Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 3-1 as Facundo Torres’ Brace Powers Lions to Win

The Lions made it six in a row at home without a loss with a win over the Fire.

Published

3 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City allowed the Chicago Fire to close to within a goal in the second half but the Lions flipped the script of several recent games and scored an insurance tally rather than allowing an equalizer. Facundo Torres scored twice and Ramiro Enrique added the insurance goal to lead Orlando (8-5-7, 31 points) to a 3-1 win over Chicago (5-7-8, 23 points) in front of 22,070 fans at Exploria Stadium.

With the win, the Lions extended their home unbeaten streak to six games (3-0-3) and improved to 4-3-4 in league play at Exploria Stadium this season.

“A very good game in front of our fans,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “That is the most important note of the night other than just winning three points, but doing it in front of our fans means a lot for the group.”

Pareja’s lineup had a couple of minor changes. Pedro Gallese started in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith. With Cesar Araujo suspended for yellow card accumulation, Wilder Cartagena was joined in central midfield by Mauricio Pereyra behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Torres, and Martin Ojeda, with Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando City controlled much of the play in the opening half. The Lions won an early corner and the ball fell to Torres at the top right corner of the box. The Uruguayan fired a shot just over the bar in the third minute.

Two minutes later, a ball in from Smith on the right found Ojeda but he missed the net from point-blank range. It was the third time an Orlando player has missed the entire net from just a few yards out in as many games.

Angulo picked up the loose ball off a heavy touch from Carlos Teran in the 16th minute just outside the Chicago area. He tried to play Ojeda in but a minor deflection kept the Argentine from being able to bring it in and get a shot away.

Chicago’s first attempt at goal came in the 25th minute when a long ball over the top from Shaqiri found Brian Gutierrez, who got a touch to it but Gallese knocked it out for a corner.

Schlegel sent a good shot on target off a corner kick in the 32nd minute but Chris Brady made a good save to keep Orlando off the board. Four minutes later, Brady made another stop to deny a blast by Ojeda. But the goal came shortly after that anyway.

The ball was sent wide to Smith and he sent a cross in that Torres got his head onto. Brady got a piece of it but it went through and into the net in the 36th minute, giving Orlando a 1-0 lead.

“I was just trying to bring the ball a little bit further inside and then get in a position in case it worked its way in there for me,” Torres said. “Then I saw the ball kind of swing out wide and I just kind of entered into the area and just tried to be in a good spot. It’s not my usual goal but I’ll take whatever way I can score.”

Santos tried a shot from long range in the 40th minute but hit it straight at Brady. Two minutes later, the Lions felt they should have had a penalty. Orlando worked the ball into the box and Pereyra was bundled over. He went down easily and no penalty was the correct call, but seconds later Torres caught a boot across both legs and went down. Nima Saghafi did not call a penalty and after a short review the teams played on.

“The ref told me that I was looking for the contact and looking for the foul,” Torres said. “When I was dribbling, I was off balance a little bit, but I didn’t think I was falling. And then the defender hit me and then I fell, but the ref told me that I was falling beforehand and I was trying to look for the contact.”

Neither side got a good look in the final moments of the opening half and the Lions took their 1-0 lead into the break.

Chicago held a surprising 52.8%-47.2% possession at the break — surprising because the Fire rarely seemed to have the ball past midfield. As a result of mostly holding the ball in their own end, the Fire held the advantage in passing accuracy (86.5%-83.2%). Orlando had more shots (10-1), shots on target (4-1), and corners (7-1).

“The boys expressed themselves very well the first 25-30 minutes,” Pareja said. “We should have scored a couple of goals. But we maintained our concentration and we were patient with the game, controlling it and creating sequences, creating options to score.”

The Fire came out of halftime more aggressive. Alonso Aceves sent a cross onto the roof of the net in the opening minute and Chicago started winning the ball more in the Orlando half. Kamara nearly scored in the 51st minute, getting his head to a corner kick cross. The striker sent the ball on target with pace and Gallese made a diving save to keep it out. It got poked back toward goal but Cartagena cleared it off the line.

The Lions broke the other way after the close call and Ojeda’s shot was blocked out for a corner. Saghafi held up Orlando City’s corner kick for an uncomfortably long period of time while the video assistant referee looked at the play to see if the ball crossed the line at the other end but no goal was given.

Instead, the Lions scored their second goal moments later. The corner kick cross deflected to Jansson near the top of the area and he flicked it toward the goal line but on its way it found the elbow of Fabian Herbers and Saghafi immediately signaled for a penalty. Torres took the spot kick and blasted home his second goal of the game to make it 2-0 in the 55th minute. The goal gave Torres five goals and an assist in his last four MLS matches.

“Thankfully, and with a bit of luck, things have been going well,” Torres said. “I’ve got that renewed motivation. I think the the national team really helped kind of re-spark that. We’re playing really well right now, and things are just starting to click.”

The Fire threw numbers forward trying to get back in the game and won a free kick that Shaqiri sent over the bar in the 59th minute.

Two minutes later, Torres tried to complete his hat trick with a shot from outside the area but it was always rising and the strike found the seats instead of the back of the net.

Shaqiri sent another shot over the bar in the 64th but got his goal moments after that miss. Gutierrez played a quick give-and-go and got behind Smith and then put on the brakes. Smith couldn’t stop and bundled him over to concede a penalty. Shaqiri made no mistake from the spot although Gallese guessed the correct way. The Fire were back within a goal in the 66th minute with plenty of time left.

“They were overloading one side and then there was a wall pass that I need to defend better,” Smith said of the penalty. “And then the player did well to get position on me and stop in front of me and it caused me to foul.”

Torres had another opportunity to complete his hat trick shortly after the Fire goal but Brady made the save, knocking it wide.

Orlando got its insurance goal in the 75th minute. A ball was played for Enrique over the top and into the left corner. Enrique was obviously offside and knew it, so he stopped his run and waved Angulo on to the ball. Angulo picked up the loose ball and sent a pass back to Enrique at the left corner of the box. The Argentine curled a beautiful low shot just inside the back post to make it 3-1.

“It gave us a lot of confidence. It was a great goal by Ramie,” Smith said. “I’m happy for him and it brought us together.”

Things got more difficult for the Fire in the 84th minute when Arnaud Souquet was shown his second yellow card and sent off, putting Chicago down a man. Orlando was content to try to see the match out but some sloppy passing gave the Fire some opportunities to get forward. Jairo Torres sent a shot over the bar from inside the box in the 86th minute.

Both teams had some chances in the nine minutes of stoppage time. Substitute Luca Petrasso volleyed a shot over the bar off a good cross from Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 93rd minute. Enrique had a shot blocked a minute later.

Rafael Czichos headed a corner kick cross off the post in the 98th minute for the Fire. The Lions broke the other way in a 5-on-2 transition opportunity that ended with substitute Felipe smashing a shot on target that Brady saved.

The match ended shortly after the Felipe attempt and Orlando City had all three points.

The Lions turned around the possession, finishing with a slim 50.1%-49.9% advantage. Orlando also had more shots (19-8), shots on target (9-4), and corners (13-3). The Fire had the advantage in passing accuracy (87.3%-86.3%).

“A lot of positive things, but now we just need to think about Tuesday,” Pareja said. “Recovering and those three points will give us a lot of confidence.”

The Lions have a quick turnaround after tonight, hosting Toronto FC on Tuesday night. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

By

Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Trending