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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions See Win Streak Snapped

It was another ugly match against Charlotte as the Lions finish 0-2-1 in three games against the North Carolina side.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

A seeing-eye goal by Martin Ojeda on a long-distance free kick late prevented Charlotte FC from sweeping three matches against Orlando City as the teams played to a 1-1 draw on a wet night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Orlando City (12-6-8, 44 points) saw its three-game league winning streak snapped but earned a road point against a Charlotte FC team (7-9-9, 30 points) that seems to leak goals against everyone in MLS except the Lions.

Both teams scored a goal that was ruled offside, and Enzo Copetti opened the scoring late for the hosts on his own craftily earned penalty that Rodrigo Schlegel knew nothing about. The point pushed Orlando City to third in the Eastern Conference, just past the Philadelphia Union, who have played one fewer match.

“Very happy with the performance of the players, especially in the second half,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought we played against a very good team, and a team who has a model that at the beginning confused us and we couldn’t stop them. That’s why I valued that reaction that we had in that first half and created some options that probably should take us to lead the game at the end of the half. The second half was more controlled.”

Pareja’s lineup offered up only two changes from the team that beat St. Louis City SC on Saturday. Wilder Cartagena’s yellow card suspension made way for Junior Urso’s first start since his return to Orlando City, while Ramiro Enrique slotted in for Ivan Angulo. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese played behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo joined Urso in central midfield behind an attacking line of Enrique, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

Charlotte jumped on Orlando right off the opening whistle, coming out with far more energy and attacking presence. The hosts won a corner before the first minute had elapsed even though Orlando kicked off.

The home team won several early set pieces but couldn’t do much with them as the service into the box wasn’t always good and when it was, the play broke down or the Lions blocked the pass.

Charlotte should have scored in the 12th minute, as the ball found its way to Brecht Dejaegere, who stepped to his right and fired over the bar. Dejaegere, however, had pulled up lame trying a stepover moments earlier and had to sub off after the missed shot. Former Lion Justin Meram replaced him on the left wing.

The first Orlando shot didn’t come until the 29th minute and Enrique had his effort blocked by Jaylin Lindsey.

Charlotte quickly went back on the attack and Jansson had a crucial block in the 36th minute. Seconds later, Gallese made a big stop to punch away what must have been ruled a cross. He then immediately made a huge stop on Derrick Jones’ header from the top of the six on a wasteful effort by the midfielder.

Three minutes later, Ashley Westwood fired inches wide of the left post when he was wide open at the top of the box.

Orlando City came close in the 41st minute, when Enrique cut to his right and blasted a shot from outside the area, but it crashed off the right post and stayed out. Two minutes later, McGuire scored but it didn’t count.

The Lions caught Charlotte napping and too far forward and the ball was sent forward to Torres on the right. The Uruguayan had a 2-v-1 with McGuire against one defender. However, Torres had to take an extra touch to settle the wet ball on the fake surface. McGuire tried to hold his run, and Torres got the ball through to him. The rookie scored on a cannon shot inside the near post but the flag came up for offside. The video assistant referee confirmed it without sending the referee to the monitor.

McGuire had a second chance from a tight angle in stoppage time, when a great ball over the top found him. The rookie was able to bring it in but not before it squirted out in front of him. That made the angle easier to defend and his shot was saved. That was the last good look of the half and the teams went to the break scoreless.

Charlotte dominated the stat sheet at halftime, leading in possession (69.8%-30.2%), shots (7-4), passing accuracy (85.5%-73%), and corners (2-1), with each team getting one shot attempt on frame, officially — although it seemed Gallese had two saves in the opening period.

Pareja sent Ivan Angulo onto the pitch to start the second half, withdrawing Pereyra. Torres moved to the middle of the attacking midfield, with Angulo on the right and Enrique left.

Torres had a good opportunity from the left to get a cross in for a wide-open McGuire in the 47th minute but the ball sailed just over the striker’s head.

It was Charlotte’s turn to score an offside goal in the 53rd minute. A giveaway on a throw-in by Orlando in its own end got sent in from left to right but Ben Bender was already behind the last defender before the pass and although his finish over Gallese into the roof of the net was a good one, it was never going to count.

The hosts got back on the front foot for the next part of the game, with Jansson making a vital challenge to deny a cross in from the right in the 56th minute and Karol Swiderski fizzing a dangerous ball through the top of the six two minutes later that none of his teammates could get to.

Torres cut across the top of the area in the 59th and sent a curling shot that didn’t quite dip enough and sizzled just high of the top left corner.

Pareja made an interesting double switch at the hour mark, sending Ojeda and Felipe on for McGuire and Urso. Enrique moved up top as the striker. Ojeda, Torres, and Angulo made up the new attacking midfield.

Moments after the substitutions, Schlegel made solid contact on a header off a corner but it was right at goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who fought it off in the 63rd minute. The play was offside anyway, as substitute Felipe was parked right in front of the goalkeeper, well behind the entire Charlotte defense.

Angulo forced a good diving save by Kahlina a minute later.

Jansson was having an incredible game but went down with a knock in the 77th minute. He was replaced by rookie Abdi Salim and Kyle Smith also came on for Santos.

Disaster struck a minute after the subs, when Schlegel was backing up in the box and went to play a ball directly at him. Copetti made a crafty play to come leaping in to get his leg in front of Schlegel, who knew nothing about what was going on behind him. Copetti made a meal of the slight contact and referee Rosendo Mendoza pointed to the spot. Copetti and Gallese exchanged words prior to the penalty but the Charlotte Designated Player placed an unstoppable penalty into the inside netting on the right, despite El Pulpo guessing correctly.

The play gave Charlotte a 1-0 lead in the 81st minute.

“When they scored the PK, again the braveness and the character of this group is amazing,” Pareja said of the team’s ability to fight back.

It appeared the hosts would get a clean, three-game sweep of the Lions on the season but Orlando City pulled one back in the 88th minute.

Ojeda lined up a free kick from long distance, looking to find someone at the back post. However, his delivery cleared everyone. Kahlina got a fingertip to it but could only knock it off the inside of his post and in.

“We work a lot on set pieces,” Felipe said. “Josema (Bazán), our assistant coach, is the guy that is always in charge of the set pieces. We work on those balls and it’s not by chance that we scored the goal, but it’s something from the training ground that we always work on, and we always keep improving every week. And again in tight games like this, those are the times that we need those goals and we were able to score today, so it was great for Martin and great for the team that we were able to score on a set piece that we work (on) so much.”

Orlando City had a promising attack in the third minute of stoppage time but Angulo’s pass to Enrique from the right was behind the Argentine. Ojeda tried a shot from 35 or 40 yards out a minute later that didn’t come close to troubling Kahlina.

Another controversial moment happened just as the six minutes of stoppage time were winding down. Copetti swung a forearm up and into the chin of Schlegel, who went down clutching his face. Mendoza showed Copetti a yellow card and then was directed by the VAR to go take a second look. The arm definitely swung into Schlegel’s face and the elbow was up, but Mendoza stuck with his original call. He then made Schlegel leave the field for a concussion check on a play he didn’t deem violent, confusing everyone involved.

“We don’t understand,” Pareja said of the decision to make Schlegel leave the pitch. “We were very annoyed by that, because (Mendoza) has almost five minutes to attend the player and make a test and he decided to wait five minutes and when he came out, he said that he needed to check it outside, knowing that the game was about to expire. We didn’t understand. We were frustrated but what can we say?”

Neither side got another good look and the teams split the points.

Although Orlando got more of the ball in the second half than the first, Charlotte finished with a comfortable advantage in possession (65.8%-34.2%). The hosts also led in shots (9-8), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (83.7%-70%). Orlando City put more shots on target (4-2).

“I think it’s it’s a great result for us,” Felipe said. “It’s a point coming from behind. We always need to appreciate the point. It’s never easy to come to a place like Charlotte. So yes, it is a positive point for us and we keep building, we keep going because we are heading in the right direction.”

The Lions will come home briefly before heading back on the road to take on Supporters’ Shield-leading FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

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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.🇧🇷 Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.➕ 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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