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Putting Orlando City’s Open Cup Loss into Perspective

Let’s process our feelings following the Lions crashing out of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

I’m not happy that Orlando City was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup competition the other night in Charlotte. The 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC in the Round of 32 was disappointing to say the least. Orlando City’s inability to finish chances or get shots on target — let alone into the back of the net — doomed the 2022 champs on a forgettable Tuesday night. Having said all of that, I think it’s time to put some things in perspective regarding the loss.

Winning any trophy is difficult. The calls have to go your way, injuries cannot be a factor, and yes there is a bit of additional luck needed as well. Orlando City manifested that in their cup run last year. Of course, playing every match at Exploria Stadium didn’t hurt either. Orlando City got a bad draw this time around on the road at Charlotte. It was a winnable match for the Lions, and I’m not absolving anyone of their share of the blame.

Orlando City rotated the lineup for this match, but not in any shocking way. The players I expected to be on the bench were on the bench, and the backups I expected to start, started the match. The problem was the same one that Orlando has had in plenty of matches this year — an inability to finish whatever limited chances the team generates or to take advantage of an opponent’s blunders. Charlotte took advantage of a Michael Halliday mistake, and that was the match. It wasn’t like the hosts were peppering Mason Stajduhar in goal. Charlotte only managed six shots, with four on target, but only one goal was needed to advance.

It is frustrating that Orlando City was not able to win one match in its title defense, but it’s not unheard of either. Atlanta United, the 2019 U.S. Open Cup winners, also lost in the Round of 32 in the 2022 tournament (there was no Open Cup in 2020 nor 2021 due to COVID-19). If we look at how the champs did in every competition since Orlando City joined the league, no team has repeated as champions. 

Sporting Kansas City, which won the title in 2015, lost in the Round of 16. FC Dallas (coached by Oscar Pareja) won it in 2016 and then lost in the quarter-finals. Sporting won it again in 2017 but then lost in the quarterfinals in 2018. That year, the Houston Dynamo won the title and then lost in the Round of 16 the next season.

The Seattle Sounders repeated back in 2009, 2010, and 2011, but MLS has expanded greatly since then. What I’m getting at is that historically the odds of Orlando City repeating were not great. 

So, who do we blame? I know that many people are looking for someone or something to blame for the loss. Do you blame Pareja and the coaching staff? I don’t think they had the tactics wrong. As I mentioned above, the Lions limited Charlotte to six shots. That isn’t easy to do. But let’s say you do blame the coaches. What is your solution? Fire them and start over at this point in the season? Would it go something like this quote I made up?

Management: “Well Oscar, I know you’ve taken the team to three straight playoff appearances, the final of the MLS is Back tournament, and won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022, but I’m afraid our supporters haven’t seen enough success or progress. It’s been nice. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

FAKE QUOTE BY DAVID ROHE

That’s ridiculous. Might there be a time that Pareja is on the hot seat if things don’t get better? Sure, but that isn’t where things are right now. As coach, Pareja accepts the blame on behalf of his team, but that is what coaches do. There is plenty left to play for going forward.

Perhaps we blame the players? Duncan McGuire missed a sitter. Facundo Torres and some others missed some open looks at goal. Halliday made the error that resulted in Charlotte’s goal. These things happen in a soccer match for every single club in the world at some point or another. It’s unfortunate that it happened to the Lions in this particular match, but that’s just soccer.

We could blame the referees for calling the foul on Maguire when the defender went down easier than a cold beer on a hot day that negated his goal. Goals change matches, and that call certainly changed things, but as I mentioned above, a team that advances needs to have those calls go the right way, and those calls don’t always do.

How about we blame MLS for scheduling the Lions with away matches three days before and four days after the Open Cup match? That is patently ridiculous, given no one knew where or which team Orlando City would play that match when the MLS schedule was made. I know! Blame random chance for the away match draw.

There are still 24 regular-season matches left to play for Orlando City. That literally means that the Supporter’ Shield and making the playoffs are still possibilities. This loss hurts. I don’t like it, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to put soccer in the proper perspective. Supporting a club is generally minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years of frustration and heartbreak with brief shining moments of absolute joy sprinkled in. Go and enjoy the sprinkles.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to get over the draw doldrums and find a victory in a 2024 playoff rematch with Charlotte.

Published

3 hours ago

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May 14, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (4-2-6, 18 points) and Charlotte FC (6-5-1, 19 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of two games on the slate between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2025, with the Lions’ return trip to North Carolina scheduled for July 5.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 3-1-2 in the regular-season series and 5-3-2 in all competitions against Charlotte. Orlando City is 2-1-0 at home in the regular season and 4-1-0 in its own stadium in all competitions against the North Carolina-based side. These games are usually close, as Orlando City all previous meetings decided by either one or two goals.

The teams last met in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, with Orlando City taking two of the three matches, winning the first outright, dropping the second on penalties after a late goal was called offside in the buildup, and advancing after a penalty shootout win following the third match of the best-of-three series.

The most recent meeting took place on Nov. 9, 2024, when Facundo Torres’ penalty late in stoppage time canceled out a Karol Swiderski goal and sent the deciding third match to penalties with a 1-1 score. Pedro Gallese made two saves and Orlando City won the shootout 4-1, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The teams played eight days before that in Charlotte, without either side scoring in normal time, as Torres’ strike was disallowed for offside on Nico Lodeiro on Luis Muriel’s through ball. Charlotte won the ensuing penalty shootout 3-1 after the scoreless draw to tie the series at 1-1, because shootout wins are just as important as actual wins in this somewhat baffling format. That followed Orlando City’s 2-0 home win the previous Sunday. Torres and Martin Ojeda scored the goals on either side of halftime to lead the Lions to the Game 1 win. It was the first time Orlando scored more than one goal in an MLS playoff game.

The teams also met a month and a half prior to their first playoff meeting on Sept. 18 in Orlando. The Lions got second-half goals from Torres and Duncan McGuire to win 2-0, claiming the first multiple-goal win in the series. The teams also met on June 19, 2024, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and played to a 2-2 draw. The hosts struck first with an early Kerwin Vargas goal and the Lions pulled one back through McGuire in the second half. But despite Charlotte going down a man on Scott Arfield’s red card, Brandt Bronico restored the hosts’ lead shortly after McGuire’s strike. Torres struck back moments later but the Lions could not find a winner on the road.

The previous match was also a draw at Bank of America Stadium, finishing 1-1 on Aug. 30, 2023. Enzo Copetti’s late penalty appeared to wrap things up for the hosts on a rainy night in Charlotte, but Ojeda’s seeing-eye set piece equalized just before stoppage time as the teams split the points.

Charlotte claimed a 1-0 “home” victory in U.S. Open Cup play on May 9 of that year. That game took place at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC, rather than at the club’s regular stadium. The first matchup of the 2023 season didn’t go any better for Orlando City, finishing as a 2-1 Charlotte win at Exploria Stadium on March 18. Copetti and Vargas put Charlotte up 2-0 by halftime. Ojeda pulled one back, but the Lions were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t pull level.

In 2022, the teams met at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 21. After a scoreless first half, Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead on the road, only to see McKinze Gaines equalize just four minutes later. Tesho Akindele’s late goal lifted Orlando to a 2-1 victory.

Orlando City won the first-ever meeting between the sides on April 30, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. Ruan scored the opening goal and set up Torres on the counter for the second as the Lions took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Christian Fuchs scored from the spot after Rodrigo Schlegel was called for a foul in the box in the second half, but that was as close as Charlotte got in what was ultimately a 2-1 Orlando victory.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 3-3 home draw against the New England Revolution on a rainy Saturday night just days ago. Ojeda’s hat trick provided all the scoring for the Lions, but the defense made three costly individual errors allowing the Revs to erase deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to steal a point on the road. The Lions are unbeaten in nine MLS games (3-0-6) and 10 matches in all competitions (4-0-6), but have spilled too many points over that span. In addition to blowing two leads on Saturday, the Lions have played four scoreless draws during this recent stretch despite creating enough good scoring chances to win all of them. Orlando City is 3-1-2 at home this season.

Charlotte is coming off a 2-1 road loss at Nashville SC on Saturday. Liel Abada’s goal wasn’t enough for the visitors to get a result in Tennessee. The club has lost its last three MLS games, although just prior to the Nashville loss Charlotte managed to advance in the U.S. Open Cup with a 4-2 win at North Carolina FC after extra time. Charlotte is 1-4-1 on the road in MLS matches this season.

These teams typically play tight, low-scoring matches against each other and any mistake can be the difference in the game. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina is a difference maker for Charlotte, and he always presents a challenge for the Lions. At the same time, Charlotte has picked up some gifted offensive players in recent years that have fit in well with Dean Smith’s system. Abada leads the attack with four goals on the season, while recent acquisition Wilfried Zaha and Pep Biel have three apiece. Biel also has a team-high six assists — he’s the only Charlotte player with more than one helper — so he’s the primary attacking threat from both a goal and setup standpoint. USMNT pool striker Patrick Agyemang has two goals on the year, but is always a dangerous threat.

Orlando City will need to be patient but also try to build a volume of shots against a stout defense led by Kahlina, who posted 119 saves last season and tied for the league lead in minutes played (3,060). Charlotte also has a strong back line that includes U.S. international Tim Ream and Adilson Malanda. The key to beating Charlotte is usually to get on the scoreboard and force Charlotte into opening up and taking risks, but that’s easier said than done. Both teams will also be fighting fatigue, as the May fixtures have been constant.

“We’re preparing well. The time [we have] to work is not much but I think we have done a lot of repetitions already,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “The team feels that we’re ready and that we’re good. So, this time right now is just trying to freshen them up and then see if we can get the same energy and execute the game plan that we have against Charlotte.”

The Lions will be without Wilder Cartagena (Achilles) and Yutaro Tsukada (knee) as they will be all season. Eduard Atuesta trained Tuesday but he was listed as out on the club’s game notes, while Favian Loyola (thigh) is questionable. Charlotte will be without Jahlane Forbes (thigh), Nimfasha Berchimas (foot), Nathan Byrne (neck), Brandon Cambridge (thigh), and Souleyman Doumbia (hamstring), while Biel (hamstring) and Tyger Smalls (knee) are questionable.

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Joran Gerbet.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Luis Muriel.

Charlotte FC (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina.

Defenders: Tim Ream, Adilson Malanda, Nicholas Scardina.

Midfielders/Wingbacks: Pep Biel, Brandt Bronico, Ashley Westwood, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

Forwards: Wilfried Zaha, Patrick Agyemang, Liel Abada.

Referees

Ref: Sergii Boiko.
AR1: Jose Da Silva.
AR2: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho.
4th: Tori Penso.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium  — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/14/25

Orlando City hosts Charlotte FC tonight, Marta called up by Brazil, U.S. Soccer announces new kits, and much more.

Published

6 hours ago

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May 14, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! Orlando City has midweek games throughout this month, which means we get to enjoy some soccer tonight. But before we get into that match and more in today’s links, let’s all wish a happy 18th birthday to Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis! On my 18th birthday, I won $10 on the first scratch-off ticket I could legally buy. I wish him similar good fortune today.

Orlando City Takes On Charlotte FC Tonight

Orlando City’s busy month continues tonight when it hosts Charlotte FC for a midweek matchup at Inter&Co Stadium in one of the more intriguing games of today’s MLS slate. The Lions haven’t lost since March 8, but they have also only won four of their 12 games this season and are a point behind Charlotte in the standings. Orlando’s offense has struggled mightily during this stretch, but may have turned a corner following Martin Ojeda’s hat trick against the New England Revolution on Saturday. The Lions could also benefit from the return of midfielder Eduard Atuesta, who was in training as he works his way back from injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s eased back into things though and the club has five more games this month after tonight. Even if Atuesta can’t go tonight, maybe he can get some minutes this weekend.

Marta Returns to Brazilian National Team

Marta was called up by Brazil Head Coach Arthur Elias for friendlies against Japan, which is pretty shocking news, considering she announced her retirement from international soccer last year.

“I was with Marta recently and spoke with her. She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now,” Elias told reporters. “Marta has had a great season and has been very important for her club, which is the American League champion.

“Her presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team.”

Marta’s international career seemed to end in Paris, where she helped Brazil claim the silver medal at the Olympics. The 39-year-old joins Pride teammate Angelina on Brazil’s roster as the team prepares for this summer’s Copa America. It will be interesting to see if Marta will take part in that tournament and it may be worth noting that the 2027 World Cup will take place in Brazil. That’s a couple of years away, but I wouldn’t rule out anything at this point.

U.S. Soccer Unveils New Kits

U.S. Soccer announced two new kits designed in collaboration with Nike and senior players from both the United States Women’s National Team and United States Men’s National Team. The “Brilliant Kit” is white and light blue with star details and celebrates 40 years of the USWNT. The “Heartbeat Kit” is a dark blue with vertical red and blue stripes and is meant to represent the passion of U.S. soccer fans.

I’m also a pretty big fan of the jacket featured as part of this collection. The USWNT will wear both of these jerseys throughout the year, while the USMNT will continue to wear its current white kit and will debut the darker kit on June 7.

USMNT Will Play South Korea and Japan in Friendlies

A pair of friendlies in September were announced for the USMNT, with the Yanks set to take on South Korea Sept. 6 in New Jersey before playing Japan Sept. 9 in Columbus. These will be the USMNT’s first matches following this summer’s Gold Cup and will help the team prepare for the 2026 World Cup. Japan has already qualified for the World Cup, and South Korea is on track to do the same. The USMNT hasn’t played South Korea since winning 2-0 in 2014, while its last match against Japan was a 2-0 defeat in Germany in 2022 before that year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Free Kicks

  • Marta and Angelina aren’t the only Pride players called up for international duty, as goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse will join England for UEFA Nations League games.
  • Time is running out on joining this year’s Purple Pride 5K on Saturday, so be sure to register if you’ve been meaning to and it slipped your mind.
  • Orlando City remained in 12th place in the MLS power rankings following its 3-3 draw with the Revolution.
  • The Lions were 11th in Tom Bogert’s “watchability” rankings, which rate teams based on their quality of play, style, and general wow factors. I’m admittedly surprised to see Orlando that high considering the glut of scoreless draws this year
  • Former Pride player and USWNT legend Alex Morgan has joined the San Diego Wave as a minority investor. Morgan retired from playing last year in her third season with the Wave and gave birth to her second child earlier this year.
  • Santiago Moreno won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his bicycle kick in the Portland Timbers’ 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City.
  • Haji Wright and Coventry City drew 1-1 with Sunderland, losing on aggregate in the EFL Championship promotion playoffs. Dan Ballard scored for Sunderland deep in extra time, and Sunderland will face Sheffield United with a spot in the English Premier League on the line.
  • The historic Goodison Park will no longer be demolished and will instead serve as the home for Everton’s women’s soccer team, making it the first stadium in England dedicated to a women’s team.
  • In lieu of a parade if it wins the Europa League, Manchester United announced that there would be a celebratory barbecue at the club’s training ground. Players are also being restricted to just two free tickets for the Europa League final and club staff did not receive free tickets either.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday and a happy game day. Go Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/13/25

Martin Ojeda honored, Americans in midweek action, rivalry games on the horizon, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 13, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve been on top of things to start the week, because there’s going to be no time to catch our breath with Orlando City taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday, before facing Inter Miami on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into the links.

Martin Ojeda Honored

After his starring role in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, Martin Ojeda has been named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Ojeda was back in the starting lineup after spending the last few matches nursing a knock and he made the most of his return, scoring all three goals for just the third Orlando City hat trick in the club’s MLS existence and first since 2015. It was a shame that the defense couldn’t help him out on his historic night, but he was Sean Rollins’ clear choice for Man of the Match in his Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see that he’s getting some much deserved wider recognition as well, even though he was snubbed for Player of the Matchday, which went to Emil Forsberg of the New York Red Bulls. Here’s hoping Ojeda’s success continues.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, and we have some very high stakes at play. Things start today, when Haji Wright and Coventry City try to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the Championship promotion playoff semifinal against Sunderland. AC Milan takes on Bologna Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah fighting for a chance to lift a trophy. Finally, Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and red-hot Real Betis visiting Rayo Vallecano in La Liga in a game that will have big ramifications on the race for European places.

Rivalry Games on the Horizon

Major League Soccer’s rivalry week is almost upon us, which means we have some heated matchups that we can start looking forward to. First and foremost, as far as we’re concerned, is Orlando City hitting the road to face Inter Miami in a series that is dead even across the board at 5-5-5 in 15 all-time meetings. There’s plenty more though, as El Trafico is the late game on Sunday, and we also get Hell is Real between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, as well as a Hudson River River Derby that features two teams in wildly different places. The New York Red Bulls hammered the LA Galaxy on Saturday and have won three of their last four in all competitions, while New York City FC was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup last week, and has lost three of its last four in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti to Coach Brazil

Brazil has officially announced that Carlo Ancelotti will take over as the newest coach of the team. The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Monday that he will leave Real Madrid after the last league game of the season, with his first day on the job for Brazil coming on May 26. Brazil wanted to have a new coach in place for June’s World Cup qualifiers, and Ancelotti will now become the Selecao’s first foreign head coach. As far as Real Madrid is concerned, the club is reportedly finalizing a deal for former player Xabi Alonso to become the new coach as soon as possible. Madrid would ideally like for him to be on the job before the start of this summer’s Club World Cup, and Alonso has already publicly announced that he will not manage Bayer Leverkusen past the end of this season.

Free Kicks

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

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