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Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo, Leagues Cup: Final Score 1-1 (5-4) as Lions Win Penalty Shootout after Controversial Draw

The Lions conceded a highly questionable penalty at the end of the first half, then battled back to equalize and won the postgame shootout.

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3 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City kicked off play in the South 2 group of Leagues Cup with a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo in front of an announced crowd of 14,005 at Exploria Stadium, but claimed an extra point by winning the postgame shootout, 5-4. It was a bit of a disappointing result for Orlando (0-0-1, 2 points) considering the Dynamo (0-0-1, 1 point) were awarded a penalty that never should have been given.

Amine Bassi scored Houston’s goal from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time, but that was canceled out in the opening minute of the second half by Duncan McGuire’s strike.

“A very difficult match against a team who in the first half came with ideas we neutralized well but we couldn’t create with our sequences that many chances that we wanted,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “At the end (of the half) the PK that was not, in our opinion, unbalanced the result. We came out in the second half much more sharp.”

Pareja’s lineup was nearly the same as the one that beat Atlanta United a week ago. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena played central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top. Mauricio Pereyra picked up a knock in training late in the week and was not in the lineup, nor was Junior Urso, who is still awaiting the arrival of his international paperwork.

The teams played a cagey first half and it took a while for either side to get a look at goal. Ojeda took the game’s first shot in the 12th minute from outside the area, spinning and firing a weak shot that was easy for Andrew Tarbell to handle. Orlando City then won a couple of corners and nearly created something from them.

On the first, the service found Araujo at the back post but his shot was deflected out off of Griffin Dorsey for another corner. The second found Carlos in front of goal but the defender sent his header whistling just over the bar in the 15th minute.

Houston grew into the game a bit for the next 10 minutes after that, with Nelson Quinones causing problems for Smith with his speed.

Orlando City didn’t generate too much for the rest of the first half hour, but Torres sent a shot over the bar in the 23rd minute.

Jansson blocked a headed shot from Dorsey after Smith again was beaten by Quinones to allow the cross.

Just after the hydration break, Smith knocked a ball in traffic toward the middle in his own end. Carlos gave it away and Aliyu Ibrahim intercepted but fired his shot over the bar.

Angulo was sent in front by Torres in the 39th minute but his first touch was too heavy and all he could do was win a corner. On the ensuing set piece, the Lions played short and Ojeda eventually fired a blast toward goal that deflected wide off a defender. Two minuts later, Torres again fizzed a shot over the bar.

Disaster struck in first-half stoppage time as Dorsey flopped in the corner of the box. Rafael Santos was called for a foul, a penalty was awarded to Houston by referee Filip Dujic, and somehow the video assistant referee did not overturn the awful call and penalize Dorsey for the obvious dive. To make matters worse, Jansson was booked for dissent and Gallese for time wasting before the penalty took place. Bassi stepped up to the spot and scored to put Houston ahead.

Following the penalty, Dujic didn’t even add the full amount of time the penalty took back onto the clock. The Dynamo took a 1-0 lead into the half.

Orlando City held the advantage at the break in possession (54.8%-45.2%), shots (8-3), shots on target (3-1), corners (4-1), and passing accuracy (84.9%-79.7%) but the horrible call had the Dynamo ahead at the half.

“I think the heat played a fairly large role today and really made us take a passive role in the first half, and that’s something that we talked about coming into halftime β€” that we had to change the energy of the team,” Torres said.

Pareja brought Dagur Dan Thorhallsson on for Smith at the break, and he played well in the second half, but that’s not what changed the energy of the team.

The Lions struck back right after the restart. A back pass from the Houston defense to Tarbell went badly wrong for the visitors. Tarbell’s pass was picked off by the onrushing McGuire who slotted into the empty net to tie the game in the 46th minute.

“When he dropped it back, I didn’t see any defenders helping out, running back, so I decided to press, and hopefully he’d kick it long, so we could win that. That was my thought process,” McGuire said. “I saw the defender to my right and I thought maybe he’d go there, so I just put my foot out and it came right to me, so it was pretty easy for me from there on out. I’m really glad we got that one early and set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Corey Baird tried to pull the goal right back for Houston but hit his shot over the bar at the other end.

Araujo won the Lions a corner after the ensuing goal kick and that got knocked out for a long throw. During the long throw-in by Araujo, Carlos went down in the box under heavy contact but Dujic suddenly wasn’t concerned with actual contact in the penalty area and waved play on.

Houston Head Coach Ben Olsen sent on MLS All-Stars Adalberto Carrasquilla and Hector Herrera after that to go after the win. The move helped the Dynamo who controlled more of the midfield and Orlando players didn’t help themselves with some poor passing in the middle of the pitch and in the attacking third.

Just a minute after the substitutions, Carrasquilla was set up near the top of the box and had an open look but his shot hit Carlos in the back.

Torres’ best opportunity came in the 70th minute but his shot was blocked behind for a corner. Three minutes later, Ramiro Enrique got to a fantastic long ball from Jansson. Tarbell was well off his line and Enrique tried to chip him but his shot went just over the crossbar and landed on the roof of the net.

Ercan Kara, another second-half sub, had two decent chances to break the deadlock as time wound down. He freed himself up for a shot in the 76th minute and hit it with a ton of power, but it skipped off the outside of the right post, going just inches wide. In the 81st minute, he made a sliding lunge at a Santos cross that was a tad too far out in front and he made contact with it but it deflected off of Tarbell and the goalkeeper was able to collect it.

Torres cut inside and smashed a shot on target in the 87th minute but again Tarbell was able to save it. Thorhallsson couldn’t keep it from going out but rather than a corner, a goal kick was awarded.

Neither team could find a winner late and the game ended in a draw. Orlando City dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (54.6%-45.4%), shots (16-7), shots on target (5-1), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (84.8%-77.2%).

The format of the competition means that in group play, draws go to penalties to determine which team gains an extra point in the standings β€” much like in MLS NEXT Pro.

Gallese made a huge stop on Houston captain Herrera to start the penalty shootout, giving Orlando City the advantage.

Pareja called the save “tremendous.”

“With Pedro’s experience and the way he manages himself and the confidence that he brings to us is incredible,” Pareja said. “So, his professionalism and that confidence is inspiring for us.”

“Every penalty kick shootout that we go into, Pedro has started off by looking at us in our faces and saying he’s going to stop at least one,” Torres said. “Obviously, he was able to get the first one and it just filled us with a ton of confidence, knowing that all we had to do is score our penalties, because he had already stopped one, and we were going to come out on top.”

Kara then scored for Orlando to push the Lions out front.

The rest of the shooters all found the mark. Thor Ulfarsson got Houston on the board, but Santos put Orlando City back in front after two rounds. Carrasquilla leveled things but Jansson responded by scoring. Dorsey tied the shootout at 3-3, but that was followed by a goal by Carlos to push Houston to the brink.

Gallese got his hand to Brad Smith’s penalty as the Dynamo’s fifth shooter, but it still got past him and Orlando needed a goal to end things. Torres stepped up and smashed home an unstoppable shootout winner.

The Lions gained two points in the standings but it should have been three, if not for the insanely soft penalty given to Houston at the end of the first half. But winning that shootout left Orlando City players feeling better than the way the game could have gone after that late first-half penalty was awarded.

“It feels just as good as winning any other game,” Torres said. “Obviously, going to penalties and being able to win in the PK shootout and get that extra point put us further up in the group table standings is always great.”

The Lions will host Santos Laguna in their final group stage match in the 2023 Leagues Cup next Saturday, July 29. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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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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