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

The road trip continues and the Lions will look to stop the bleeding against a tough Columbus side.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-4-2, 14 points) and the Columbus Crew (4-4-2, 14 points) at Lower.com Field (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the first of the two scheduled meetings between the two Eastern Conference rivals in 2023, with the Crew making the return trip to Orlando on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

The Lions are 8-6-3 in the all-time league series and 6-2-2 at home. Orlando City also has a home U.S. Open Cup win back in 2015 against the Crew for a 9-6-3 overall mark in all competitions (7-2-2 at home).

These teams last met on Decision Day 2022, with Orlando City erasing a 1-0 deficit on a Derrick Etienne Jr. goal to win, 2-1, and clinch a playoff spot. Junior Urso leveled the game in the second half and Facundo Torres struck from the penalty spot late. The last meeting in Columbus took place on April 16, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-0 on goals by Rodrigo Schlegel and Ercan Kara.

The 2021 season series concluded on Oct. 27 in Columbus with the Crew winning 3-2. Columbus had lost five straight to Orlando prior to Lucas Zelarayan’s one-goal, two-assist performance. Miguel Berry and Etienne also scored for the Crew. Daryl Dike pulled a goal back from the spot and Robin Jansson struck late but it wasn’t enough.

The teams met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021, when the Lions won, 3-2. Orlando was cruising and built a 2-0 lead on goals by Dike and Silvester van der Water, but a bizarre own goal by Antonio Carlos threw the Crew a lifeline, and a Berry equalizer turned the game around. Urso provided the winner in the 69th minute.

City won the only meeting of 2020 when the 10-man Lions got a late Benji Michel goal to defeat the Crew 2-1 on Nov. 4. Chris Mueller gave Orlando the lead in that game but Harrison Afful was able to equalize just moments after referee Ramy Touchan had sent off Nani on a ludicrous call that was overturned by the MLS independent panel a few days later. Thanks to Michel’s goal, the officiating error didn’t end up costing the Lions, who clinched their first-ever MLS playoff spot with the win.

The Lions swept the season series in 2019, defeating the Crew 1-0 on a Michel goal on July 13, 2019, and two weeks previously getting their first road win in the series, 2-0. Nani assisted on goals by Mueller and Tesho Akindele in that one.

Orlando won 2-1 on Oct. 21, 2018 to start a five-game winning streak against the Crew on a pair of penalty kick goals. Yoshimar Yotún and Sacha Kljestan provided the spot kicks to offset Federico Higuain’s opening goal.

The last Crew win in the series prior to the Orlando winning streak was assisted by a horror call by Silviu Petrescu in the 88th minute on July 21, 2018, giving Columbus an equalizer from the penalty spot. Wil Trapp then scored the kind of goal in stoppage time that he’ll probably never score again to lift the Crew to a 3-2 victory in a game the Lions had stolen away from them on a call that Petrescu’s own organization said was an error.

Columbus got the better of Orlando in 2017, going 2-0-1. The Lions were 0-1-1 against Columbus in 2016 and 1-1-1 in the series in 2015.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters this match on a two-game losing streak in all competitions and without scoring a goal in either of them. The Lions lost 1-0 Tuesday in Charlotte in U.S. Open Cup action, staying on the road after last weekend’s 2-0 loss at CF Montreal. Both games could have gone either way but the inexplicable power outage of Orlando’s attack goes on. The team has a combined 24 shot attempts in the last two games and has put just two of them on frame — both by Kara.

The Lions are 2-1-1 on the road in league play this season after last Saturday’s loss, and 2-2-2 in all competitions away from Exploria Stadium.

Columbus enters tonight having lost two straight games as well, and the Crew are winless in three matches overall (0-2-1) in league play. The Crew did win its U.S. Open Cup third-round game during that stretch, back on April 26, squeaking past Indy Eleven, 1-0. Columbus is 3-1-1 at home this season, but that loss and the draw were in the most recent two matches — a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami and a 1-1 draw against New England.

The Crew are now coached by former CF Montreal manager Wilfried Nancy and they’ll try to play the way Montreal did under him. Expect a three-man back line with solid defensive positioning and an opportunistic attack that can win the ball in dangerous areas and exploit transition opportunities. Lucas Zelarayan and Cucho Hernandez are obvious threats but midfielder Aidan Morris has joined them as an attacking presence in 2023.

“They play with a defense of three, very aggressive wingbacks, and with three attacking players that have very technical characteristics and a lot of mobility,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said about tonight’s opponents. “A team who at home is very built on going forward, going forward, putting a lot of guys in the box, and (creating) a lot of problems defensively. They score goals. That’s pretty much what Columbus is. (This is) a game that needs a lot of concentration from us, but a lot of ambition as well. We need to go there with the mentality of ‘go win it.’ It’s a game against a tough rival, against a very aggressive rival, but we’re good. They need to be worried about us, too.”

Orlando City will be without Luca Petrasso (thigh), while Mauricio Pereyra (thigh) has been upgraded to questionable, a designation he shares with Felipe (lower leg). Columbus will be without Milos Degenek (ankle), Luis Diaz (back), Kevin Molino (knee), Eloy Room (knee), Will Sands (knee), and Josh Williams (ankle). Steven Moreira (thigh) is listed as questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos.

Wingbacks / Central Midfielders: Gaston Gonzalez, Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena, Ivan Angulo.

Attacking Midfielders: Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ercan Kara.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, Rafael Santos, Abdi Salim, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Shakur Mohammed, Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire.

Columbus Crew (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Patrick Schulte.

Defenders: Gustavo Vallencilla, Philip Quinton, Steven Moreria.

Wingbacks / Central Midfielders: Yaw Yeboah, Darlington Nagbe, Aidan Morris, Mohamed Farsi.

Forwards: Jacen Russell-Rowe, Cucho Hernandez, Alexandru Matan.

Bench: Evan Bush, Jimmy Medranda, Malte Amundsen, Keegan Hughes, Sean Zawadski, Jake Morris, Isaiah Parente, Maximilian Arfsten, Christian Ramirez.

Referees

REF: Drew Fischer.
AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt.
AR2: Chantal Boudreau.
4TH: Brian Dunn.
VAR: Armando Villarreal.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Lower.com Field — Columbus, OH.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+

Radio: 96.9 FM The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM, 810 AM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/25

The U.S. Open Cup approaches, the Pride are back on top, USMNT and USWNT news, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 30, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to the last Wednesday of April, Mane Landers. May promises to be a busy month for Orlando City. You will have as many matches as you want to watch over the next few weeks. I’m certainly not complaining, but we could use a little help here at The Mane Land if you’d like to join the staff. I promise you’ll enjoy it. For now, let’s get to the links.

The U.S. Open Cup Beckons

We’re only a week away from Orlando City’s match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to start the Lions’ 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. Of course, the Lions aren’t the only MLS squad entering the tournament in the Round of 32. Starting Tuesday, 16 MLS clubs join the competition, with Orlando City playing on Wednesday. While we’re waiting for the next Orlando City match, enjoy the sights and sounds from the victory over Atlanta United.

Pride Back on Top

The Orlando Pride back on top of the NWSL standings, though the Kansas City Current are technically listed No. 1 thanks to the alphabet. Of course, we all know that power rankings are actually more important than actual results. Fortunately, the Pride are top of the pops in the Goal.com power rankings and in the All For XI power rankings. Just so you know that sometimes the internet isn’t always accurate, Sports Illustrated kept the Pride in the No. 2 spot.

USMNT Concerns and Commendations

Various people in the U.S. soccer community are calling out the USMNT players for lacking the desire, drive, or passion to be successful. Former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez is the latest, though not only one to do so. At the same time, players like Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent are making a difference at their European clubs. Pulisic is likely to sign a contract extension with AC Milan that will include a hefty pay bump. Sargent was named to the EFL Championship Team of the Season after scoring 15 goals for Norwich City. Alexi Lalas has suggested Mauricio Pochettino bring in Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. If Pochettino is looking for “characters” for his squad, perhaps he should give Orlando City’s Alex Freeman a look?

USWNT Players Thriving

USWNT players are making an impact on both sides of the pond as they wait for their next match against China at the end of May. Emily Fox’s Arsenal squad advanced past Lindsey Heaps’ Olympique Lyon Sunday in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals. It’s not all bad news for Heaps, who was named to the Women’s French Premiere Ligue Awards Team of the Season. Meanwhile, Lily Yohannes continues her growth after becoming the youngest starter in group-stage history of the UEFA women’s Champions League late last year for her club, Ajax.

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That will do it for today. Check back with us as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/25

Lions earn weekly plaudits, Barbra Banda up for Goal of the Week, Orlando City announces affiliation agreement, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 29, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning everyone! It was a pretty good weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams as two out of the three picked up victories to collect six out of the nine points available. In the process, Orlando City stretched its undefeated streak to seven games and the Orlando Pride got back to winning ways. There’s no time to rest on our laurels though, as Orlando City B returns to action on Friday. We’ve got plenty of things to talk through this morning, so let’s jump into the links.

Two Lions Garner Weekly Recognition

Marco Pasalic and Alex Freeman both played important roles in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United on Saturday, and they’ve each been rewarded with a place on the bench in the most recent MLS Team of the Matchday. Freeman scored his third goal of the season while Pasalic scored a goal and provided the assist for Freeman’s strike, and the Croatian was also David Rohe’s pick for the Man of the Match. The good vibes don’t stop there though, because Pasalic’s fantastic strike from distance was also named the Energy Moment of the Matchday, which I admittedly wasn’t aware was an actual thing until this week. Not to be outdone, Freeman got some props as one of the standout young players from the matchday, which is far from the first time he’s gotten some love in that particular category. Keep up the good work guys!

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Continuing the trend of Orlando players earning praise for their performances over the weekend, Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. She scored the Orlando’s Pride’s 76th-minute equalizer that drew the team level with Angel City FC after going into halftime down 2-0. Carson Pickett did a great job saving the ball before it went out of bounds, and then whipped a dangerous cross into the box. Banda did the rest, getting halfway around her defender and contorting her head low to meet the ball and send it into the upper corner off the post. It was the sort of outstanding finishing that we’ve come to know and love from Banda, and here’s hoping we’ll see plenty more of it.

Orlando City Announces Affiliation Agreement

Orlando City announced on Monday that it has begun an affiliation agreement with Black Knight Football Club that will focus on “player development, scouting operations, executive collaboration, and commercial opportunities across both organizations.” This is technically a multi-club partnership, as BKFC has a number of different clubs in its network, including Bournemouth, FC Lorient, and Hibernian. BKFC is a partnership that was formed in 2022 when Bill Foley and Cannae Holdings purchased Bournemouth. Representatives from both Orlando City and Black Knight were enthusiastic when talking about the opportunities that the partnership will provide players and staff members from both sides, so it’ll be very interesting to keep an eye out for if/how it affects the on-field product.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and cup competitions are a big point of focus. Things start on Wednesday with Barcelona taking on Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, as youngster Diego Kochen will likely be on the bench for the Spaniards. Also on Wednesday, Brian White and the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to knock off Inter Miami in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hosting Fiorentina in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals. Things then wrap up on Friday with Gianluca Busio and Fiorentina traveling to play Torino in Serie A.

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That’s all I have for today. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/28/25

Lions defeat Atlanta United, Pride bounce back against Angel City FC, OCB falls to New York Red Bulls II, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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April 28, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I will cover high school volleyball and soccer later this week. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Thalles, who turns 20 today. Our beloved Lions finally won a match this month, the Pride bounced back with a win, and OCB lost over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Defeat Atlanta United at Home

Orlando City snapped its three-game winless streak and extended its unbeaten streak to seven games, beating rival Atlanta United 3-0 Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic scored for the Lions. With Pasalic’s goal and assist in Saturday’s match against Atlanta, he added his name to the club record books by becoming the fourth player in club history to have seven goal contributions in his first 10 matches.

Orlando set a club record early in the match for the most consecutive shutout minutes. By the end of the match, Orlando had not conceded a goal in 436 minutes. The Lions’ last goal conceded was to Christian Ramirez in the 14th minute against the LA Galaxy last month. Orlando City will be on the road Saturday to take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

Pride Rally to Defeat Angel City FC at Home

The Orlando Pride completed the comeback, overcoming a 2-0 deficit late in the second half and defeating Angel City FC 3-2 Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. In the final 20 minutes, Marta and Barbra Banda scored to tie the match after Orlando trailed 2-0. Orlando also got an own goal in stoppage time from Angel City FC defender M.A. Vignola and escaped with a win at home. The Pride bounced back after a defeat to the Washington Spirit the previous week. With the Kansas City Current losing to the North Carolina Courage over the weekend, the Pride are tied with the Current atop the NWSL table. After the match, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines shared his thoughts on his team’s resiliency to overturn a 2-0 deficit and fight back for the win at home.

The Pride will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Thorns in their next match Saturday at Providence Park.

Orlando City B Falls at Home to New York Red Bulls II

Orlando City B started slowly and dug too deep a hole to climb out of on Sunday night in a 4-2 loss to New York Red Bulls II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 early in the first half. Jhon Solis pulled one back for OCB before Red Bulls II added another goal to make it 3-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Justin Ellis scored to pull the Young Lions within one again before Ibrahim Kasule converted a penalty kick goal in stoppage time to seal the win against OCB. New York Red Bulls II moves to second in the Eastern Conference with 13 points, while Orlando City B has lost back-to-back matches and is in fifth with 11 points. OCB will be on the road Friday to take on Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium.

NWSL Announces Plans to Launch a Second Division Women’s League

The National Women’s Soccer League has submitted an application to the U.S. Soccer Federation to launch a second-division soccer league in 2026, the league announced on Friday. The plan for this new league is to focus on furthering player development and building a pipeline between the NWSL and the second division league, similar to Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT Pro. Eight clubs are reportedly set for the league’s inaugural season, including the Orlando Pride. Joining Orlando in committing to the league are Bay FC, the Kansas City Current, the North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Racing Louisville, the Seattle Reign, and the Washington Spirit. The Division 2 clubs would play in the same stadiums as their parent clubs. The season format would be a round robin, featuring 14 matches, home and away, and will include playoffs with two semifinals and a championship match.

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That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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