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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Tigres, Concacaf Champions League: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Get Road Result in Mexico

Pedro Gallese came up huge to help Orlando City get a road draw at Tigres.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Tigres UANL was as difficult as advertised but Orlando City managed to go on the road and grind out a 0-0 draw at Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico. The Lions even had a few opportunities to take the lead in the second half, but couldn’t find that little bit of quality needed to steal all three points in their Concacaf Champions League debut.

The two sides will battle it out at Exploria Stadium in Orlando next Wednesday night in a winner-take-all battle to reach the quarterfinals.

“Here, (getting a result) is not an easy thing to do,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We’re proud. We have a game in front of us in Orlando and we know the rival, and we’re ready and we hope we can advance.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal 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 Ramiro Enrique making his first start up top. For Schlegel, it was his 50th career start in all competitions for the Lions.

Tigres controlled the first half and Orlando City continued to waste its few opportunities in the attack. The game was just about three minutes old when the hosts fired the first shot, a deflected effort that gave them a corner.

In the seventh minute, Andre-Pierre Gignac danced through the Orlando defense and sent a shot toward goal but he didn’t get good contact on it and Gallese made the save. Two minutes later, Gignac fired a blast from outside the area that Gallese could only punch away.

The Lions seemed content to fire from ridiculous distance if they found any space. Enrique fired the first shot for Orlando from long range in the 10th minute and sent his effort well over the bar.

Juan Pablo Vigon had a free header in front on a ball in from Tigres’ right side in the 14th minute but sent his shot wide.

Enrique went down and stayed down in the 17th minute after an awful tackle from Tigres defender Samir, but no card was given. Enrique was eventually able to continue but he didn’t look like himself the rest of the first half.

In the 20th minute, Ojeda sent in a cross from the left corner to Pereyra at the top of the box. The captain tried to take a touch in traffic and lost control rather than going for goal with his first touch. Four minutes later, Schlegel stole the ball to start the break and with numbers finally in the attack, Ojeda decided to shoot from 35 yards away and his shot didn’t come close to the goal on another wasteful attack.

In the 32nd minute, it was Angulo wrecking an attack. After getting inside the box on the left side, he made a move to lose his defender but then — instead of moving closer and either shooting or finding a teammate — he made an extra feint with the ball that put two defenders between himself and the net.

Fernando Gorriarán fired a dangerous shot from distance in the 34th minute, skipping his effort out in front of goal. All Gallese could do was fight it off, but no Tigres player could get to it.

Araujo made a nifty move up the right side in the 38th minute but once he got into the box, with no defenders near him, he seemed indecisive and sent a weak shot squirting wide of the near post, which was covered anyway. Angulo sent a weak shot on target at the end of normal time for the lone shot on target of the half for the Lions.

In stoppage time, Gignac was shown a straight red after lashing out at Schlegel. After video review, the card was changed to yellow.

The Mexican side held more possession (60.6%-39.4%), passed more accurately (87.4%-77%), fired more shots (8-5) and shots on target (4-1), and won more corners (2-0).

Wilder Cartagena replaced Enrique at the break, pushing Pereyra up into the attacking midfield and Ojeda into the forward position.

But Tigres kept coming. Gignac fired wide on the half volley through Schlegel’s legs just two minutes after the restart and that was just a start of a frantic second period. In the 53rd minute, Gignac took a long ball out of the air and hit it on the volley, forcing another stop by Gallese. Jansson then got just a touch on a cross that surely would have been a goal had he not flicked it through the legs of Nicolas Ibanez.

The Peruvian international then had to get a touch on a Gorriaran corner kick to push it off the crossbar in the 55th minute. He made a bigger stop two minutes later. After a turnover that appeared to come off a Tigres hand, the ball was crossed in to center back Samir, who made a run up the field. Gallese fought off the point-blank header.

Orlando had a brief spell of good play after the save on Samir’s shot. Ojeda stole the ball in the attacking third and sent a hard, low shot toward goal. Nahuel Guzman got down to make the save in the 58th minute. Moments later, a shot from outside the area forced a comfortable save from Guzman.

Gaston Gonzalez subbed on for Angulo in the 62nd minute and two minutes later he had a chance to change the game. Ojeda got the ball at the top of the area and waited for support. He slipped the ball left to Gonzalez, who fired first touch but sent his shot over the bar. Had he slipped the ball across the box, Torres likely would have had a tap-in.

Gignac got his head to a corner kick in the 68th and smashed it toward goal but it stayed high. Ten minutes later, Gallese again denied Gignac, and then he stoned Sebastián Córdova seconds later.

In the 87th minute, a mistake by Guzman nearly gifted Orlando City a go-ahead goal. The Tigres goalkeeper came out of his box and had the ball knocked away by Ojeda. While running toward the sideline, and with the net wide open and undefended, the Lions’ Designated Player tried to chip a shot back toward goal but he couldn’t get it on target.

Tigres again found the woodwork in the 88th minute. Guido Pizarro’s header off of Cordova’s corner kick cross crashed into the right post and stayed out. The hosts caught a break in the 90th minute when a soft foul was given on Schlegel near the sideline. The free kick found Samir’s head but the defender nodded wide of goal.

Orlando survived a few more entry balls and after a couple of seemingly unnecessary extra minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle brought the match to an end.

Tigres continued its dominance on the stat sheet, finishing with more possession (62%-38%), passing accuracy (84.9%-75.1%), shots (22-9), shots on target (8-3), and corners (5-1).

Ultimately, it was a fantastic performance by Gallese — and, for the most part, by the Orlando defense.

“I think Pedro deserves all the praise on the way he played today,” Pareja said. “But the collective effort of the players, the courage, the discipline, just keeping us in the game — and not just defending but some possibilities during the game that we could probably score as well against a good rival.”

El Pulpo was named Player of the Match.

“Just having this result here in Monterrey is just creating an illusion to go there and advance in the series,” Pareja said. “It’s a game that lasts 180 minutes. And we’ll see. We’ll see, but we are very optimistic. We already fought a good battle here and we’re going back home.”

The Lions have a quick turnaround with Saturday’s road trip to D.C. United. Tigres will make the return trip to Exploria Stadium next Wednesday.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/23/25

The Orlando Pride drop, OCSC Academy awards, USMNT characters, and more.

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13 hours ago

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April 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. This weekend we have the most convenient schedule, with the Orlando Pride playing Friday night, Orlando City on Saturday night, and Orlando City B on Sunday night. It’s nice knowing what I’ll be doing each night. Now, I just need all three teams to get back on the winning side of things. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Bad Pride, Good Pride

It might have been the dumbest way to lose a match against the Washington Spirit, but — actually nevermind, there is no “but” about it. We can, however, decide to move forward rather than dwell on it after today. Unsurprisingly, the Pride dropped in the all-knowing power rankings. All for XI only dropped the Pride one spot to No. 2 since everyone has a bad day now and again. The CBS power ranking dropped the team to No. 3. That was the “bad.” The “good” is that we can revisit the puppies that showed up at Inter&Co Stadium. The loss still hurts, but it’s hard to stay mad after looking at the puppies.

The (OCSC) Academy Awards

Assuming you read Lion Links on Monday morning (or listened to The Mane Land PawedCast this week) you know that the Orlando City SC Academy U-18 team won the Generation Adidas Cup. Now we know that three of the very young Lions — Gustavo Caraballo, Jackson Platts, and Justin Ellis — were named to the U18 Best XI. Additionally, Caraballo and Ellis earned MVP and Top Scorer awards, respectively. It was truly the bright spot of an otherwise forgettable weekend.

Pochettino Prepares

The USMNT did not do well in the Concacaf Nations League, falling to Panama and then Canada in the third place match. Now, U.S. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has to prepare the team for the Gold Cup. Pochettino said that he needs the “right characters” on the squad, whether they are the most talented or not. He also spoke of the need for the players to fight for the badge and the flag. Former USMNT coach Bruce Arena said Pochettino may not be the right man for the job because he’s not an American. The USMNT’s next matches are friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland on June 7 and June 10, respectively.

MLS Transfer News

The Columbus Crew are making moves. The club received $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a 2025 international roster slot. The club then sent DeJuan Jones to the San Jose Earthquakes for $425,000 in GAM and a 2025 international roster slot. Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Santiago Muñoz on loan from Liga MX side Santos Laguna.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the full slate of matches coming up.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

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2 days ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

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2 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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