John Tolkin scored on a free kick that should never have been given and Orlando City’s nonexistent attack continued to be toothless in a 1-0 loss at Red Bull Arena tonight. The Lions (4-7-5, 17 points) appear headed for an early off-season after yet another shutout loss, despite New York (8-3-5, 29 points) not producing much of an attack of its own.

“A hard night for our team offensively,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought that we did a lot of things that we planned towards the game, where we had control and our sequences were what we wanted but our last third is not being effective, so we paid the price.”

Pareja’s lineup switched back to the 4-2-3-1, featuring Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel (subbing for the suspended Robin Jansson), David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena took their places in the defensive midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire returning to the lineup up top.

Orlando City was second best throughout the first half and spent most of the opening period defending. The offense was practically non-existent and Orlando lacked any confidence going forward. At the earliest sign of pressure, the Lions played the ball back into their own half. No one seemed interested in beating the man in front of them, and the attack had zero threat.

Gallese was forced into a save early in this one. After a bad turnover by Orlando led to the game’s first corner. The ball was served into the box to Noah Eile, who was well covered but placed his header well. The Peruvian did well to get his hand to the ball in the upper corner of the goal to keep it out in the fifth minute.

Much of the rest of the half consisted of Orlando City defending and New York trying to find a way through the defense.

A soft foul call on Araujo led to a free kick in the 28th minute, giving New York a free kick from about 30 yards out. Emil Forsberg sent the set piece well over the bar.

Orlando got its lone scoring chance of the first half two minutes later. A decent buildup ended up on Angulo’s foot at the top of the box. The Colombian fizzed his shot over the crossbar and that was it for the Lions’ offense in the first 45 minutes.

An extremely generous foul call on Cartagena led to New York opening the scoring. Lewis Morgan went to ground without seemingly much (if any) contact and Drew Fischer bought what Morgan was selling, giving the Red Bulls a free kick. Jon Tolkin took the set piece and smashed a shot toward the right top corner. Gallese had set his wall up on that side, but Tolkin beat the wall with pace and the Peruviani couldn’t get over to it. It went in, making it 1-0 in the 38th minute.

That was it for the offense in the match, as neither side created much after that.

Aside from a couple of unsuccessful corners for New York, that was it for the first half.

Although the Lions had the halftime advantage in possession (52.1%-47.9%) and (83.5%-81.6%), Orlando simply consisted of 11 guys on the pitch in purple uniforms. There was no threat going forward whatsoever. New York finished the half with more shots (7-1), shots on target (2-0), and corners (3-1). The Red Bulls were never threatened or made uncomfortable in any way.

Pareja sent on Luis Muriel and Ramiro Enrique to start the second half, sacrificing McGuire and Thorhallsson.

The Lions got forward early and a Muriel cross for Enrique was punched away by Carlos Coronel at the last second. Orlando could do nothing with a couple of early second-half corners.

The Lions then wasted a couple of attacks. A good ball into the area by Muriuel found Lodeiro in the box, but the Uruguayan crossed in front to the Red Bulls defense and it was knocked away. Moments later, Muriel was sent in behind and he opted not to shoot, cutting back onto his right and losing control, but he was offside anyway. Despite the flag going up, it was the second straight game Muriel has chosen not to shoot with his left foot and failed to even get an attempt on a promising attack.

Orlando finally got a shot on target in the 57th minute. After a Santos shot through traffic was blocked out for a corner, Torres’ sent a weak shot right at Coronel. It was Coronel’s only save of the match.

A minute later, Tolkin was left alone from distance and had a go, but Gallese made the save. Frankie Amaya sent a shot well over the bar in the 63rd minute from long range and then Dante Vanzeir sent a shot wide after an Orlando turnover on the ensuing goal kick. Dennis Gjengaar sent a shot wide in the 66th minute on a New York counterattack.

Santos tried to pick out Enrique in front in the 68th minute but overshot the target, and then he was sent in behind the defense and had a shot blocked, but the flag came up anyway.

New York thought it had doubled the lead in the 71st minute when Elias Manoel put the ball in the net from distance, but Tolkin was called for holding Angulo on the play. The New York defender was injured on the play and had to come off.

Lodeiro found himself in the box with the ball in the 78th minute, but the midfielder tried to pass instead of shooting and had no teammates making a run in the area, wasting a promising attack.

Pareja sent on offensive players Jack Lynn and Martin Ojeda in the 81st minute, and the Lions held more possession late, but they couldn’t produce any final product. Angulo broke free at the corner of the box in the 83rd minute and tried to pick out a teammate at the top of the box, but he succeeded only in passing the ball to the New York defense. Angulo then won a corner in the 86th minute but was called for a soft foul and was booked for dissent.

A through ball nearly found Enrique in the 89th minute but the Argentine couldn’t catch up to it and Coronel smothered it. Orlando then sent a corner kick straight to Coronel in the 91st minute on what was effectively the team’s final chance to score in the match.

Gallese did well to tip Lewis Morgan’s shot wide on a late counterattack, and that was that. The Lions are now winless in three (0-2-1) and are falling further adrift of the playoff places in a season that appears headed to an early conclusion. It’s simply hard to imagine this team figuring its way forward in the same manner it did last season.

Although the Lions held more possession (57.4%-42.6%), passed more accurately (85.2%-75.7%), and won more corners (5-4), but weren’t threatening at all. New York finished with more shots (13-4) and shots on target (4-1) in what may be the weakest attacking effort in a season of nonexistent offense.

“We have to keep going,” Enrique said. “We’re a very united group and we know that we have to pick our heads up and continue working to find our way back. It was a very tough and hard-working game because of the way that both teams like to play. They were able to score a goal just before halftime, and I think throughout the game we didn’t have the clarity to be able to finish, or in a lot of cases to be able to shoot on goal, but we know that there’s a lot of games left and that this group is incredibly hard-working and united, and we know that we’re going to continue to work to find our way back.”

“I think it’s a point in our analysis that we’re trying to see if we can help with the structure and trying to glue the player in a situation that they can feel more precise and closer to their best level and performances,” Pareja said. “That job belongs to the coach and you know that I assume that responsibility 100%. At this point we have to keep on searching to see if what we tried in the last five games, trying to change the structure, if it’s necessary to keep doing it. We have to find some other roads to get better in that regard. We are aware. We’re very disappoitned in not being that team that can be heavy in that last third of the field. When we arrive in the box, it seems like we don’t have that punch.”

Things won’t get any easier, as Orlando City will try to turn things around at home on June 15 against LAFC after a week off for the international break.

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-6-5, 17 points) and the New York Red Bulls (7-3-5, 26 points) at Red Bull Arena (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled league matches between the sides this season.

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

History

The Lions are 8-9-3 in 20 league meetings with the Red Bulls in the all-time series (9-9-3 in all competitions), with a record of 4-5-1 in road league matches. The teams met in Orlando on March 30, playing to a 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium. A Kyle Smith foul in the box allowed Lewis Morgan to put the visitors ahead, but a late own goal by Noah Eile resulted in a stalemate. Ivan Angulo and Jack Lynn combined to force the own goal.

Orlando City got the sweep last year and did not concede a goal in the series, winning the last meeting 3-0 at Red Bull Arena. Facundo Torres scored twice — once from the spot — after Angulo opened the scoring for an easy road win. The two sides met in Orlando on opening day of 2023, with Orlando City winning 1-0 on a Torres penalty kick on Feb. 25. Sean Nealis’ handball allowed the Lions to start the season with a victory.

Orlando City won at Red Bull Arena 1-0 on Aug. 13, 2022, thanks to a Torres goal. That allowed the Lions to split the regular-season meetings and take two of three against New York in all competitions in 2022.

The Lions scored five unanswered goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 romp in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on July 27, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Cesar Araujo scored his first two professional goals on set pieces, while Mauricio Pereyra, Torres, and Benji Michel also found the net. Lewis Morgan scored New York’s lone goal.

The win in August had allowed the Lions to snap a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) in the regular-season series. The last of those non-wins came on April 24, 2022, when the Lions were walloped 3-0 at home on goals by Luquinhas, Cristian Casseres Jr., and Morgan, and Orlando City failed to get any of its measly three shot attempts on target.

The Red Bulls swept the season series in 2021. The teams met at Exploria Stadium on July 3 of that season with New York taking home a 2-1 win. Casseres opened the scoring just six minutes in, but Chris Mueller pulled the Lions level early in the second half. Fabio’s late goal lifted the visitors. Pereyra’s poor penalty was saved by Carlos Coronel, which cost Orlando City a better result.

The Red Bulls also handed Orlando City its first loss of the 2021 season, a 2-1 affair at Red Bull Arena, on May 29, 2021. Nani was suspended for that match and it showed, as the Lions were sloppy in possession and lacked composure on the ball. New York took the lead on goals by Caden Clark and Casseres, before Silvester van der Water pulled one back late. The Dutchman had a golden opportunity to tie the match moments later but skied his shot well over the bar.

The Lions got a road draw on Oct. 18, 2020, with Brian White equalizing deep in stoppage time in a 1-1 match. Nani had put the Lions ahead in the second half with a penalty kick goal and Orlando clinched its first ever MLS playoff spot despite spilling those late two points. That was the last match in the club’s record 12-match unbeaten streak in MLS play.

Orlando got the better of New York at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 3, 2020, winning 3-1 on goals by Daryl Dike, Junior Urso, and Antonio Carlos. Florian Valot scored for New York.

The Red Bulls won 1-0 at Exploria Stadium on July 21, 2019. White’s goal stood up as Carlos Ascues, Tesho Akindele, and Sacha Kljestan each hit the woodwork in the second half. Prior to that, the Lions eked out a 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena on Kljestan’s goal on March 23, 2019. Before that game, the home team had won each of the previous five home games in the series, splitting a pair of matches during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The teams split two meetings in 2018, with the Red Bulls grabbing a 1-0 result in the 2018 season finale to capture the Supporters’ Shield and the Lions pulling off a 4-3 home victory on March 31, 2018. Each team won at home in 2017 to split the two-game series, with New York winning 3-1 on Aug. 12, and Orlando City opening the season series with a 1-0 win on April 9 behind Servando Carrasco’s goal.

The teams met three times in 2016, with New York going 2-0-1. The teams split two games in 2015, with the road team winning both times, including Orlando City’s 5-2 win in New Jersey behind a Cyle Larin hat trick.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off an ugly 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and is playing its third game in eight days, with the final two away from home. Much of the league has faced a jam-packed fixture schedule over the last week with an international break coming up, but Orlando is off to a 0-1-1 start in this eight-day stretch, with both of those earlier matches featuring unusual officiating decisions that went the other way. While that’s not an excuse for this run of form — and the Lions are not using it as one — it doesn’t help.

The Lions are 3-2-2 on the road, which is better than their home record, so they will feel confident they can get a result, despite playing against one of the four best teams so far this season in the East. Orlando City will need to find some offense to do that. The club hasn’t scored more than one goal in a game since the 3-2 win at Philadelphia on May 11.

New York is coming off a 3-1 home win over Charlotte Wednesday night, firing three goals home in the second half against a stingy North Carolina-based side. The Red Bulls have yet to taste defeat at home this season, going 4-0-2 at Red Bull Arena. New York’s trend has been positive of late, with a 3-1-0 record in its last four matches and two straight wins at home.

As usual, the Lions will need to take care of the ball and avoid New York’s dangerous transition attack. Morgan leads the Red Bulls in goals (9) and is tied for fourth in all of MLS in that category. He has also chipped in four assists and is clearly the leader of the club’s attack. Emil Forsberg isn’t far behind, with six goals and three assists. Dante Vanzier has a team-high seven assists to go along with a pair of goals. That’s the trio Orlando’s defense will need to try to slow down and the Lions will need to do it without the suspended Robin Jansson (yellow card accumulation).

“When we played (New York earlier this season), I thought it was a good performance and we have already that context,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “At this moment, just going one game at a time, preparing our mind and our phases tomorrow to try and get a result in New York, that for us is a priority.”

In addition to Jansson, Orlando City will be without backup fullbacks Mikey Halliday (knee) and Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh). However, Duncan McGuire (shoulder) has been upgraded to questionable. New York will be without Ronald Donkor (hip), Roald Mitchell (knee), Serge Ngoma (knee), and Peter Stroud (ankle), while Kyle Duncan (illness), Cameron Harper (hamstring), and Andres Reyes (foot) are questionable.

Match Content

• Our Intelligence Report provides more background on tonight’s opponents, courtesy of Mark Fishkin of the Seeing Red podcast.
• The most recent episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the match.

Official Lineups

Orlando City (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rodrigo Schlegel, Wilder Cartagena, David Brekalo.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Rafael Santos, Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, , Nico Lodeiro, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Forwards: Facundo Torres, Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Alex Freeman, Kyle Smith, Jeorgio Kocevski, Felipe, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn.

New York Red Bulls (4-4-2, which may play more like a 4-2-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Carlos Coronel.

Defenders: John Tolkin, Noah Eile, Sean Nealis, Dylan Nealis.

Midfielders: Emil Forsberg, Frankie Amaya, Daniel Edelman, Wikelman Carmona

Forwards: Dante Vanzeir, Lewis Morgan.

Bench: AJ Marcucci, Kyle Duncan, Ryan Meara, Bento Estrela, Julian Hall, Aidan O’Connor, Dennis Gjengaar, Elias Manoel, Cory Burke.

Referees

REF: Drew Fischer.
AR1: Gianni Facchini.
AR2: Diego Blas.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Red Bull Arena — Harrison, NJ.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Mega 97.1 FM (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!

After earning eight points in the month of May across six matches with a 2-2-2 record, Orlando City has a large mountain still to climb in the quest to re-enter the playoff picture. With four of the five teams that the Lions are set to face in June currently ahead of them in the standings, there is no rest for the weary. Last month I predicted that the Lions would go 3-1-2, maybe a bit overzealous on my part but if the midweek fixture with Chicago would have resulted in all 3 points, then I would have been pretty happy with my psychic powers. Let’s see how well I can do for the month of June.

Saturday, June 1 — at the New York Red Bulls

A trip to face the Red Bulls on short rest and without at least the services of Captain Robin Jansson, who will miss the match due to yellow card accumulation, sounds on paper like a recipe for disaster. The good news for Orlando is that the game is played on the field and not on a notepad. The New York Red Bulls have been a surprising storyline to follow this season so far, with the resurgence of Lewis Morgan and their unbeaten record at home to start the season. In the first meeting, Orlando City needed late-match heroics to salvage a draw at home, and with an offense that is as currently anemic as Orlando’s, this will be the match where they score early, take the lead, and then hold on for dear life. Something about this squad currently just screams it will win the match it certainly has no business winning.

Prediction: Orlando City 3-2 NYRB.

Saturday, June 15 — vs. LAFC

LAFC is certainly counting down the days until later in the summer when Olivier Giroud joins from AC Milan. Initially struggling out of the gates this season, LAFC has turned its season around in a big way. LAFC is currently riding a six-game winning streak across all competitions, with its last defeat coming back on May 4 against the San Jose Earthquakes. During those six victories, LAFC has scored multiple goals in all but one match, and so I assume that goals will come fast and furious in this East vs. West matchup. Despite Orlando’s struggles, I like this match to be close until the very end, when Orlando will be caught chasing the match and give up an extra goal to the visitors from the City of Angels. A tough one to swallow for sure as Orlando City’s home woes will continue.

Prediction: Orlando City 1-3 LAFC.

Wednesday, June 19 — at Charlotte FC

Orlando will head north to take on Charlotte FC for a midweek clash during the middle of yet another spell of three matches in eight days. Charlotte, much like the Red Bulls, has been somewhat of a surprise player in the Eastern Conference so far this season. Before being bested by the Red Bulls on May 29, the club had kept five clean sheets in a row, earning 11 points throughout the month of May. My favorite thing about this match is the recent news that Enzo Copetti, ever the thorn in the side of Orlando City, has now departed the Queen City. It will be at least one less weapon that Orlando will have to deal with. Despite the team’s recent form, I am not overly sold on Charlotte’s ability to stay above the playoff line, and I like Orlando City to flip the script and be the team to walk away from this match with a clean sheet.

Prediction: Orlando City 1-0 Charlotte FC.

Saturday, June 22 — vs. the Chicago Fire

Call it a rematch, revenge game…I truly don’t care as long as Orlando City avenges the disappointing draw that happened a few days ago in the Windy City. There are certainly multiple reasons as to why both teams find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but if I had to pick one to actually figure it out heading into the meat and potatoes of the season, it would still be the Lions. Orlando has created plenty of chances at home, and while finishing those chances is another issue entirely, I like City to build some momentum towards the end of the month.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-0 Chicago Fire.

Friday, June 28 — at New York City FC

Orlando will ride that momentum directly into a baseball stadium. One of the most embarrassing fields in MLS is still allowed to be called a soccer pitch in the outfield of Yankee Stadium. Historically, teams struggle with the dimensions and space that this specific field presents, and Orlando is no stranger to those struggles, as the Lions have lost the last three matches played in the Bronx by a combined score of 9-1. History alone gives me very little hope that this current iteration of Orlando City will be the squad to finally buck the trend, and I suspect that Orlando will once again leave the outfield without much to show for its efforts.

Prediction: Orlando City 0-2 NYCFC.

The month of May went fine for Orlando. It could have been a little better. It could have been a little worse. I predict that that is exactly the way that June will go as well. As I mentioned before, there are no “easy” matches on the slate this month, and everyone except for Chicago is currently sitting on a better record than OCSC at this point in the season. If what I have predicted comes to fruition, then Orlando will earn nine points out of a possible 15 and will still be sitting just shy of the playoff line.

Check back at the end of the month to see just how close I came to predicating the correct results. Vamos Orlando!