Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew
Get the inside scoop on the Columbus Crew ahead of tomorrow’s big match at Exploria Stadium.

After a two-week drought without Orlando City games, the home stretch of the season is upon us. Decision Day is five weeks away, and the Lions will play seven matches in that span which will determine how OCSC’s season shapes up. That road starts tomorrow at Exploria Stadium with a match against the Columbus Crew.
A match against Columbus means that I spoke with Pat Murphy of Massive Report. As usual, Pat was very helpful in getting us caught up on what the Crew’s season has been like since these two teams last met back in May.
One of the biggest stories of the summer was Lucas Zelarayan’s surprise departure, with Diego Rossi brought in to replace him. How has Rossi performed so far?
Pat Murphy: He has been good but different. Despite his ability to score, Zelarayan was much more of a creator. He didn’t get a ton of assists for the Crew, at least not as many as no. 10s of the past, but he got the offense going and was a connector from the midfielder. He could do a little bit of everything. Rossi is creative but he’s a forward. He wants to be closer to the goal and put pressure on the back line
What Wilfried Nancy likes about him is that he’s willing to press and use his energy to cause problems for opposing back lines. Zelarayan would do that, but it didn’t come as natural as it does for Rossi, who is younger and has been asked to do this with other teams.
Rossi’s addition also allows the Crew to play a fluid front three. Before, the two in front of Zelarayan were able to move and rotate but the Argentine was generally in the No. 10 spot. Now with Cucho Hernadnez, Rossi, and Christian Ramirez on the field together, there are not set positions — more so roles that players are in which makes it harder to defender the Black & Gold.
Following Eloy Room’s departure, Patrick Schulte has further cemented himself as the starting goalkeeper. What style of keeper is he, and how has he looked?
PM: He’s pretty solid all around. He’s getting better as a shot stopper, or at least more confident doing it at the MLS level. He is decent with his feet and understands movement with the ball as a former basketball player that nearly played in college. He has not been scared to try some things from time to time with the ball, which has led to a couple of mistakes, but he’s done a good job of learning from those. The biggest thing lately has been Schulte’s leadership. He is much more vocal now that he knows he’s the guy in goal and is comfortable with his teammates. This makes quite the difference in terms of organizing the back line and helping Columbus play better defense.
As we get closer and closer to the playoffs, what are your expectations for this team? What would you consider a successful season?
PM: That’s a good question. This team changed way more in the summer window than I expected, with players both coming in and leaving. I honestly think it will be an interesting case study in how much you can overhaul your roster in the summer and have success.
I think this team is capable of making a deep run in the MLS Cup playoffs. The offense is elite and that always makes for a difficult out. I do still have concerns about this defense and how that side will handle postseason play. This was a focus on Nancy with his team over the past weekend and a half as the Crew didn’t play over the international window. We’ll see how much it helps.
I also think things will change in the playoffs because of the new format. I think it will be more difficult for the underdog to spring the upset, given it will be a best-of-three series instead of just one game.
With all that said, my expectation is this team gets in and wins a round. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Black & Gold goes far, but I could also see this team, due to all the changes, be better equipped to be really good next year with a full preseason with all of the new players and some motivation if they don’t get as far as they hoped this postseason.
Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?
PM: We expect Columbus to be pretty healthy coming out of the weekend off. I would project the lineup to look like this: Patrick Schulte; Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Malte Amundsen, Julian Gressel, Yaw Yeboah; Darlington Nagbe, Aidan Morris; Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi.
Score prediction not provided.
Thank you to Pat for his help in getting us up to speed on the Crew. Vamos, Orlando!

Opinion
Predicting Orlando City’s June Results
It’s time to take a glimpse into the future and predict how Orlando City will fare during the month of June.

We’re almost to the end of what’s been an extremely packed month of May for Orlando City. After the conclusion of Saturday’s match against the Chicago Fire, the Lions will have played nine matches in the span of 28 days. OCSC has basically played a match every three days, which is an absurd pace. Other than two recent blemishes, Orlando has mostly handled it exceedingly well though, and June presents a much lighter schedule for our brave heroes.
The Lions play just three games next month and will have two weeks off between Saturday’s match against the Fire and their next game. Without any further ado, I will now attempt to peer into the crystal ball and predict the results of Orlando’s three games in June.
Saturday, June 14 — at Colorado Rapids
Orlando will return to action after a two-week layoff by hopping on the purple plane and flying west to take on Colorado. The Rapids are currently eighth in a crowded Western conference table with 22 points, and they are 10 points off the Vancouver Whitecaps at the top of the table. They’ve put together a pretty even season so far with a record of 6-6-4 (W-L-D). The biggest problem for Colorado has been scoring goals, as the Rapids only have 18 goals in 16 games and have been held scoreless five times in the league. They have this week off, and won’t return to action until June 7, when they host Austin FC. I give Orlando City the edge in this match, and hopefully that extra rest will help the good guys hang tough at altitude. The Lions have been defensively sound recently — when they’ve had all 11 men on the field — while also still being able to put the ball in the back of the net several times a game. Shutting down Djordje Mihailovic is going to be key, but I like Orlando’s chances given its recent form and the fact that the Lions will be well rested.
Prediction: Orlando City 3-1 Colorado Rapids.
Wednesday, June 25 — at St. Louis City
I refuse to capitalize every letter in “City” in St. Louis City’s name, because frankly I think it’s a ridiculous stylistic choice. The team also hasn’t been very good this year, so it doesn’t deserve me catering to it in that manner. St. Louis is currently 2-8-5 and only truly woeful campaigns by CF Montreal and the LA Galaxy are saving it from leading the Wooden Spoon race with 11 points. It makes Colorado look like an offensive juggernaut, as it’s only scored 11 goals in 15 games. St. Louis isn’t bad defensively, as it’s only conceded 20 goals, but it’s always going to be a struggle when you average scoring just 0.73 goals a game. Its form was enough to get Head Coach Olof Mellberg fired, and he lasted just over six months on the job. The club hasn’t won since a March 15 match against the Galaxy and has a tricky upcoming slate, with a home match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, an away game against the Portland Timbers on June 8, and a home match against the Galaxy on June 14. With a week and a half between the Colorado match and this one, I once again like Orlando City in this game. Unless St. Louis can find its shooting boots, I don’t see it offering much threat against a rested Orlando defense that has come on strong since a shaky start to the year.
Prediction: Orlando City 2-0 St. Louis City.
Saturday, June 28 — vs. FC Cincinnati
OCSC wraps up June by returning home to play one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference on short rest. It isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world either. Cincy has been good this year, compiling a record of 9-4-3 and 30 points to sit second in the East. New signings Evander and Kevin Denkey have been as good as you would expect, as Evander has seven goals and five assists in 14 appearances, and Denkey has nine goals in 15 games. As a team, Cincinnati has scored 24 goals and conceded 22, so it’s been a balanced campaign to this point. It’ll be coming to the end of a stretch of three straight road games, as Cincy will be away to the New England Revolution on June 14 and then at CF Montreal on June 25, so it’ll also be traveling on short rest. That said, aside from the Philadelphia Union, Cincy is the toughest team the Lions will have faced in MLS play, and stopping both Evander and Denkey is far from an easy task. This reeks of a draw that has a couple of goals for each team, so that’s what I’ll be going with.
Prediction: Orlando City 2-2 FC Cincinnati.
There you have it. I’ve scrutinized the tea leaves and you now know what the path ahead holds for the Lions. Be sure to check back in at the end of June so you can marvel at how stunningly accurate my forecast was. Until then, feel free to either disagree or tell me how crystal clear my visions are down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/30/25
Orlando City players called up, Orlando Pride sign Simone Jackson, USWNT gets ready to play China, and more.

Happy Friday! It’s been a bit of a brutal week, but we’ve made it through. Our reward is an exciting weekend of soccer to enjoy to close out the month. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working, but it should still be a nice next few days. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.
Lions Called Up For International Duty
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was predictably called up for Peru’s CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. Peru is ninth in the standings and will take on Colombia June 6 before hosting Ecuador on June 10.
Defender David Brekalo was called up by Slovenian for a pair of friendlies against Luxembourg and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These matches will help prepare Slovenia for World Cup qualifying this fall against Sweden, Switzerland, and Kosovo.
A few Young Lions are also heading to Europe for the UEFA Friendship Cup in Switzerland. The U.S. will represent Concacaf at the U-18 tournament, and OCB players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were called up for it.
Orlando Pride Sign Simone Jackson
The Orlando Pride signed forward Simone Jackson to a contract through the 2028 season. Jackson played at the University of Southern California for four years, recording 22 goals and 13 assists in 75 games, and trained with the Pride during the preseason. Internationally, she’s represented the U.S. at various youth levels and scored a goal in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The 22-year-old gives Orlando some helpful depth up front and can develop her game learning from some of the best attackers in the sport as well.
USWNT Prepares For Friendly Against China
The United States Women’s National Team will take on China Saturday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN in the first of two friendlies during this international window. Orlando Pride defenders Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up to join a young roster as the team builds a foundation before the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Goalkeeper will continue to be a position to watch, as opportunity knocks for Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Mandy McGlynn, and Claudia Dickey to stake a claim as the team’s starter. Following this match, the USWNT will take on Jamaica in St. Louis on Tuesday before a pair of friendlies against Ireland later in June.
Denver’s NWSL Team Hires First General Manager
Denver’s NWSL team hired Curt Johnson to serve as the club’s first general manager. He will have the opportunity to build the team’s roster and staff from the ground up before the team takes the field as an expansion side in 2026. Johnson left the North Carolina Courage in December and was the chief soccer officer when the club dominated the league in 2018 and 2019. It looks like a solid hire in my opinion and I’m interested to see what kind of team he puts together in Denver.
Free Kicks
- Racing Louisville forward Kayla Fischer was suspended for an additional two games for pulling Madison Hammond down to the ground by her hair. As a result, she’ll miss Louisville’s game against the Pride on June 20.
- Washington Spirit Head Coach Jonatan Giraldez is reportedly in talks to manage OL Lyonnes.
- The Independent Review Panel rescinded the second yellow card Chicago Fire midfielder Dje D’Avilla received on May 25, meaning he’ll be available for the Fire’s game against Orlando on Saturday.
- AC Milan fired Sergio Conceicao after finishing eighth in the Serie A standings and losing in the Italian Cup final. The club has reportedly reached an agreement with Massimiliano Allegri for him to take over as manager.
- Angel Di Maria will return to his boyhood club of Rosario Central in Argentina’s top flight. The 37-year-old started his career at Rosario in 2005. He’ll still play for Benfica in the Club World Cup this summer.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory against Chicago at home?

Orlando City ends May the way it began, with a match against the Chicago Fire. The Lions are coming off a wild and disappointing match against rival Atlanta United. I always worry about a team after such an emotional outing, and on short rest to boot, especially since the Fire were off during the midweek. How the team reacts will determine the result. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points from Chicago at home?
Defend this House
Much like the last time, Orlando City will need to deal with Hugo Cuypers and the rest of Chicago’s attack. The Lions likely won’t get the benefit of having Chris Brady sent off in the 36th minute again, meaning they will need to defend more attacks for a longer time. In the last match, Chicago took 16 shots, putting eight of those on target. Limiting those chances will be critical.
I expect to see Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo starting on the back line despite having done so Wednesday night. No cheap giveaways, no errant arms away from the body in the box, just solid defending for 90 plus minutes. The Lions will have to do it without Cesar Araujo, thanks to his sending off against Atlanta. I think they can, but it will be more difficult without him.
Atuesta Ahoy
Eduard Atuesta played the full 90 minutes against the Portland Timbers, and then played limited minutes against Atlanta United. I completely agreed with that strategy, because he did not need to be playing too many minutes so soon after returning. He is also working back to full fitness. He will be rested for this home match, and the pitch conditions will be much better.
We were reminded of how good he is in the attacking midfield in that match against Portland. I need him to provide those slicing passes through tiny windows against the Chicago defense. Joran Gerbet has proven to be a steal in the draft, but he doesn’t yet have that extra bit of quality you see from Atuesta. Look for him to break Chicago’s lines.
Early and Often
Orlando City will come in on three days rest, whereas Chicago will be on six days rest. This match will also be the Lions’ ninth match in May — their seventh in the league and two more in the U.S. Open Cup. To say that tired legs will be a concern is an understatement. As such, Orlando City needs to jump out to an early lead as it did against Atlanta.
Fortunately, there was more rotation in the attack on Wednesday for Orlando City with Ramiro Enrique getting the start. That means Luis Muriel will be fresh for a start on the much nicer grass at Inter&Co Stadium. I’ll take a goal from Muriel, or frankly any Orlando player. Heck, Jansson is due for one, right? Multiple goals will likely be needed to secure a victory.
That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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