. Offensively, he attempted two shots, which were both on target, but he could not find the back of the net. He committed one foul and drew none. Muriel came off in the 64th minute for Ramiro Enrique.
Substitutes
F, Ramiro Enrique (64’), 5.5 — Enrique came on in the 64th minute for Muriel, touching the ball seven times and completing 40% of his five passes. He took one shot from a great spot that was not on target, and won three aerial balls. Despite being on the pitch for over 30 minutes, he didn’t do much.
MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (74’), 5 — Thorhallsson came on in the 74th minute for Pasalic as the Lions looked to hang onto their 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, he was unable to help in that regard. He finished with 13 touches, completing all of his nine passes, including one key pass. Defensively, he logged one interception and one clearance, but sadly he was unable to make the most important tackle on the night. He was the last man with a chance to stop the breakaway on NYCFC’s second goal, but he swung and missed on his desperate attempt to make the tackle.
MF, Kyle Smith (74’), 5 — Smith came on for Angulo in the 74th minute in a defensive change. Sadly he was in the wrong place at the wrong time as he and Schlegel were both trying to clear the ball away from goal when Schlegel kicked it off of Smith for NYCFC’s equalizer. Smith was credited with the own goal, although he didn’t know much about it. He touched the ball 12 times, completing all of his eight passes, including one cross. Defensively, he added a clearance.
MF, Nico Rodriguez (84’), N/A — Rodriguez was a late replacement for Ojeda as the Lions looked to see out the game. He earned a foul less than a minute after entering the match to set up a free kick for Orlando, though it amounted to nothing. He touched the ball 15 times, completing 75% of his eight passes, and made one key pass. Offensively, he had one dribble and suffered two fouls. His biggest contribution was a negative one late in the game, as he played a corner kick so quickly that most of his teammates weren’t ready. Thorhallsson was still walking back into his deep defensive position and the two center backs hadn’t even arrived in the box yet. So when Rodriguez played the corner quickly short to Atuesta, it threw off the entire team and allowed NYCFC to break with numbers for the winner.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 2-1 loss to NYCFC. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.
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