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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Come from Behind in Road Win

The Lions got their first regular-season win against the Loons, beating Minnesota’s stingy defense twice after falling behind.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City fell behind in the second half but goals by Ivan Angulo and Duncan McGuire brought the Lions back for a 2-1 win over Minnesota United at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN. Orlando (3-2-2, 11 points) stayed unbeaten on the road at 2-0-1 on the young MLS season and got its first regular-season win against Minnesota United (3-2-2, 11 points).

The home side was the more likely to win for most of the game, but after falling behind, Orlando showed plenty of fight and worked two excellent team goals to steal all three points from former OCSC manager Adrian Heath and the Loons in Minnesota.

“Very, very good victory, and the credit for this group of players who overcame this moment,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Coming to Minnesota and getting this win is very important for for our group. But the most important part was when we were losing one-zero, and the courage of the players just brought it back into the game, tied it up, and then after that, just with the same ambition go and look for the three points, and that’s what what I highlight the most — that effort — and we’re very proud of them.”

Pareja changed the team’s shape for this match-up, starting Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Rodrigo Schlegel. The midfield consisted of Angulo and Gaston Gonzalez outside, with no true fullbacks on the pitch. Cesar Araujo and Mauricio Pereyra played centrally, with an attacking line of Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, and Ramiro Enrique.

The first half was one to forget for the Lions, as they looked like a team not used to playing in the shape they were in. The Loons got a golden opportunity in the opening minutes as a result. A simple ball over the top was misplayed by Jansson, who allowed Mender Garcia to get in behind him down Minnesota’s right side. Garcia found a wide-open Bongokuhle Hlongwane in front of goal but his first touch was terrible and the ball skipped harmlessly off his feet and out for a goal kick in the second minute.

The Loons racked up six first-half corners and didn’t do much with them, although the ball did ping around dangerously a few times. At least three of those corners were preventable but poor touches on clearance attempts by Schlegel and Gonzalez gifted those set pieces to the hosts. Multiple attacks that ended in corners were set up by careless Orlando passes in the attacking third that the Loons turned into transition opportunities.

One of those set pieces fell to Kervin Arriaga at the top of the box but the central midfielder fired his shot wide.

Gallese made a near-post save on Hlongwane in the 18th minute and DJ Taylor volleyed well off target off a corner moments later.

“The first 15 minutes we suffered a little until we settled in the game, and then after that I thought we dominated in many, many parts in the match. And we created situations and we contained them as well in the moments they attacked us,” Pareja said.

Orlando got a half chance of its own in the 25th minute when Angulo fizzed in a cross that Enrique went down to get but he couldn’t hit the target. In the 32nd minute, Ojeda had an opportunity from the top of the box but missed high as the Lions continued to waste the few chances they had in the opening half. Three minutes later, Gonzalez had it at the top of the box but he took too long to shoot and it was easily blocked.

The biggest save of the half came in the 41st minute when a shot by Jeong Sang Bin took a deflection. Gallese was able to make the sprawling save.

Orlando City held more of the possession (53.1%-46.9%) but did little with it. The Loons out-shot the Lions (9-5) and had more shots on target (2-0), and corners (6-3). OCSC had a slight edge in passing accuracy (82.2%-81.9%) but that’s deceiving because a lot of that was passing around between defenders and central midfielders. In the attacking third, the Lions were simply poor.

Pareja made no changes at the break and Hlongwane continued to be a threat down Minnesota’s left, overpowering Angulo or simply beating him out wide. The first chance of the half nearly came in the 49th minute but Hlongwane hit the outside netting and the play was offside anyway.

Orlando had a good buildup in the 53rd minute that ended with the ball on Enrique’s foot at the top of the area. The U22 Initiative striker took an extra touch, however, and that allowed Michael Boxall to get back and deflect his shot out for a corner.

Five minutes later, the hosts broke through. Hassani Dotson got down the right side and just managed to beat Jansson to get his cross through the top of the six. Hlongwane beat Angulo to the goal line and just tapped it over the line to make it 1-0 in the 58th minute.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Lions responded with a beautiful team goal that started in the back. Antonio Carlos switched play from the right to Gonzalez on the left. The young Argentine cut inside and passed off to Ojeda, who in turn dropped it back for Pereyra. The captain sent a diagonal ball to send Gonzalez down the left flank toward the end line and his cross fizzed through the box to Angulo on the other side. Angulo smashed it past Dayne St. Clair for his second goal of the season, leveling things in the 66th minute.

“I think just looking for those connections and the natural movements that we can help with,” Pareja said of the difference in the attack tonight. “Positioning the players is not an easy job but we understand that we have urgency to get those things done. If we have the willingness of the players as they showed today one more time, I think that we’re going to get there.”

Hlongwane again created some danger in the 81st minute, beating Angulo to the end line and cutting a pass back for Robin Lod. The Minnesota winger got under his shot and it sailed over the bar. Three minutes later, Taylor found space and smashed a shot into the stands.

Gallese made the save of the game in the 85th minute. Luis Amarilla fed a ball through for Franco Fragapane, who got behind the defense. The shot was hard but Gallese came out a bit and made himself big, blocking it with his midsection.

It was a vital stop because the Lions took the lead three minutes later. Substitutes Luca Petrasso and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson worked the ball smartly up the touchline on the left side and the Icelandic midfielder eventually slipped Torres toward the end line. Torres sent a cross that was over McGuire in the middle but it fell for Angulo on the far side. This time Angulo tried to chip St. Clair but his effort hit the crossbar. It fell into the path of the waiting McGuire, who nodded home the winner in the 88th minute.

“It was a great team buildup,” McGuire said of the goal. “Ball went slightly over my head on the cross. Angulo, I saw him flick it up and I didn’t know if it was going to off the crossbar or over the goal or in the goal. I just decided to get myself in a good position to where I thought a bounce could be, and it luckily came right to my head and I tucked it away, which was nice.”

“He wants to fight for every single ball,” Pareja said of McGuire. “That brings us energy and we appreciate a lot those characteristics and that willingness of the players. He understands his weaknesses and he’s trying very hard by training on correcting them and improving, but his heart is always there.”

Pareja said he had been considering bringing Ercan Kara into the match instead of McGuire, as the Austrian has finally recovered from his thigh injury and was on the substitute’s bench. But he went with McGuire after Angulo tied the match.

“At that moment when we tied the game, we needed just that explosion from Duncan and the help that he can give us without the ball,” Pareja said.

Orlando City survived a late free kick from just outside their defensive penalty area and held on for all three points.

The Lions finished the match with more possession (55.7%-44.3%) and passed more accurately (82.2%-81%), but the hosts had more shots (17-12), shots on target (4-2), and corners (8-6).

In the end, the Lions were slightly more clinical, which is not something that has often been written about the team this season through seven matches. Orlando got some big saves from Gallese, which helped keep the Lions in it until the attack could string together a couple of brilliant passing sequences that created the goals.

The Lions return home next Saturday when they welcome D.C. United to Exploria Stadium.

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Opinion

Orlando City’s Start to the Season a Pleasant Surprise So Far

The Lions have started the new season well enough, but we shouldn’t get too carried away just yet.

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12 hours ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

While Orlando City didn’t have a ton of roster turnover to deal with during the off-season, it was really anybody’s guess as to what sort of start the Lions would make to the 2025 Major League Soccer season. There was obviously the loss of all-time leading goal scorer Facundo Torres to deal with, then Wilder Cartagena was lost for the year in preseason, although the club did a great job in landing Eduard Atuesta to replace him. There were also questions about depth at left back, center back, and central midfield. It was anyone’s guess on how Marco Pasalic would adjust to life in MLS, and there were serious questions about whether the Lions had enough firepower up front with Duncan McGuire unavailable to start the season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

While the club returned the vast majority of the guys who played key roles in helping reach the Eastern Conference final, on paper, the roster didn’t improve and arguably got weaker, so was it truly realistic to expect the team to go a step farther and make the final this year?

Despite all of those concerns, and despite a confidence-shaking 4-2 opening game loss to the Philadelphia Union, Orlando has largely made a good start to the campaign. The Lions have compiled a respectable 3-2-3 record and have 12 points to show for it, currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind the first-place Columbus Crew.

Even in the two losses, it’s hard to make the argument that OCSC played truly bad games on the whole. Rather, the Lions were undone by moments of bad defending and losses of concentration that led to silly mistakes, particularly against the Union. The shaky defending has certainly been one of the bigger concerns, especially on an Oscar Pareja-coached team, but things have begun to look better after keeping two straight clean sheets.

Ironically, even though the offense seemed to be most people’s biggest concern before the season started, it’s been the part of the team that has consistently functioned at the highest level. Before the two 0-0 draws, Orlando had scored the most goals in the league, and despite being held scoreless twice in a row, they still have the third-most goals scored. Out of OCSC’s six games played with a first choice XI, the Lions have scored more than one goal four times. Even in the games when they haven’t been as prolific, or have largely been on the back foot, the Lions have still managed to carve out a healthy number of chances. While their finishing has let them down at times, they’ve still managed to get several good looks at goal in every game, and that’s half the battle.

All in all, it’s been a perfectly respectable start to the season, and the team honestly has performed higher than my (probably slightly pessimistic) expectations. While the start hasn’t been white hot, it’s been nice to not see the sort of slow start that so often has seemed to plague this club during Pareja’s tenure at the helm.

That being said, I think it’s important to place the beginning of the year in the proper context. It’s worth noting that of the teams that Orlando has played to this point, Philadelphia is the only one currently above the playoff line (although the New York Red Bulls occupy the last play-in spot). The Lions have beaten an LA Galaxy team that is the worst in the West; Toronto FC, which is second from the bottom in the East; and D.C. United, which is third from the bottom in the East. They drew the fifth-place Union on the road, and lost to NYCFC at the baseball stadium. But it has to be said that Orlando has faced a noticeable lack of top shelf opponents so far.

Essentially, Orlando has played three bad teams, two decent ones, and one that started very well but has cooled off in recent weeks (twice). Of course, OCSC can’t do anything about that, but it’s worth asking if the solid start to the season is due to the Lions legitimately being a good team, or if it’s more of a paper tiger situation where they just haven’t had to play many tough opponents yet.

There isn’t really any way of knowing for sure, and there won’t be any hints for awhile. With the way the standings currently look, Orlando won’t face a team above the playoff line until they go up against Charlotte FC on the road on May 14. I don’t bring all of this up to try to dampen the mood, but I just don’t think we have a truly accurate idea of this team’s level yet. Which is fair and totally fine, after all we’re only eight games into the season.

That doesn’t mean that we can’t give OCSC its due for a solid start to the year. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but the team has done more good than bad, and the Lions’ current place in the standings reflects that. We should still keep things in perspective and resist the urge to dole out too much praise just yet, but we can be happy with what we’ve seen so far.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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16 hours ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

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!

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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Montreal?

Published

2 days ago

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April 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City heads to the Great White North to take on CF Montreal. The Canadian squad sits in last place in not just the Eastern Conference but also the entire MLS, with only two points from a pair of draws. To say it’s not been a good start to the season is an understatement. Of course, it’s exactly that type of situation that makes it feel like a trap. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points against CF Montreal?

Designated Goal Scorers

What do you do if you haven’t scored a goal in the last two matches? You play a team that has given up 13 goals in eight matches with a -9 goal differential. Montreal doesn’t have the worst defense in the league — I’m looking at you, D.C. United — but it’s not far off. That presents an opportunity for Orlando City to get back on track when it comes to scoring goals.

Through the first six matches of the season, Orlando City was leading the league in scoring with 15 goals. Over the last two matches, the spigot has dried up. The Lions must seize on this opportunity to create and finish their chances. Much like earlier in the season, I want to see Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic lead the way. If anyone can get the first goal, then I’m hopeful the dam will break and the scoring drought will be over.

Keep it Clean

There is some good news of late when it comes to the Orlando City defense. The club has two clean sheets over the last two matches, and that is without Cesar Araujo. There is also some bad news, given Rodrigo Schlegel will be serving his red card suspension this match. That means David Brekalo will move back to center back with Robin Jansson, and Oscar Pareja will have to employ either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith at left back. Santos has been less than good so far this season.

Montreal has scored a paltry four goals so far in 2025, but two of them have come from striker Prince Owusu. The defense will also need to deal with Caden Clark facilitating in the midfield. I get that this isn’t a prolific attack. Montreal has not looked very good this season and is looking for both its first win and its first points of any sort at home. That means the hosts may be desperate for a result, and desperate is often dangerous. How well the defense does — in particular, how well Santos does if he plays — may determine if Montreal is able to break out of its slump. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Give the Midfield Time

Before the last match, I was a little worried about the midfield. Having both Araujo and Eduard Atuesta out at the same time seemed to be a concern. Now, after seeing how well Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson worked together against the New York Red Bulls, I’m way less worried. If Araujo and Atuesta need a little more time to get fully healthy, then let them. The Franco/Icelandic combo seems to be a potent one.

Of course, if the normal starters are ready, then by all means bring them back, but maybe not until the 60th minute. Perhaps Pareja could even mix and match. One never knows how yellow card suspensions or minor injuries will affect player availability. This is a good match for Gerbet and Thorhallsson to work their magic.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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