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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Blow Two-Goal Lead

Another home match against the Union with Alex Chilowicz as the match referee ends controversially, with a 2-2 draw.

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City built a 2-0 lead against the Philadelphia Union but ultimately dropped points due to a cross that went in the net after missing its target, a howitzer first goal from a guy who will likely never, ever do that again, and an overturned call that was exceedingly questionable in a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium. The Lions (7-5-6, 27 points) squandered a two-goal lead on a pair of plays that didn’t seem dangerous at the time and drew the Philadelphia Union (9-5-4, 31 points) after match referee Alex Chilowicz had disallowed a third Orlando goal by Ivan Angulo for a perceived foul in the buildup.

City finishes the season series 1-0-1 against the Union but it could have been more.

Duncan McGuire and Martin Ojeda scored early in each half (although McGuire may end up with both goals after getting a slight touch on Ojeda’s shot) and things looked good for the hosts, but Jack McGlynn’s cross into the box missed everyone and got past Mason Stajduhar at the far post, and then Jose Martinez ran onto a clearance and launched a rocket from distance that left the Homegrown goalkeeper no chance in the 90th minute, as the Lions suffered another late heartbreaking draw at home.

“It was obvious that during the game we were losing energy, but the boys had the personality to overcome and trying to match a good team,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The frustration that I have and probably everybody with the decision is incredible. But I’d rather just control my words and just worry about getting the things we need to control better and concentrate in those key moments that they’re hurting us on our ways here at home. It’s painful, but we keep going.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Mason Stajduhar making his second straight start in goal, behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Felipe started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Ojeda, with McGuire up top.

The first half was a bit of a mess, with both teams having some good spells of possession but not doing much with them. The Lions were a bit more untidy at the back than the visitors, conceding several set pieces that weren’t necessary.

Philadelphia got the game’s first shot in the fifth minute with Joaquin Torres firing right at Stajduhar for the easy save after Araujo gave the ball away easily at midfield. Torres should have done better with the opportunity.

The teams exchanged blocked shots over the next few minutes. Smith had a chance blocked after Orlando’s first decent spell of attacking possession. A block near the top of the box may have prevented Jack McGlynn scoring off a Union set piece in the 11th minute.

The Lions broke through in minute 13. Pereyra sent an incisive pass through the middle to Ojeda, who flicked it into the path of McGuire. The rookie’s first touch was too heavy but he went to ground to win it back, got up, and slotted inside the left post past former Lion Joe Bendik to open the scoring. It was McGuire’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.

“Great ball from Ojeda,” McGuire said. “I took a poor touch but then I saw the defender coming across really hard. So, I thought that if I could slide, he would maybe fall over and I could get up and it worked out perfectly, I guess, so I’ll take it.”

The Union got a series of set pieces after the Orlando goal and nearly paid one off when a cross in for Jack Elliott found the big defender, but he nodded his shot just over the crossbar in the 27th minute.

Three minutes later, the Lions got a corner and Carlos came within inches of doubling the lead. The Brazilian got his head to the cross and headed it down into the ground. The bounce took it over Bendik but he was able to get a touch to it at the last second to knock it over the bar.

The last chance of the half came in the 42nd minute. The Lions built a nice attack that ended in a shot by Angulo from the right side, but his shot was right at the goalkeeper.

First-half possession was nearly equal, with the Union ekeing out a 50.5%-49.5% advantage. Orlando City had more shots (5-3) and shots on target (3-1), and passed a tiny bit more accurately (86.6%-86.5%). The Union racked up twice the corners as the Lions (6-3).

Felipe’s awful giveaway in the early going of the second half nearly gifted Philadelphia a chance but the Union were called for a foul in the attack in the 51st minute. Seconds later, Stajduhar made a huge save to deny Julian Carranza on the break after another Orlando turnover.

Just as the Union appeared to be growing into the game, the Lions scored their second. Ojeda took a pass from Angulo on the right and cut back into the middle, using the defense as a screen and sent a screamer inside the left post that took a minor deflection off McGuire and beat Bendik, making it 2-0 in the 54th minute. As of this writing, Ojeda has been credited with the goal, although a replay clearly shows it took the smallest of deflections off the rookie striker. Either way, it was a crafty move by Ojeda to deny Bendik sight of his shot.

Both players were gracious about who should get the goal.

“I’m not going to take that goal away from Ojeda,” McGuire said.

“I’m not sure who’s going to end up being credited with the goal,” Ojeda said. “It’s kind of divided. If it’s me, it’s me. If it’s Duncan, then it’s Duncan. But I’ll say that Duncan apologized to me afterwards.”

The two-goal lead lasted only six minutes. McGlynn sent a good cross into the box but it fizzed over the heads of his striker and two defenders. Stajduhar realized too late that the ball’s curl would take it inside the post and he reacted late to it, giving the Union life in the 60th minute.

With the Lions starting to look leggy in the final half hour — Orlando City was on short rest compared to Philadelphia, which hadn’t played in 11 days — Pareja switched to a three-man back line, sending Rodrigo Schlegel and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson on for Smith and Felipe. Angulo became the right wingback opposite Santos.

Angulo should have put the game to bed in the 73rd minute. A scramble to the right of the goal had Bendik out of position and McGuire laid off a pass for him to hit into the empty net but from only eight yards out he somehow got under it enough to send it over the bar on a terribly wasteful effort.

Pareja tried to combat tiring legs by replacing Ojeda with Ramiro Enrique, McGuire with Ercan Kara, and Santos with Gaston Gonzalez. McGuire needed attention from the trainers before leaving but walked off under his own power and after the match said he was fine.

The Lions appeared to put the game to bed in the 86th minute as Angulo atoned for his earlier miss. Kara held off Martinez and made a run forward with the ball, muscling past the defense, drawing Bendik out of position, and finding Angulo for the easy goal. The 17,516 in attendance erupted but Chilowicz signaled that he would look at the replay. He came back, disallowed the goal, and booked Kara for fouling Martinez in the buildup. Kara’s arm came up to hold off the midfielder but Martinez made a complete meal of little contact and it was nothing worse than happened a dozen other times in the game.

“I saw the ref already and it is incredible,” Pareja said about the controversial play. “I mean, we need to protect the game. That’s our frustration tonight. It’s happened before. Nothing we can say.”

“I thought it was unfair,” McGuire said of the play. “I thought (the goal) should have been given, but at the end of the day you’ve got to play the game. After that, it’s still game on and you have to finish the game out. I definitely think it should have been a goal but, can’t do anything about it now, sadly.”

Chilowicz, you may recall, was the same official who overturned an offside call on a Daniel Gazdag goal in this exact same fixture last year after reviewing the play and then ruled that a mugging of Carlos in the box at the end of that match was not a penalty because of an exceedingly minor and routine shirt grab happened before the mugging.

Disaster, which has struck now in three of the last four home games, struck again in the 90th minute. The Lions were handling everything Philadelphia threw at them and what appeared to be a routine clearance out of the box off the head of Carlos bounced in front of Martinez. The midfielder smashed a wicked blast off the right post and in, giving Stajduhar no chance. The Lions went from having a two-goal cushion to being level in just minutes.

Without having seen any goals from any of the other games tonight, I’m certain this will be MLS Goal of the Week.

“Unbelievable goal from Philadelphia and not much you can do about that but I think as a whole group we can maybe do a little bit more to take the three points at home,” McGuire said.

Both teams went for the win after Martinez’s equalizer. Enrique had a golden opportunity on the left in the 94th minute but sent his shot off the crossbar. Two minutes later, a ball into the box found Mikael Uhre, who put his attempt off the crossbar at the other end. Moments later, the game was over.

Philadelphia ended up with more possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (10-8), shots on target (5-4), corners (7-4), and passing accuracy (82.3%-77.2%). Despite the statistical advantages, Orlando City rarely appeared to be in danger of conceding until the two vastly different goals went in.

“For the players, nothing but my respect for that effort tonight,” Pareja said of his side.

“After a game that we definitely think we should have won, I definitely think we are excited and eager to get on the road and play another game to show that maybe tonight was a fluke and we can get three points against a tough Seattle team,” Mcguire said.

The Lions have a quick turnaround, flying out Thursday ahead of Saturday’s match at the Sounders.

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Lion Links: 5/13/25

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

Published

11 hours ago

on

May 13, 2025

By

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.

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

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution?

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City saw a 2-0 lead wash away just before halftime and took the lead in the second half. It looked like the Lions were on their way to a big three points, but a late penalty and a disallowed goal resulted in a 3-3 draw. It’s a draw that feels like a loss for the Lions.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players did in this disappointing game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese had a difficult night, though it wasn’t all his fault. He faced six shots and conceded three goals. However, two were primarily because of bad defending, and one was a penalty. He made three saves and blocked away a rocket late.  The Orlando City goalkeeper touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes, including four of his eight long balls.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo had a good game at left back, touching the ball 65 times, second most on the team. He completed 90.7% of his 43 passes, including a key pass. However, his lone cross and long ball were incomplete. The defender took two shots, putting one on target, and nearly had a goal in the 48th minute with a strong run into the box, but a defender deflected it off the woodwork. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was a little late trying to deny Ignatius Ganago’s cross through the box to Ilay Feingold, and his sliding effort to do so took him out of position to deny Feingold’s centering pass for New England’s first goal. It was one of his few missteps of the match, and the effort was there if not the execution. He moved from left back to center back for the closing minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson is usually rock solid on the back line, but he was a liability in this game. He touched the ball 57 times and completed 86.3% of his 51 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He made three clearances and blocked two shots. His poor grade was due to his contribution to two New England goals. He allowed Matt Polster to get goal side in the 44th minute for the equalizer and stuck his foot out in an ill-advised challenge in the 85th minute, resulting in a game-tying penalty. It was a game the Orlando City captain would rather forget.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel is usually the higher-risk player at center back, but he had a good game. He touched the ball 49 times and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including his lone long ball. He also recorded a tackle, a team-high six clearances, and two blocked shots. Most surprisingly, he managed to end the game without an unnecessary booking. Schlegel’s night ended in the 87th minute when he was replaced by Rafael Santos.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5  — Freeman started at his usual right back position, touching the ball a team-high 66 times. He completed 76.7% of his 43 passes and his lone cross but not his long ball. His lone shot was on target and he had three key passes. The 20-year-old was also active defensively, recording two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo only touched the ball 28 times in this game, but his speed caused problems for the New England back line as he pushed into the attack. The left-sided midfielder completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t take any shots, because he was mainly on the wing, but he helped defensively with a tackle and two interceptions. Angulo was replaced by Ramiro Enrique in the 74th minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had 57 touches in this game while completing 91.7% of his 36 passes. He had a key pass but failed to complete either of his two long balls. The defensive midfielder took four shots, putting one on target that forced Aljaz Ivacic into a good save. He nearly scored off a corner kick in the 24th minute, but hit the post. Defensively, Araujo had two tackles and a clearance.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 5.5 — Gerbet had an up and down night, making him difficult to grade. He let Alhassan Yusuf get goal side of him in the 38th minute to score New England’s first goal. But his excellent first touch sent Ojeda on a partial breakaway in the 33rd minute for the Lions’ second goal, and his fearlessness earned a penalty for Orlando City’s third goal. The rookie touched the ball 43 times and completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots but added an interception defensively. He probably should get a higher grade for participating in two goals, but I can’t get over the defensive midfielder’s error that might’ve cost the Lions two points. Gerbet was replaced in the 69th minute by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had a solid night, touching the ball 39 times and completing 73.9% of his 23 passes. He had two key passes and completed one of his three long balls. He put one of his three shots on target, but his offensive performance will be remembered for his 20th minute shot, when Luis Muriel headed the ball down perfectly for him and the midfielder sent it over the open goal. Despite the miss, it was a good game for the attacking midfielder, who also had an interception on the defensive side.

F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Muriel started up top but dropped behind Ojeda as the game progressed. He had 36 touches and completed 73.3% of his 15 passes, including four key passes and three of his four crosses. He should’ve had an assist on Pasalic’s miss, and he should’ve scored, especially in the 68th minute, when he made multiple defenders miss before dribbling the ball into the arms of Ivacic instead of shooting. He added two tackles and would’ve had a higher grade if he had any desire to score.

F, Martin Ojeda, 8.5 (MotM) — There can’t be a question about who the Man of the Match was for this game. In his first league start since April 19, Ojeda led the way. He touched the ball 43 times, completing 84% of his 25 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his five crosses but didn’t connect on his long ball. However, the attacker converted on three of his team-high seven shots, scoring the club’s first hat trick since 2015. His first goal was a thing of beauty, as he rocketed a shot off the bottom of the cross bar, creating no chance for the goalkeeper. The midfielder also took his second goal well and converted the penalty that gave his team the lead in the 55th minute. Defensively, Ojeda added an interception in a clear Man of the Match performance.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (69’), 5.5 — Thorhallsson came on in the 69th minute for Gerbet in the defensive midfield. He touched the ball 13 times, completing all of his 10 passes, though they were all of the shorter variety. He picked up a yellow card late in the match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Muriel in the 73rd minute with his team up a goal. He touched the ball only five times, completing all three of his passes with a key pass and his lone cross. His only shot was off target and he didn’t add any defensive stats. He should have had an assist with a good ball into the box for Enrique, who made a mess of the shot, firing it high over the goal. Unfortunately, his game will be remembered for the 90th minute, when Enrique’s shot hit his back while the striker was in an offside position. The ball went in, and the flag went up to disallow the goal that would’ve been the game winner.

F, Ramiro Enrique (74’), 5.5 — Enrique entered the game in the 74th minute for Angulo. He touched the ball 14 times and completed 45.5% of his 11 passes without any key passes or crosses. He took one off-target shot (officially) but had a great chance to score in the 90th minute when he received a pass from Pasalic at the top of the box with no one on him. His shot hit the back of an offside McGuire, spoiling a potential late winner.

D, Rafael Santos (87’), 5.5 — Santos replaced Schlegel in the 87th minute as the Lions brought on a natural left back and moved Brekalo to his usual center back position. Despite coming on late, the 10 minutes of stoppage time gave him plenty of action. He touched the ball 12 times and completed 83.3% of his six passes, including one of his three crosses. He didn’t take any shots and didn’t record any defensive stats as the Lions pushed hard for the late winner that never came. On the defensive end, he got roasted by Luis Diaz Espinoza in the second minute of stoppage time, allowing a wicked shot on goal that Gallese was able to parry away awkwardly.

That’s how I saw Orlando City 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution. Let us know what you thought of the performance in the comment below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 5/12/25

Lions and Pride each draw, Pride wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence, MLS weekend recap, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I’ve been busy at work and catching up with friends all week. Our Lions and Pride both picked up draws over the weekend, while OCB was off.  We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw New England Revolution at Home

Orlando City blew a lead twice and ended up settling for a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a great start as Martin Ojeda scored two goals in the first half. The Revolution replied with two goals to tie the match just before halftime. Ojeda added a penalty kick goal in the second half to secure his first hat trick of his career. It was also the first hat trick for Orlando in a decade, and he joins former Lion Cyle Larin as the only players in club history to score a regular-season hat trick.

However, late in the second half, the Lions conceded a penalty to New England, and Carles Gil converted from the spot to get the equalizer as the teams split the points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with their next match on Wednesday at home against Charlotte FC.

Pride Draw North Carolina Courage on the Road

The Orlando Pride needed a late equalizer to escape WakeMed Soccer Park with a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The Courage struck first, but Prisca Chilufya scored her first goal of the NWSL season late in stoppage time to secure a draw and keep Orlando from losing two matches in a row. The Pride grabbed a crucial point on the road and are second in the NWSL standings. The next match for the Orlando Pride will be Friday as they face the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

Orlando Pride Wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence

The Orlando Pride were named winners of the Downtown Orlando Partnerships 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence on Friday for the club’s historic 2024 NWSL Championship season and downtown victory parade. The Pride broke the league record for the most points (60), most wins in a season (18), and most clean sheets (13), while finishing the 2024 season unbeaten at home. Orlando Pride President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon expressed his thoughts on Pride winning this award.

“On behalf of our entire Club, I’d like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its Board of Directors for selecting our organization for this incredible award,” said Orlando Pride President of Business Operations, Jarrod Dillon. “We are incredibly honored to receive this award — a testament to the passion, dedication, and excellence that define our team. Our Club is proud to represent this city, and we hope every Orlando resident shares in this moment of pride. There’s no place we’d rather call home than downtown Orlando — the heart of our community and now the home of the best women’s soccer team in the United States.”

MLS Weekend Recap

The weekend’s slate of Major League Soccer matches ended with some notable results. Minnesota United cruised past Inter Miami with a 4-1 win. The Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC, and Nashville SC all won 2-1 matches over Atlanta United, Austin FC, St. Louis City, and Charlotte FC, respectively. Toronto FC defeated D.C. United 2-0 at home, while the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road. Prince Osei Owusu scored the lone goal as CF Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0 and secured its first win of the season. Santiago Moreno scored a late goal in the second half as the Portland Timbers defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0. Albert Rusnak scored twice as the Seattle Sounders beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake ended in a 1-1 draw, while the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew match ended in a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy remain winless through 12 matches this season after getting crushed 7-0 by the New York Red Bulls in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. On Sunday, Brian White scored twice as the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their moms a surprise phone call on Mother’s Day.
  • Orlando Pride defender Kylie Nadaner completed 108 passes on Saturday in their match against the North Carolina Courage, which is the most in Pride history.

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

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