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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City continued the 2023 MLS Regular Season campaign with a 0-0 draw against visiting FC Cincinnati. Orlando City rolled out a heavily rotated squad for the match against the Orange and Blue ahead of the first leg of the club’s Concacaf Champions League match-up Tuesday at Tigres. Let’s take a look at how each Lion performed individually in week two.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM) — Gallese made four saves to earn his second clean sheet of the season and to help salvage one point at home. Facing a trio of dangerous attackers, Gallese did well to save four shots on the night in a myriad of different ways. His best save of the night came in the 29th minute on a Luciano Acosta free kick from just outside the box. He was successful on 80.8% of his passing attempts, including six long balls. On a night when there was very little help on the offensive side of the pitch and the visitors controlled the possession for a majority of the match, El Pulpo came up big when the club needed him most.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Smith was inserted into the starting XI at left center back for the first half as Oscar Pareja played a three-man back line for the opening 45 minutes. He then played fullback when Robin Jansson came on to start the second half, departing when Luca Petrasso was brought on as the final substitute of the night for OCSC. Turning in a performance that one has come to expect from Smith isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there were several times when Smith found himself beaten down the sideline. To his credit, he was often able to recover, but he did get burned badly by Luciano Acosta in the 54th minute and luckily watched the shot go wide. Smith passed at 82.7%, was accurate with two of three long balls, and was responsible for one turnover. He did not attempt a shot but did provide one key pass. He also recorded three tackles, one interception, and two clearances and won 33% of his headed duels.

D, Abdi Salim, 5.5 — MLS SuperDraft pick Salim logged his first official MLS start, going the full 90 minutes. It was a bit of a mixed bag debut for the young draft pick who started with Smith and Rodrigo Schlegel as one of the three center backs. After the break, he played a more traditional center back role on the right, paired with Jansson. A little inconsistency is to be expected from a rookie when facing a team with the attacking options that FC Cincinnati has, and at times Salim seemed to be caught off guard and out of position by the pace and explosiveness of Cincinnati’s attackers. He recorded two tackles, a team-high three interceptions, and a clearance. He passed at 87% on the night, completed his lone long ball attempt, and was responsible for one turnover.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — With an injured Antonio Carlos and a starting squad with heavy rotation, Schlegel functioned as the de facto leader of the back line in the first half and was mostly solid in his 45 minutes on the pitch. Passing at a 93% rate in the first half, Schlegel was a stead force and logged his second straight match without recording a foul. He did not record any defensive statistics but had one off-target shot attempt and completed one of his two long-ball attempts.

WB/D, Michael Halliday, 6 — Halliday logged his second straight start at right back (more of a wingback for the opening 45 minutes) and continued to show growth and development. He logged 71 minutes and his brightest moment was running onto a laser of a pass from Robin Jansson in the second half and then laying a pass off for Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who put his shot attempt just above the bar for one of the best scoring chances of the night. At times, Halliday was caught up field and out of position, which is part of playing wingback — especially against a good transition team like Cincinnati — but he looked more comfortable than last week. Halliday logged one interception and committed one foul while passing at an 83% clip. He did not record an accurate cross on one attempt and was inaccurate with his one long ball. He finished with a team-high four tackles, an interception, and two clearances.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — It wasn’t a perfect night for the defensive midfielder who was inserted into the starting lineup to provide rotation and rest for Ceasar Arajuo. While Cartagena passed at a decent 88% on the night, going 0/1 on crosses and 1/2 on long balls. He had a few too many careless giveaways or simply inaccurate passes which prevented the Lions from breaking out of their own end. He was booked for a questionable yellow in the 28th minute and was successful on two of his four tackle attempts. Cartagena also recorded one interception and logged two clearances.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 5 — The Orlando City captain logged his 100th competitive match in purple across all competitions, but the century mark match proved to be one of Pereyra’s shakier games in recent memory. The Uruguayan passed at an abysmal 74% success rate (his lowest percentage since Aug. 13. of last season against the New York Red Bulls). He recorded no key passes and was 0/1 on crosses and 3/5 on long balls. He had two shot attempts on the night, which were both blocked, including a poor attempt on a dangerous free kick chance in the 14th minute, and was only successful on one of his five tackle attempts. Ultimately, this will be a match to forget for a handful of reasons and Pereyra’s first-half effort will be among that list. The captain was subbed off at halftime for Araujo.

WB/MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Another Lion logging his first official MLS start, Dagur Dan went the distance for Orlando City in the midfield, playing out on the left and switching spots with Gaston Gonzalez often. The Icelandic midfielder passed at an 86% success rate, was inaccurate on his one cross attempt but completed his only long ball. Thorhallsson was dispossessed twice and could have done better on his one shot attempt, which sailed over the bar. He drew one foul, recorded two successful dribbles, and logged two tackles.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 5.5— Orlando City fans were able to see Gonzalez in action for the first time as the MLS U22 Initiative signing from last season has finally rehabbed from an ACL tear. Any fitness concerns should be squelched as Gonzalez went the full 90 for Orlando City in his debut match. He connected on 19 of his 21 passing attempts for a 90% success rate, however, he was just 1/3 on crosses and did not complete his only long ball. Gonzalez committed three fouls, and won Orlando City one corner but otherwise did not log too many other meaningful stats in his inaugural match, although he had one clearance defensively. There were attempts at breaking down opponents 1-v-1, but it appears for now Gonzalez needs more time to develop chemistry with his teammates and more game time to get back to his former self, as he attempted no shots, provided no key passes, was dispossessed once, and had three unstable touches.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — It felt like watching the game live that for most of the first half, Orlando City could have done a better job at trying to find Torres in space. The Young Designated Player — and the offense as a whole — struggled for the second straight game. Torres only logged one shot, which was off target, and only recorded 47 total touches for the match. He passed at a 78.6% rate on 28 attempts, providing two key passes and went 1/2 on crosses and completede his only long ball. Torres was dispossessed once, had one unstable touch, and completed three of five total attempted dribbles, but again there seemed to be some disconnect in the attacking third. The attack needs work and Orlando City needs Torres to be a catalyst to get in back in gear. Defensively, Torres supplied one interception and one clearance.

F, Ercan Kara, 4.5 — Stop me if you have heard this one before, but Kara needs accurate service to be the most effective version of himself, and for the second match in a row Orlando City struggled to get the striker involved. Some of that is a credit to 6-foot-4 center back Matt Miazga’s play for FC Cincinnati. Kara recorded only 17 touches in the match, showing how starved for service the Lions’ center forward was on the night. His isolation limited him to 46.2% passing as he struggled to find teammates in traffic. He won two aerials but recorded no shots or key passes in 65 minutes of gameplay before being subbed off for Ivan Angulo. Defensively, he contributed a blocked shot.

Substitutes

D, Robin Jansson (46’), 6 — Coming out of the halftime break, Jansson replaced Schlegel as the team transitioned to a more traditional four-man back line. After a shaky debut match last week, Jansson seemed more settled and had the best long ball out of any player on the pitch when he sprung Halliday down the right side of the field, ultimately resulting in an open look for Dagur Dan. He passed at a 79% success rate, completed three of six long balls, won one aerial duel, and did not record a tackle but did log a vital blocked shot near the end of the match and finished with two clearances.

MF, Cesar Araujo (46’), 6.5 — Out of the starting lineup presumably to remain fresher for the upcoming trip to Mexico, Araujo entered the match after the break and demonstrated much better form than in the season opener. Araujo passed at a 91% clip in the second half and was successful on both of his attempted long balls and his one through ball. Defensively, Araujo drew two fouls on Cincinnati, recorded one successful tackle, and added an interception. Towards the end of the match, Araujo could be found drifting more into the attacking third of the match where he was credited with one shot attempt and had the Lions’ only shot on target of the evening, albeit a weak dribbler that offered no trouble to Roman Celentano. While the offense figures out that the ball is supposed to go in the back of the net, it will be imperative that Araujo continues to lock down force in the defensive midfield.

MF, Martín Ojeda (60’), 5.5 — Ojeda entered the game in the 60th minute to relieve Torres and recorded one shot in the 79th minute which was a scorcher that missed the target high and left from outside the 18 as he tried to catch Celentano off his line. He was accurate on 85.7% of his 21 passing attempts and his only long ball but his one cross attempt did not find the target. He contributed one interception. Due to player rotation in this match, very little was accomplished in terms of gaining experience and building chemistry between the three Designated Players as Ojeda replaced Torres, and Kara was subbed off five minutes after Ojeda entered the field.

MF, Ivan Angulo (65’), 5.5 — Angulo replaced Kara in the 65th minute and was largely ineffective for the final 25 minutes of the match, He was dispossessed twice, completed 86% of his passes, and did not record a shot attempt. He finished with one tackle and just 15 total touches.

D, Luca Petrasso (71’), 6 — Petrasso came into the match in the 71st minute for Halliday, which sent Kyle Smith to the right side of the pitch. There was some early aggression and concentrated efforts to get into the attacking third from Petrasso but he failed on a few occasions to link up with teammates or to send the ball into the box. He passed at 85.7%, but his only cross attempt was inaccurate. He did not record a tackle, interception, or shot attempt.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the first draw of the season for the Lions. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Rodrigo Schlegel11
Robin Jansson17
Dagur Dan Thorhallsson1
Pedro Gallese139
Cesar Araujo1
Someone Else (tell us in the comments)1

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 4-2 as Lions Cough Up Two Goals Late in Loss

The Lions came back from 2-0 down to tie the game just before the end of normal time but melted down defensively in stoppage time to spill a point.

Published

8 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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Image of Ivan Angulo firing a shot for a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was completely outclassed in the opening half at Gillette Stadium tonight but fought back from 2-0 down to pull level with a good second half. However, the pre-World Cup Lions showed up during the 10 added minutes, allowing the New England Revolution (14-8-4, 46 points) to score two late goals and win 4-2 on two wide-open shots.

The loss snapped a five-game unbeaten run in league play for the Lions (10-12-4, 34 points), who will feel they should have come home with at least a point after Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda — from the penalty spot — erased a 2-0 second-half deficit just before the end of normal time. But the same transition defense problems that have plagued the team all year showed up when Orlando should have been locking down a hard-fought road point.

Carles Gil and Peyton Miller each bagged a brace in the game to sink an Orlando side that has conceded 14 times in its last five away matches in all competitions.

“Very frustrated, of course, with the result,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “There was a big challenge for us today, because we came here after the game on Wednesday, and facing a team who is doing well in the league — in their stadium — and they had rest during the week; they had a normal week. The context of the game was difficult. We knew that. And taking that into account, I thought we did a very big effort. We made some mistakes, especially in the first half, and then we were able to come back in the second half, compete, tie the game. And then, I think there we have some gaps to improve as a team. We need to close these kinds of games. So, that’s the frustration.”

Perelman’s lineup was without the injured Antoine Griezmann (thigh), with Maxime Crepeau starting in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Angulo, who ended up playing three different positions in the match. Joran Gerbet and Luis Otavio started in central midfield between wingers Tyrese Spicer and Marco Pasalic, with Justin Ellis and Ojeda up top.

Orlando City spent much of the first half on the back foot. New England did well to crowd Orlando’s outlet players and won the ball high with its pressure in the opening 45 minutes. The Lions, as a result, spent a lot of time trying to regain control of the ball and then often turned it over when trying to transition from defense to offense.

Ellis had Orlando’s first sight of goal in the ninth minute, but his shot was well off target from the left side, just outside the area.

Two minutes later, Miller tried a dipping, half-volley shot that didn’t miss by much, fizzing just over Crepeau’s crossbar.

Brooklyn Raines committed an ugly challenge on Ellis to break up a potential counter in the 14th minute, handing Orlando a long-range free kick. The service toward the back side was good, but the ball appeared to take a slight deflection before Jansson could bring it down and shoot on what would have been a wide-open chance. The ball got knocked to the top of the box and Rhein committed a foul to end the threat.

Just moments later, Gil opened the scoring. Gil worked his way from right to left just outside the area, but several Lions failed to close him down. He attempted a shot that deflected unkindly off Brekalo, looped just over Crepeau’s outstretched hand, and fell just under the bar to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute.

Ojeda found himself with an opportunity from the top of the area in the 22nd minute. Taking a layoff from Gerbet, the Argentine fired a shot over Matt Turner, who jumped up and tipped it over the crossbar. Not only did the Lions not pay off the ensuing corner, but Angulo had to hustle back to prevent Dor Turgeman from getting behind the defense for a transition chance.

The Lions had a couple of half chances in the 23rd and 24th minutes. Spicer got to the end line on the first and tried to pull a pass back for Ellis, but instead his attempt found the New England defense. A minute later, a blocked pass fell in the box for Ojeda, who headed it down in front of himself, but the ball bounced too far away on the artificial surface, allowing Turner to collect it.

The Revs took control for most of the rest of the half. Gil was again left unmarked outside the area just seconds after Ojeda’s half-chance, but the Spaniard fired just over the bar.

Orlando worked the ball deep in the 28th minute on the left, with Pasalic trying a low-percentage, tight-angle shot from near the end line, but Turner had no issues with the save.

Turgeman should have doubled the lead in the 35th minute. A cross in from the left went through Brekalo’s legs to a wide-open Turgeman, with Jansson too deep to stop the cross and Rhein struggling to catch up from behind. However, the Revs’ forward sent his shot just wide of the right post.

The Lions quickly turned it over off the ensuing goal kick and Jackson Yueill found Gil, whose shot deflected just wide for the first corner in a series of them as New England kept Orlando penned in its own end.

When the Lions finally got a chance to break in transition again in the 38th minute, Angulo made a mess of trying to switch play, sending his pass right to Turner.

The Revolution went back on the attack and Miller tried an audacious shot from a tight angle on the right. Crepeau got his right hand on it to knock it away. Moments later, Matt Polster tried to carry the ball into Orlando’s box but Gerbet did well to beat him to the spot in the box, where Polster bundled him over, allowing the Lions to take the pressure off with a free kick.

New England kept coming, with Turgeman sending a soft shot at Crepeau and Yueill firing over the bar down the stretch. Brekalo was also forced into some emergency defending, knocking a cross out for a corner and then heading away the ensuing cross on the set piece.

That was the last meaningful action of the half.

New England dominated the stat sheet at halftime, holding the edge in possession (62.2%-37.8%), shots (9-3), shots on target (3-2), passing accuracy (90.3%-84.5%), and corners (6-1). The Lions were fortunate to only be down one goal.

“We tried to improve in terms of using the half space more direct, not committing too much,” Perelman said of his halftime adjustments. “We tried to adjust some defensive things in the low block and in the press, so we adjusted a bunch of things in the half, not only one.

Zakaria Taifi and Eduard Atuesta subbed on for Spicer and Otavio before the restart, moving Angulo to left wing, while the midfield saw a like-for-like change.

It took New England just 25 seconds to win another corner kick in the second half, but Brekalo and Jansson combined to clear the danger.

Taifi tried to make his mark on the game in the ensuing moments, drawing a foul and a yellow card on Will Sands after making a nice hesitation move. The Homegrown fullback then tried to pick out Ojeda in the box but the Argentine was defended well and couldn’t control it in traffic.

The Lions got what they were looking for in the 50th minute but squandered it. Taking the ball away, Orlando had a two-on-one break developing with Angulo and Ojeda. The Colombian, however, muffed his pass and sent it straight to New England’s defender rather than hitting Ojeda with a diagonal that would have seen him in on Turner alone.

Brekalo went on the attack in the 53rd minute when nobody closed him down. The Slovenian center back got to within about eight yards of the 18-yard box and had a go, but he sent his shot fizzing over Turner’s crossbar. A minute later, the Lions forced a quick turnover with numbers forward. Pasalic had the ball on his foot, but he was too indecisive at first and ended up taking a shot that deflected onto the roof of Turner’s net. The ensuing set piece fell to Pasalic in the box, but this time Raines cut out his pass and cleared the danger.

New England doubled the lead in the 59th minute when Angulo lost the ball in the attacking third. Despite appearing to be held, there was no call and the Revs broke the other way in transition. Turgeman turned and sent a ball to Miller, who was blazing down the left channel. Jansson had no chance to catch up to the speedy Miller, who slotted past Crepeau to make it 2-0.

Despite that bad break in what was otherwise a positive spell for Orlando City, the Lions got right back into the attack. Atuesta found space outside the box in the 61st minute and decided to have a go. His rocket had little chance of beating Turner to the near post, but the USMNT goalkeeper couldn’t handle it cleanly, fighting it off with two hands.

A minute later, the Lions cut the lead in half with a well-worked goal. Jansson played the ball to Atuesta near midfield, and the Colombian sent a straight ball to Ojeda ahead of him. Ojeda laid it off for Ellis and continued his run forward. Ellis turned and sent a gorgeous return pass through three defenders to Ojeda, who sent it left off a defender’s foot into Angulo’s path on the left. Angulo fired home to put Orlando on the board in the 62nd minute.

“Very happy with that part and for this run of scoring that I’ve been on,” Angulo said, after scoring in his third consecutive league game. “I’ve been working the same way that I’ve been working before, just getting a little bit more opportunity and getting the ball towards goal a little bit more. So, that’s great. But the thing to do is continue working, continue trying to do my absolute best out on the field every single time, and working together to fix the errors as a team that we committed today, so that way we can go out and get the victory next time out.”

The Revs tried to respond quickly, winning another pair of corners. Brekalo defended the second, which fell outside to New England center back Mamadou Fofana, who sent a shot nowhere near Crepeau’s goal.

Orlando went through another few minutes of continuously turning the ball over in its own end.

Ilay Feingold found Turgeman in front of goal in the 73rd minute but the Israel international could only stab at it and sent it over the goal. Miller’s shot from the right deflected out for yet another New England corner but the Lions handled their business. Crepeau then did well to save Feingold’s shot in the 78th minute and the Revs were offside when recycling the attack.

Miller blasted a shot on goal a minute after that chance but Crepeau made the save.

Orlando then calmed things down and got forward again. Taifi tried to pick out second-half sub Daryl Dike in the box in the 81st minute and nearly connected, but the big striker was trying to fight off a center back and couldn’t control it. A minute later, Gerbet found space just outside the box and fired a shot that Miller blocked. Gerbet and other Lions nearby appealed for a handball, but the initial decision was a free kick just outside the area. The video assistant referee instructed match referee Sergii Boiko to go to the monitor. Boiko ruled the contact with Miller’s arm happened just inside the top of the box and awarded a late penalty.

Ojeda took the spot kick, hesitating just before he got to the ball. That forced Turner to commit first, and the Argentine calmly slotted home to tie the game at 2-2 in the 88th minute.

A match that had started so poorly was improbably tied as stoppage time began. A seemingly generous 10 minutes were added on, but the Lions had been producing the better play down the stretch.

But the roof caved in on the Lions in injury time. The first was a seemingly innocuous play that turned into a breakaway for Miller. Gerbet could have committed a foul to end it before it got going, but he had no way of knowing how much chaos would ensue behind him.

A simple pass to the right ended up as a diagonal ball to Miller, who cut left to right between three Orlando defenders. Jansson made a desperate lunge to get a toe on it but it was out of his reach. Miller slotted past Crepeau for the second time in the 93rd minute to restore New England’s lead.

Chasing the game once again, Orlando got hit again by Gil in the sixth added minute. Raines blazed down the left channel, but Taifi did well to catch up and force him wide. What started as a four-on-three opportunity seemed to evaporate as the Lions started catching up. However, Raines passed into the box on the left to Turgeman, who had both Brekalo and Angulo on him. That left no one on Gil, who was behind Atuesta. A quick square ball from Turgeman to Gil and it was all over.

There weren’t any clear-cut chances for Orlando to try to pull one back, but the match was done and dusted by then anyway.

New England finished with the advantage in possession (53%-47%), shots (16-9), shots on target (7-5), corners (10-3), and passing accuracy (88.4%-85.6%).

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the point,” Perelman said.

I think at this moment we’re left with some conclusions, obviously frustration for the way the game ended,” Angulo said. “It was a tough game, but we knew that it was going to be that way. And you know, at the end, the tie we let escape from us, and it leaves us with a more sour taste in our mouth than we were hoping for.”

The late collapse was reminiscent of the pre-World Cup play by the Lions, who were conceding goals at a record pace before the break due to negligent defending in transition and turnovers in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Orlando City has a normal match week ahead as the Lions’ next match is on the road at Philadelphia a week from tonight. There is an international window during that weekend, so both teams will be missing some key players. Ellis, for example, will be with the USMNT in Orlando on that day.

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head to New England on short rest with a tough task against the Revs…possibly without Antoine Griezmann.

Published

21 hours ago

on

September 19, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (10-11-4, 34 points) and the New England Revolution (13-8-4, 43 points) at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the second meeting between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season, and the first of the two league matches in 2026. The Revs are scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando on Decision Day, Nov. 7.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 6-7-8 in the regular-season series against New England and 8-8-8 in all competitions. On the road, Orlando City is just 2-6-2 against the Revs in the MLS regular season and 3-6-2 in all away matches.

The most recent meeting between the teams took place in U.S. Open Cup play on April 29 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, with Orlando City coming from behind three times and eventually winning 4-3. It barely counts as a game against the Revs, who rotated heavily and played a lot of prospects in the match, not even dressing several of the team’s top players. Malcolm Fry, Andrew Farrell, and Marcos Zambrano each gave New England the lead in the game, but the Lions fought back on strikes from Iago, Griffin Dorsey, and Justin Ellis. Zakaria Taifi scored the winner in stoppage time.

The two clubs’ last meeting in the regular season also took place in New England, but it was at Gillette Stadium, the Revs’ usual home. Martin Ojeda’s brace led the Lions to a 2-1 victory on July 19, 2025 — just the team’s second road win in the series. Thomas Chancalay scored for New England.

The first match between the sides last year was a wild 3-3 draw in Orlando on May 10. The Lions squandered two leads in that match, including a 2-0 advantage. Ojeda scored Orlando’s first hat trick since 2015 in that game, but those three goals were offset by strikes by Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, and Carles Gil. One of Ojeda’s goals and Gil’s strike were penalties.

Prior to that, the teams met on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams also met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium that year, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to provide a cosmetic improvement to the result for the Revs.

New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Matt Turner read Nani’s attempt to go down the middle at the last second and got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but Turner saved his poor penalty. Bou added a late insurance goal.

In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

The clubs met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 2-1 road loss in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals Wednesday at Columbus. The Lions fell behind early, equalized before the half, but conceded again moments after Antoine Griezmann sustained a knock, and Orlando never seriously challenged when the Frenchman left the game after the goal. With a first-choice squad used in the midweek, the Lions are on short rest and must either rotate or play the starters on artificial turf on the road with only a couple of days of recovery.

The Lions have won their last two games in New England, but those are exceptions to what has been the rule since they joined Major League Soccer. Orlando is just 3-7-2 away from home in league play and struggled in all three road matches it played in the U.S. Open Cup (two one-goal wins against lineups the Lions should have handled easily and the loss to the Crew). City has conceded 10 goals in its last four matches on the road in all competitions.

Making matters worse is Griezmann’s knock makes him questionable and the Designated Player is the hottest player in MLS, having scored in five consecutive matches.

The Revolution, on the other hand, are 8-2-2 at home in 2026 and are are coming off consecutive 2-1 road wins over the Chicago Fire and New York City FC. However, the Revs are 0-1-1 in their last two at Gillette Stadium after their hot start.

Orlando City will have to find Gil wherever he goes and keep him marked, otherwise it could be a big night for New England. The Spaniard leads MLS in key passes (69) and leads his club in goals (10), assists (8), and total goal contributions (18). Israeli forward Dor Turgeman, just 22 years old, has also been a weapon for the Revolution, scoring seven goals and adding five assists. Peyton Miller has chipped in five goals and four assists. Oh, and Lion killer Daniel Gazdag has joined the Revs recently, too.

The Lions will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Iago (suspension), while Griezmann (thigh) and Griffin Dorsey (back) are questionable. New England will be missing Leo Campana (lower body), Jack Harrison (quad), and Alhassan Yusuf (hamstring), while Luca Langoni (thigh) is questionable. 

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Ivan Angulo.

Midfielders: Tyrese Spicer, Joran Gerbet, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Vinicius Nogueira, Zakaria Taifi, Adrian Marin, Wilder Cartagena, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago, Harvey Sarajian, Daryl Dike.

New England Revolution (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner.

Defenders: Will Sands, Mamadou Fofana, Ethan Kohler, Matt Polster.

Midfielders: Jackson Yueill, Brooklyn Raines, Carles Gil.

Forwards: Daniel Gazdag, Dor Turgeman, Peyton Miller.

Bench: JD Gunn, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold, Joshua Wynder, Cody Baker, Diego Fagundez, Wilson Harris, Marcos Zambrano, Judah Siqueira.

Referees

REF: Sergii Boiko.
AR1: Lyes Arfa.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Brad Jensen.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Craig Lowry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Gillette Stadium — Foxborough, MA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

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 match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Get up to speed on this year’s Revolution side, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 18, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City crashed out of the U.S. Open Cup in rather timid fashion on Wednesday, but we have no time to dwell on that. There are nine matches left in the regular season, and it is imperative for the Lions to keep picking up points at a good clip if they want to remain above the playoff line. They’ll have their work cut out for them on Saturday, as the team travels up to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution.

A date with the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he did an outstanding job at helping bring us up to speed on New England, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.

This is Marko Mitrovic’s first year in charge of the Revs. How does he want this team to play?

Jake Catanese: So, I think the Revs are still figuring this part out due to a rotating list of injuries they’ve dealt with at times this year. But the simplest answer is New England wants to be balanced and I think beat you on overloads. They want to figure out ways to get someone in behind, get multiple runners into one area on a cross, or figure out some way to get the defense to react to something. New England has long struggled with breaking down opponents who are in a set defensive formation and have like eight or nine guys behind the ball, even the creative maestro that is Carles Gil. Five years ago, we saw the best version of the Revs in a Shield-winning team that could punish you in so many ways on the counter with Gustavo Bou and Tajon Buchanan and operate in a “half-court” offense with Adam Buksa as a target man to aim for. This New England team isn’t at that level, but it’s the most versatile and dangerous team the Revs have had since that squad.

Talk me through the Revolution’s transfer business this year. Who has gone out the door, and who’s come in to replace those guys?

JC: The big moves into the team are Jack Harrison and Daniel Gazdag. Harrison was a much-needed upgrade as injuries to Luca Langoni and a rotation of options playing opposite him were doing well but not having the same impact as a Designated Player-level winger. The addition of Gazdag is the most interesting because right now he’s looking at a super sub role, but given the Revs are still shorthanded up top, there’s going to be a ton of opportunity for him to add on to that game winner he had last week. It’s a great foundation that Chris Tierney and Mitrovic have really established so far.

The big move out was center back Brayan Ceballos being traded to Montreal. This was very much a personal thing, as there were issues getting visas for his family to join him stateside. With Ethan Kohler having a breakout year, the Revs did the Colombian defender a solid. While we’re all a little bummed, since he was a really solid player for the Revs last year, I’m very happy New England was able to work that situation out, even though it probably wasn’t planned and definitely could have hurt the Revs short term. Young center backs Joshua Wynder (Benfica) and Tylon Smith (QPR) were brought in on loan to bolster the back line as well.

New England’s defensive play has been a strength this year, with just 31 goals given up in 25 games. What’s made the Revs so tough to score on?

JC: There are two major reasons for this. First, Matt Turner is back to “I am the best shot stopper in the league” level of play, and his analytics are insane. Also in reference to that tweet, the LOL moment of Turner and Djordje Petrovic occupying the Top 5 almost by themselves is just absurd. Now, the Revs still give up like one or two big chances a game too many at times…and while Turner is good to maybe bail you out once, there’s only so many chances you can give up from close range before you concede. We maintain Matt Turner should have started at the World Cup.

That being said, the second reason is thanks to the Revs’ change in style of play, they aren’t getting punished for mistakes, because those turnovers aren’t happening in their own half. Caleb Porter and the Revs spent so much time keeping the ball in their own half that they gave up a lot of chances off turnovers. This Revs team doesn’t have that problem, because they’re progressing the ball with a purpose and generally have more time to recover if and when they do something stupid. Yes, I still think the Revs are a little vulnerable in the air and on set pieces, but it’s not as bad as it was in previous years.

Individually, we mentioned Ethan Kohler’s breakout into the starting lineup and he’s been tremendous since the World Cup break, but Will Sands has spent the bulk of the year as the Revs’ starting left back and has also done really well. I think the Revs’ best lineup eventually has Peyton Miller and Ilay Feingold as the starting fullbacks, but if you’re going to get solid games from Sands and Matt Polster at right back on a regular basis, then you’re doing just fine and it shows up in the fact the Revs are giving up just over a goal a game, which I think is second in the East behind only the brick wall that is Nashville.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JC: Ah, the bad news for the week dropped already, and that is the Revs will be without both Jack Harrison and Alhassan Yusuf for about six weeks, as they both picked up injuries at Citi Field against New York City FC recently. Eventually, Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines will join up with the USMNT, and Dor Turgeman and Ilay Feingold with Israel, so the Revs are going to have a really interesting week coming up in their near future for reasons only the schedule makers can justify. Last week against Chicago, the Revs deployed Gazdag at wing, Jackson Yueill at central defensive midfielder, and Matt Polster at right back, but if Feingold is healthy enough for an international call-up, he should be healthy enough to start, and I think that drops Polster to the bench.

4-2-3-1: Matt Turner; Will Sands, Mamadou Fofana, Ethan Kohler, Ilay Feingold; Brooklyn Raines, Jackson Yueill; Peyton Miller, Carles Gil, Daniel Gazdag; Dor Turgeman.

Some extra names to pay attention to off the bench are striker Wilson Harris and winger Luca Langoni. Harris was another one of the under-the-radar signings this summer and has been really solid late in games. Langoni has also missed a bunch of time and is working back to full fitness and is probably in line to get some starts before the year is up as well. New England going up against an improved but still very porous defense, I think they take this 3-1 at home off the confidence of two big road wins last week.

Thank you to Jake for the fantastic primer on the Revs. Vamos Orlando!

Image of the famous "The more you know" graphic from TV.
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