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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 2-2 as Cardiac Cats Fight Back for Road Point

Lions fall behind by two before the break but rally back to earn a hard-fought road point in Columbus.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

It looked like Orlando City was about to absorb another loss on its three-game road trip, but the Lions rallied for two second-half goals, erasing a 2-0 deficit and earning a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field in Columbus, OH. Ercan Kara and Duncan McGuire brought Orlando City (4-4-3, 15 points) back after first-half goals by Darlington Nagbe and Jacen Russell-Rowe had given Columbus (4-4-3, 15 points) a two-goal advantage in the opening period.

The draw snapped Orlando’s two-game losing streak in all competitions but extended the Lions’ winless streak to three matches.

“A really hard game today against this rival with a lot of dynamic,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think they showed that potential in the first half and confused us and went up the sides of the field and overloades us there. We couldn’t control it right away. We had moments that first half when we probably could have scored a goal and take that pressure off, but it was hard and even harder when they scored the first goal.

“I really liked the reaction of our players. I think they showed our braveness and character one more time.”

Pareja returned to the three-man back line, with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a defensive line of Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and Antonio Carlos. Gaston Gonzalez and Ivan Angulo deployed as wingbacks outside of central midfielders Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena. Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda played beneath striker Kara.

Orlando City controlled much of the game’s first eight minutes but the remainder of the first half was all Columbus.

Before the Crew took control of the match, Orlando did a better job of keeping the ball when they had it, but still couldn’t hit the target with anything. Cartagena and Ojeda both tried to chip Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte but both found out that doesn’t work when you can’t hit the goal frame. Kara also had a couple of shot attempts that went over the bar. That was it for Orlando’s offense in the opening 45 minutes.

After Ojeda made a bad back pass to ignite the break the other way, the Crew took over the match. Cucho Hernandez just barely missed the net on a few opportunities and those warning shots went unheeded by the Orlando defense, which gave everyone far too much room.

Columbus broke the scoreless deadlock by taking advantage of Orlando’s inability to execute a throw-in. The Lions threw the ball in, quickly turned it over, and then it was a cavalcade of being late to the next pass recipient before the ball ended up on the right side with Alexandru Matan. Once the ball was on the right, every available defender followed Hernandez’s diagonal run through the box, so once Matan’s pass trickled across the top of the six, it was just a matter of which Crew player would tap it in. Nagbe took charge of that in the 39th minute.

Just before the half, things got worse. Mohamed Farsi got the ball on the right and sent a simple cross into the box that no one was in position to cut out. It found Russell-Rowe in front and the 20-year-old completely dominated Orlando’s best center back, overpowering Carlos to double the lead in the second minute of first-half injury time.

Orlando was fortunate not to concede a third as the Crew quickly got back into the attacking third in the closing minutes of the half.

The Crew dominated the stat sheet, holding a commanding 65.5%-34.5% lead in possession and also finishing the half with more shots (9-4), shots on target (2-0), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (85.4%-70.4%).

Pareja made no changes at halftime and his team responded quickly. The Lions pulled one back through Kara’s strike just four minutes after the restart. Torres played the Austrian in with a beautiful through ball that Kara played deftly with his feet to place the ball out in front for himself. He was 1-v-1 with Schulte and calmly slotted past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1 with his second goal of the regular season and third in all competitions.

The goal came on Orlando’s first shot on target in more than a game and a half.

“It was a little bit behind me,” Kara said of the Torres through ball. “But the first touch was okay and the finish was one on one against the goalkeeper. He decided to move a little bit earlier, before I shoot, and he (went) in the wrong direction.”

The Crew nearly pulled that goal back immediately. Hernandez fired a shot that missed the post by inches, skipping harmlessly wide in the 51st minute. Moments later, after Orlando won a corner, the Lions played it short but made such a mess of it that Hernandez broke the other way. Fortunately for Orlando City, several Lions were in good position to cut off the Crew striker.

Gallese made a save on Russell-Rowe in the 55th minute and he may not have seen the initial shot, which hit him in the chest and bounced away.

The Lions broke the other way and had a good chance to score but Kara’s back-post shot didn’t have enough curl on it and stayed wide. The Austrian had an open Ojeda on the other side of the box but may not have seen him before attempting the shot, as he was trailing the play.

Pareja sent on fullbacks Kyle Smith and Michael Halliday for Ojeda and Schlegel. It seemed like a shape change was on but the team played the same way with Halliday pushing high and Smith staying deep in what continued to be more or less a three-man back line.

Despite the change, the Crew nearly restored their two-goal lead in the 64th minute. Russell-Rowe sent Hernandez in behind and the Columbus Designated Player beat Gallese. However, Hernandez was just a tad offside and after a short video review by referee Drew Fischer, the goal was waved off.

Araujo found the ball at his feet in the box in the 67th minute off a corner kick, but the Uruguayan scuffed his shot badly.

Three minutes later, Gallese made a comfortable save on Yaw Yeboah, who fired right at the Orlando keeper. Moments after that, Jansson unwisely played a ball to Cartagena with Nagbe lurking. Nagbe won the ball and Cartagena had to concede a dangerous free kick and absorb a yellow card. Hernandez smashed the ensuing free kick into the wall and then sent the rebound well off target in the 75th minute.

The dead ball situation before the goal kick allowed Pareja to send on McGuire and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson into the match for Angulo and Cartagena in an attempt to get more attacking players on the pitch.

It didn’t work right away. Aidan Morris fired a shot right at Gallese moments later and then Jansson made a fantastic play in the open field to dispossess Hernandez to prevent a transition opportunity.

McGuire sent Halliday into the box in the 81st minute and the fullback had time and space. Trying to pick out the far post, the Homegrown Player wastefully skipped his shot wide.

Yeboah smashed a shot off Gallese in the 83rd minute but it took a fortunate bounce and went off to the goalkeeper’s left, where there were no attacking players. It then appeared the Lions’ comeback bid would fall short as the Crew won some corner kicks and kept Orlando pinned in its own end for a few minutes.

The Lions eventually broke out, clearing a corner and getting forward in the attack.

Orlando’s equalizer came a set piece — an area that hasn’t been kind to the club in 2023 so far. Off a cleared Crew corner kick, the ball ended up with Torres, who won a foul just outside the top of the Columbus penalty area. He and Thorhallsson stood over the dead ball before Torres knocked it to the right and two Crew players collided trying to clear it. The ball fell into the path of McGuire, who smashed it off of Schulte and into the net for the equalizer in the 92nd minute. It was his team-leading fourth goal of the season.

Orlando saw out the remaining four minutes of stoppage time but it wasn’t without some scary moments. In the 94th minute, Gallese made the save of the match. A cross came into the box to substitute Isaiah Parente, who sent his first touch toward goal. The ball hit Smith and bounced toward goal but Gallese made a great reaction save to keep the game tied.

A minute later, Yeboah smashed a shot just wide after Araujo turned the ball over trying to send a breakout pass up the pitch.

Eventually, though, the Lions got over the finish line and earned a road point.

The Lions closed the gap in possession but the Crew still had more of it (59.5%-40.5%), along with more shots (22-10), shots on target (7-3), corners (6-5), and passing accuracy (84.7%-72.8%).

“The second half was great,” Pareja said. “The players took the game by the horns and I saw our team playing much more football and having that volume going forward and we tied it up. A deserved game for us and again credit for these players that showed character. Our willingness is intact.”

The Lions will enjoy this draw, as they won a point from a losing position in the second half on the road.

“It feels not like a draw, it feels like a win, because we came back from 2-0,” Kara said. “That gives us energy, motivation for Wednesday that we are able to play better. Now we need to put one step more on it, be all together, go out on Wednesday, and win the game.”

Orlando City’s road trip is over as the Lions head home for a midweek matchup Wednesday night against New York City FC.

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Lion Links: 11/12/25

Orlando Pride’s playoff picture, Marta goes off, USMNT news, and more.

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2 hours ago

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November 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! I hope you’ve enjoyed our Orlando City Season in Review pieces because we’re almost done with them. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride aren’t finished yet, so you’ll have to wait for the Pride Season in Review pieces. For now, let’s get to the links.

Pride Playoff Picture

The Orlando Pride will host Gotham FC Sunday with a chance to advance to the NWSL Championship match. The defending champs aren’t at the top of anyone’s list to win the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance. We know for sure that the Pride have a better chance of winning back-to-back titles than the Kansas City Current have of winning the double (because they’re already eliminated). Having the Pride in the NWSL Championship match might not be very enticing for anyone but Pride supporters, but I’m not allowing that kind of negativity in my life right now.

Marta Claps Back

For those who hadn’t heard, former NWSL midfielder and commentator McCall Zerboni said the Orlando Pride have “arguably one star” on the Attacking Third podcast on the CBS Sports Golazo Network heading into the match against Gotham FC. A generous person would say she means above the crest, but since that is a fact and not “arguable,” she obviously meant that star was Marta. The GOAT took exception with the comment.

What Zerboni said may even be factual, but when talking about the defending champions, one must be prepared to face the wrath of Marta. If the Pride can win two more matches this year, then there will be two stars over the crest no matter how many stars are on the team.

USMNT News

Weston McKennie was not called up for the November USMNT camp, but it’s not what you think. Mauricio Pochettino is actually looking out for McKennie, as there is yet another new coach at Juventus. Pochettino knows McKennie’s quality but wants Juventus’ new coach, Luciano Spalletti, to keep playing the midfielder.

Matt Freese is at the camp and he is looking to secure the top goalkeeper spot for the USMNT ahead of the World Cup. Others, including Gio Reyna, are also trying to prove they should make the cut for 2026. The team plays friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on Nov. 15 and Nov. 18, respectively.

U-17 USMNT Wins Group at U-17 World Cup

The U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team topped its group with a 1-0 over Czech Republic. The team won all three group matches, with Mathis Albert scoring the winning goal for the U.S. in the 78th minute on Tuesday. It’s the first time in 34 years that the team has won all three group stage matches. The U.S. heads into the Round of 32 to face Morocco, which finished third in Group B.

🇺🇸 Mathis Albert scores the lone goal for the United States against Czech Republic at the U-17 World Cup for a 1-0 win.USYNT wins all three group games, the first time in program history they won out at the U-17 World Cup group stage

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-11-11T16:39:54.619Z

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That will do it for today. I will be at Inter&Co Stadium Sunday for the Pride’s match against Gotham FC. I hope you’ll join me. Vamos Orlando!

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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Rodrigo Schlegel

The Argentine center back once again found himself in a starting role far more often than fans probably expected.

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21 hours ago

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November 11, 2025

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Image of Rodrigo Schlegel with the ball at his feet.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City signed center back Rodrigo Schlegel on loan from Racing Club on Dec. 30, 2019. The Argentine defender signed him to a new permanent deal on Jan. 19, 2022 and then re-signed him again a year later on Jan. 25, 2023 on a deal through that season with option years for 2024 and 2025. The club picked up his 2024 option and the 27-year-old native of Remedios de Escalada, Argentina ended up a regular in the starting XI during the team’s strong playoff push in the second half of the season. He turned in his best season in a purple kit a year ago and Orlando City picked up his 2025 option year after the 2024 season.

At 28 years old, Schlegel is in his prime years as a center back, and a continuation of the progress he made the last two years would have been welcome. He again found himself as a regular starter almost from the jump, filling in for Robin Jansson on opening day against Philadelphia when the captain suffered a knock in pregame warmups, followed by David Brekalo suffering a shoulder injury. Brekalo then slotted in at left back to provide solidity there, and from then on, Schlegel was essentially the starting right center back for the rest of the season.

Let’s take a look back at the Argentine’s sixth season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Schlegel played in all four competitions with the Lions in 2025 — the regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. He appeared in 31 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season (all starts), playing 2,686 minutes. All of those were new career highs. He did not contribute to a goal in the regular season and still sits on two career goals and no assists. Schlegel attempted 17 shots, putting just five on frame. He passed at a strong 90% rate but provided only one key pass, no accurate crosses, and 35 successful long balls. In his own end, he contributed 45 tackles, 31 interceptions, 24 blocked shots, and a team-high 176 clearances. The defender committed 37 fouls, drew 27 on the opposition, and racked up 10 yellow cards while getting sent off once.

In the only Orlando City playoff game of 2025, Schlegel started and played 76 minutes without a goal contribution or a shot attempt. He completed 94% of his 45 passes without a key pass or a cross, connecting on two long balls. Schlegel contributed three tackles, two interceptions, a block, and five clearances against the Chicago Fire that night. He committed two fouls, drew three on the Fire, and of course was shown a yellow card.

Schlegel also participated in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches in 2025 (both starts) and played 152 minutes in the competition. He did not tally a goal contribution or put his lone shot attempt on goal. Schlegel completed 115 of his 124 passes for a stellar 92.7% completion rate with one key pass, six complete long balls on 11 attempts (54.5%), and no cross attempts. The veteran defender logged six tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances in the tournament. He committed five fouls, suffered four, and was surprisingly not booked in either match.

In 2025 Leagues Cup play, Schlegel started and went the distance in all six of Orlando’s games, playing 540 minutes. He scored his only goal of the season in the tournament-opening 1-1 draw against Pumas on July 30, but did not register an assist, putting two of his five shots on target in the competition. The center back completed 239 of his 264 passes for a 90.5% success rate with 70.4% accuracy on long balls and one key pass, but he did not attempt a cross in the tournament. Defensively, Schlegel contributed 13 tackles, three interceptions, three blocks, and 26 clearances. He committed 11 fouls, drew eight on his opponents, and received three yellow cards but was not sent off.

Best Game

Schlegel’s highest rating in an individual game was 7 out of 10, which he accomplished six times in 2025, so there wasn’t a clear-cut top performance, although there were several solid ones. It’s tempting to take the game in which he scored his lone goal of the season — a powerful and perfectly placed header in Leagues Cup. I mean, check this out:

Instead, I’m going to focus on one of his best defensive performances of the season, and one of the aforementioned matches in which we rated him a 7 out of 10 — the 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, which our Sean Rollins said Schlegel “was a monster in this game.”

Schlegel started and went the distance at center back, leading the Lions with 86 touches. He did not contribute to Martin Ojeda’s winning goal in the 24th minute, but he managed to put his only shot attempt on target that night, forcing a good save from Nicholas Hansen. He also completed 88% of his passes that night, finishing second only to central defense partner Jansson (93%) among all players from both teams, although he did not contribute a key pass and connected on only one of his five long balls. Where the Argentine shone was in his own defensive third, where he did not record a tackle, but he did finish with one interception, two blocks, and an incredible 21 clearances, with 12 of those coming off his head. He committed two fouls and was booked in the match, but he one three of his six aerial duels and helped Orlando City earn a road shutout in one of the most difficult environments in MLS.

2025 Final Grade

Schlegel received a composite rating of 6 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for his season-long performance. This is the same score he received from us back in 2020, which was his first season with the club, and equals his lowest single-season rating in his six years with the Lions. His 6/10 rating is a full point lower than he received from us in 2024 and in 2023. It’s half a point lower than the 6.5 we gave him in 2022 and in 2021. Part of the reason for his drop was the overall dip in quality of the entire team defense. Everyone suffered a bit for that. But he also played inconsistently. He’d look the part of a top tier MLS starter one week, only to follow that with a couple of poor-to-meh performances. He was also part of a couple of maddeningly poor goals that deflected into Orlando’s own net.

Schlegel continued to have moments of madness, such as the penalty he gave up to Montreal, allowing the Canadian side to salvage a draw on what turned out to be its only shot on target of the match. He was also sent off against the Red Bulls and is nearly a guarantee of a yellow card in any given match. In six seasons, he still has not curbed his tendency to be overly aggressive, getting caught up the pitch to exacerbate transition opportunities and putting his teammates in a position to take a yellow card to make up for him not being in position. As such, his season rating is in line with his average grade in our player grade pieces for the individual matches (6.02), which was one of the lowest averages among Orlando City’s regular starters.

2026 Outlook

Unless there’s an automatically triggered option year we don’t know about, Schlegel is out of contract as of this writing. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and will have interested suitors, but it’s likely up to Orlando City whether he returns or not. Schlegel is well-liked by his teammates and coaching staff and seems to be a good fit for Oscar Pareja’s culture. He was previously one of the better bench center backs in the league, but as a long-term starter, the Lions are in flux with who to put next to Jansson — that is assuming Jansson’s contract option is picked up, which might not be a foregone conclusion after the Beefy Swede seemingly lost a step this year. Brekalo has picked up periodic knocks and has yet to claim the right center back position as his own on a permanent basis. One would have to think Brekalo isn’t the best solution at left back moving forward, so the Slovenian international will likely get a long look as Jansson’s partner again in preseason camp. And all of the center back decisions might hinge on whether Alex Freeman returns in 2026 or transfers out, because he gives the club a unique weapon at right back that essentially lets Pareja play a three-man back line.

Orlando City is at a crossroads and must decide whether to rebuild the center back position now entirely, continue with Jansson and Schlegel (or hope Brekalo rises to the challenge and takes the right CB spot), or split the difference by keeping one of Schlegel or Jansson and letting the other go, requiring a new signing before next season. Schlegel is still a solid backup center back choice, but he comes with a host of concerns as a regular starter. He made a base salary of $500,000 and total compensation of nearly $610,000 in 2025. That’s just under what Brekalo makes and well short of Jansson’s salary.

It will be interesting to see how the Lions approach central defense in the off-season and it might be the biggest area of concern in the buildup to 2026.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links: 11/11/25

Anna Moorhouse garners recognition, Tyrese Spicer called up, USMNT roster updates, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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November 11, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a damn good weekend, as the Orlando Pride advanced to the semifinals of the NWSL playoffs and will actually host after Gotham FC pulled the upset against the Kansas City Current! That, combined with the international break, means we have lots to talk about today, so let’s jump right into the links.

Anna Moorhouse Earns Recognition

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has been rewarded for her performance in the Orlando Pride’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over the Seattle Reign with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. Moorhouse was instrumental in the Pride advancing to the semifinals, as she stood tall with eight saves in the match and kept a clean sheet in a closely fought game. Congratulations to the Pride’s shot-stopper and here’s hoping that the good work continues in the semifinal.

Tyrese Spicer Called Up

Continuing a recent trend of Lions getting called up by their national teams, Tyrese Spicer is on Trinidad & Tobago’s roster for its upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. T&T will face Jamaica at home on Nov. 13 and Bermuda at home on Nov. 18. With two matches remaining in the current stage, T&T is third in Group B with five points, while Jamaica sits at the top with nine. Two wins would give T&T 11 points and a real chance of winning Group B and qualifying directly for the World Cup, while finishing on eight or nine points would give it a decent shot at being one of the three best second-place finishers and advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Spicer has been in fine form for his country lately, as he scored a goal in each of T&T’s two October qualifying matches.

United States Men’s National Team Roster Adjustments

Speaking of national teams, the USMNT has announced some adjustments to its roster for the team’s two upcoming friendlies. Midfielders Tyler Adams and Sean Zawadzki have both been removed from the roster after the suffered injuries with Bournemouth and the Columbus Crew, respectively, over the weekend. In their place, LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman has been added to the roster and joined up with the squad in Philadelphia on Monday. Tillman changed from representing Germany to suiting up for the U.S. in 2023 and has earned one cap with the USMNT since then. The team is set to play Paraguay in Philadelphia on Nov. 15, and Uruguay in Tampa on Nov. 18.

Mexico’s World Cup Updates on Schedule

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that the country’s infrastructure projects for the 2026 World Cup are on track to be completed in time for the start of the tournament. Among the construction projects are the renovation of a pair of terminals at Mexico City International Airport and the building of a train line connecting Mexico City with another airport about 30 miles away. Additional government-sponsored projects will take place in Monterrey and Guadalajara, although details have not yet been made public. Meanwhile, Azteca Stadium has been closed for renovations that are being carried out by a private company.

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  • Gustavo Caraballo and Venezeula are on to the next round of the U-17 World Cup.
  • Have a look at Alex Freeman and the rest of the USMNT getting ready for the upcoming match against Paraguay.

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

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