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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Blow the Lead Late

An early goal by Ercan Kara was about all the Lions could muster in a lethargic game at Exploria Stadium as a late lead melted away.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City scored early through Ercan Kara, but gave up a late equalizer to draw New York City FC 1-1 at Exploria Stadium. The draw left the Lions (4-4-4, 16 points) winless in their last four league matches (0-2-2) and in five straight in all competitions (0-3-2) in what should have been an utterly winnable game against the reeling Pigeons (4-5-4, 16 points), dropping two valuable points.

The Lions simply seemed to lose all energy about a half hour into the match and allowed NYCFC to hang around. The Pigeons left it until late, but accepted the invitation to take something from the match in what was another disappointing home result in a season full of them so far. Gabriel Segal scored for NYCFC β€” his first career goal.

“It’s a difficult thing to swallow right now,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But a lot of things happened as well that make us feel that we’re just getting back to that team that we are. The players made a big effort today.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena played central midfield behind an attacking line of Gaston Gonzalez, Facundo Torres, and Ivan Angulo, with Kara up top. Both Felipe (lower leg) and Mauricio Pereyra (thigh) returned to the matchday squad on the bench.

It didn’t take Orlando City long to break the scoreless deadlock. Jansson switched play from the back and found Gonzalez down the left wing on a great long pass. Gonzalez nodded the ball down to Torres, who passed it back to the winger for the cross in. The cross from Gonzalez was inch perfect, finding Kara at the near post in the seventh minute and he nodded home his third goal in the last four games to make it 1-0.

“It was something that we continue to work on constantly, and it’s something that we really worked on in training this week,” Gonzalez said through a club translator about the play. “To have the ball played from Robin out to the left, and to have that combination work with Facu out on the left wing, and then have it end in a cross, and thankfully, it came off well from my foot, and Kara was able to finish in the best manner.”

“An early goal’s always big,” Halliday said. “Just as a team, we just need to learn to capitalize on that and just get another goal and shut the game down without letting them have the ball too much.”

Torres picked up a secondary assist on the goal, giving him assists in back-to-back games.

Orlando City looked likely to get a second goal for about the next 20 minutes, winning several set pieces in the attacking third but doing nothing with them.

Eventually the visitors started getting longer spells of possession and that led to some opportunities. Talles Magno, who came on unexpectely for Matias Pellegrini in the eighth minute turned at the top of the area and shot through traffic in the 34th minute. Gallese seemed to not see it initially and had to scramble over to make the save.

A couple minutes later, it was Gabriel Pereira sending in a deflected shot that Gallese palmed away at the last second. The goalkeeper needed a few minutes after the second save and the trainers came on to attend to him, but he was able to continue.

Orlando City was a bit lifeless and passed sloppily in the middle stages of the first half. There was a brief jolt of energy in the 41st minute that led to an attack down the right. Angulo got into the box but opted not to shoot. He instead cut back toward the middle and was dispossessed without even getting an attempt away.

A couple of minutes later, Halliday sent a cross right to goalkeeper Luis Barraza to thwart a promising attack but his effort may have taken a slight deflection toward the keeper.

That was about it for a mostly dull half after Kara’s goal and the Lions took their slim advantage into the break.

The Lions held a slim advantage in possession (50.9%-49.1%) and had more corners (2-0) but the visitors had more shots (4-3), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (92.3%-90.5%).

“The first 20 minutes, where we imposed our freedom, I think we played very well,” Pareja said. “But the humidity, the heat, the proximity of the games just tells us that we needed to keep the ball and let them run. If we turned the ball over to them very quick, they were going to do the same. So, it was the demand of the game β€” who can keep it longer and create sequences longer.”

The quality of play in the second half didn’t get any better after the break. The game still seemed dull and lifeless. Orlando kept giving the ball away and New York City kept building chances, although they were infrequent. Gallese had to make an early save against Maxime Chanot at the back post off a set piece just a few minutes after the restart.

In the 53rd minute, Angulo got into the area and smashed a shot on target but it was stopped by Barraza. Three minutes later, Angulo tried cutting across the top of the area from the right and hit a shot with his left but he scuffed it and popped it out of play.

Carlos nearly scored in the 60th minute when a corner kick fell to his feet. He stabbed a shot on target but Barraza made the save.

The Lions looked to kill the game off but there was too much hero ball being played. Gonzalez made a good run up the pitch in the 74th minute and got into the area but he ignored his teammates, including an open Duncan McGuire on his left, and tried to beat multiple defenders, but lost the ball without a shot attempt instead.

A minute later, Gallese had to make a diving save to deny Pereira’s blast from outside the area.

Shorly thereafter, Cartagena committed his seventh foul of the match, which was significant because that set a new club single-game record. Cartagena’s seven fouls broke the mark of six previously jointly held by Cristian Higuita and Darwin Ceren, who both set that mark in the same game on Oct. 25, 2015 at Philadelphia.

The insertion of second-half subs did nothing to improve the energy of the team on the field and the chances were few for Orlando down the stretch. McGuire tried to take on multiple defenders as Gonzalez had done earlier and it had the same outcome.

The equalizer came in the 89th minute. Magno got down the left side and sent a simple ball across the top of the six. Segal was the first to it and just got a toe on it to redirect it inside the right post for the tying goal.

Orlando tried to regain some energy in stoppage time. There was a decent buildup that ended with Pereyra centering a ball for Martin Ojeda, who rushed his shot on the half volley and failed to get it on target. In the dying moments, the Lions won a corner and the cross went through the box to Araujo, who hesitated, lined up his shot, and promptly had it blocked.

That was it and the purple-clad crowd of 17,012 went home unsatisfied for the fifth time in seven home matches in MLS play this season.

New York City FC finished with more possession (52.8%-47.2%), shots (14-10), shots on target (6-4), and passing accuracy (90.7%-86.7%). The Lions won more corners (5-3) but played a fairly lifeless 94 minutes of soccer, aside from the goal.

The game was was there, and I think for moments we let them have it too long, and that’s why we ended up just being in a very low block β€” not because we wanted, but because we gave the ball away and they used it,” Pareja said.

“I feel like we’re there, like tonight we should win this game 100%. Me and all my teammates would agree with that,” Halliday said. “We have the quality. We have the people to do it. We just…we’ll get there.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround with a trip to Ft. Lauderdale Saturday to face Inter Miami.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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

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