Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Drop Second Straight Home Match

Published

3 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continued to struggle offensively at Exploria Stadium, falling for the second straight match at home in an underwhelming 2-0 loss to Nashville SC. The visitors got a cheap first-half goal by catching the Lions (2-2-2, 8 points) napping on a set piece from nowhere near the attacking third and then sat back until they could hit for a second on the counter. Orlando had chances to score but wasted them in another disappointing game against Nashville (3-2-1, 10 points).

City fell to 1-2-4 against Nashville in regular-season league play and 1-3-5 in all competitions, and the Lions have now gone eight consecutive meetings with the Tennessee club without tasting victory dating back to Aug. 26, 2020 — the first time the teams played.

“Disappointed being at home in front of our fans and not getting the result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said about the game. “This is the most painful part. The analysis of the game, I thought we made a couple mistakes on the defensive phase that cost the game in terms of chasing it all the time. And in the other box we’re not fine. We were optimistic because we came off from a game we played very well, and today we were not fine in those two areas.”

Pareja used almost entirely the same lineup as he did a week ago in the win over Philadelphia, subbing Pedro Gallese in for Mason Stajduhar, but sticking with a back line of Luca Petrasso, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Felipe manned the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Martin Ojeda, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

The opening minutes of the match were cagey, with both teams looking for an opening. Orlando had a good-looking attacking movement going in the fifth minute but it died when Smith’s cross was too easily blocked by the first defender.

Nashville got the first dangerous chance off a corner kick in the seventh minute. The cross squirted out to Daniel Lovitz outside the area. The shot back in was blocked just in front of goal. The rebound found Picault but he was offside.

The first Orlando shot fell for Pereyra at the top of the area in the 14th minute but the captain sent his shot well over the bar. Three minutes later, the Lions had a great buildup through the middle that Ojeda sent left for Angulo. The winger fired a shot that Willis saved and it went out for a corner.

Orlando played the corner short to Felipe who was fouled from behind. Ojeda sent the ensuing free kick over the bar.

The visitors struck in the 28th minute off a midfield free kick. After a foul by Felipe, Mukhtar played it quickly and the Lions fell asleep. Mukhtar sent a long ball over the top that Picault ran onto, splitting Jansson and Schlegel, and easily chipped Gallese to make it 1-0. It was Mukhtar’s eighth career goal involvement against Orlando City in seven games (three goals, five assists).

Orlando tried to get back into the match by applying some pressure, and while it unsettled Nashville’s back five a bit, the Lions couldn’t capitalize. Angulo blocked a pass from the goalkeeper but it deflected out for a goal kick rather than into the net in the 38th minute.

A minute later, Angulo stole the ball and Orlando had a series of shots blocked outside the area. As good as Nashville was defensively, a lack of taking the extra step to clear a shot was a problem for the Lions. The play fizzled when Araujo carried into the box and went down, losing his footing.

A fantastic curling ball put Mukhtar behind the defense but Gallese made a vital save. A second shot in was cleared off the line by the defense but the flag came up on the play anyway.

A late shot over the bar from C.J. Sapong ended the first half with the Lions down, 1-0.

Orlando City held more possession in the first half (60.3%-39.7%), as it usually does against the counter-attack-minded Nashville, but the Lions also had more shot attempts (6-3), although each team only got one on frame. Orlando had more corners (2-1), and passed more accurately (90.4%-80.3%).

Facundo Torres replaced Felipe in the lineup at the half, pushing Pereyra into a deeper-lying midfield role.

Schlegel was booked for fouling Mukhtar in the 48th minute and the Nashville striker nearly paid off the ensuing free kick which fizzed just wide of the right post and into the outside netting.

Ojeda sent a shot on target in the 51st minute but he didn’t get all of it and it was no trouble for Willis.

Five minutes later, Picault put the ball in again but the flag came up. It looked like offside in the buildup watching it live, and that call stood after a lengthy review by the video assistant referee.

Enrique fired into the shin of the defender in front of him in the 58th minute and Torres sent a low, hard shot from outside the area wide of the near post a minute later. Then, just past the hour mark, Orlando had a fairly reasonable penalty shout when Angulo touched the ball past a defender and then had his run held up with heavy contact, but referee Chris Penso wasn’t interested.

Regardless, Orlando should have equalized in the 63rd minute. A good through ball from Pereyra was barely touched by Angulo’s heel and fell into the path of Petrasso wide on the left. The left back sent a good pass into the box for Enrique, who took his shot quickly but stabbed it right at Willis, who made the save. The goalkeeper then recovered in time to pick it up before Angulo could get to the rebound.

Nashville put the game away in the 74th minute. Shaq Moore sent Mukhtar down the right side and the forward’s shot went in after perhaps deflecting off both Schlegel and Gallese to make it 2-0. It was Mukhtar’s first goal of the season and fourth career strike against Orlando.

“it cost us today,” Gallese said of the team’s few defensive breakdowns. “Those are things that we have to fix. We know that there’s games coming up that are going to be more difficult. There’s these next two weeks we’re sure to have time to analyze what happened and to try and correct those things moving into this game in two weeks against Minnesota.”

“I don’t think we had that much volume, but we had a couple of chances that (could have) allowed us to tie the game before the other mistake we made on the transition. And after that we just started moving desperately. I don’t think we were moving correctly. We were just trying to do things and then with them sitting low — they know how to do it — we lost connection there, and then we stopped creating more clear chances.”

Orlando had some half chances to at least get on the board but couldn’t pay them off. Angulo stepped into a shot in the 77th but it was nowhere close to goal. Ojeda sent a shot in through traffic moments later and it probably would have gone in had it not struck Zimmerman’s leg.

Ojeda smashed a shot in the 85th minute that Willis tipped over the bar. The Lions worked that corner for a second and second-half sub Duncan McGuire got his head to the cross. His shot was headed inside the right post but Willis was well positioned and made the save.

Mukhtar nearly added a third for the visitors in the 89th but sent a volley shot just over the bar.

Orlando couldn’t muster anything in the four minutes of stoppage time and suffered another home loss.

As is typical against Nashville, the Lions ended up with more possession (64.4%-35.6%), shots (18-7), shots on target (6-3), corners (10-2), and passing accuracy (88.1%-77.3%), but the league’s stingiest defense gave no room and the Lions couldn’t move Walker Zimmerman and Jack Maher the way they did to Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott a week ago in Philadelphia. The one time Zimmerman did chase Pereyra outside the area in the second half, the captain was unable to get a ball into the area.

“I don’t think they created too many chances. They got in behind us a couple of times,” Smith said. “The first goal was off of a quick free kick. And then I thought we created a little bit more in the second half. We just couldn’t finish.”

“We can not lose our head,” Pareja said about his team reacting to tonight’s loss. “We were not the best team in the league after we beat Philadelphia. We’re not the worst tonight either. We have to keep our heads up. We need to be calm and the responsibility of the coach is just try to glue them together and see how we can use the chemistry and the players that we have. We have a good group and a group that I believe (in) too. We have to respond. The season is early. We don’t feel good just losing two games at home, i know, in front of our people, but we have to be what we are — professionals — and just keep moving forward.”

The Lions get Easter weekend off before heading back out on the road for a match-up against Minnesota United on April 15.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

8 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

Published

11 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending