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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 2-0 as Lions’ Unbeaten Run Ends with a Thud

The Lions struggled yet again on a baseball field in an awful-looking road loss to NYCFC but clinched a playoff spot anyway.

Published

3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. It was the Lions who chose to sleep tonight, as the lads in purple turned in a performance as ugly as the pitch at Citi Field in a 2-0 loss to a New York City FC team that hasn’t been able to buy a goal recently. Mounsef Bakrar and Talles Magno scored on either side of halftime to lead the hosts to the win.

Orlando City saw its six-match unbeaten run snapped and fell to 7-8-7 in the all-time series, missing an opportunity to gain points on FC Cincinnati and allowing Columbus to close within two points. However, D.C. United’s draw against Atlanta United clinched the Lions a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs for the fourth straight season.

“We would have loved to celebrate (making the playoffs) with a victory today and a better result and a better performance but we couldn’t. We have no excuses,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We’re responsible for the things we do good and the things that we don’t do good. We played against a good team. I think they had the best chances. We had a few. We were not sharp in that end but we were not sharp in our defensive side either.”

Pareja’s starting lineup was nearly the same as in Saturday’s win over Columbus. Pedro Gallese was in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Wilder Cartagena returned to the lineup, replacing Felipe alongside Cesar Araujo in central midfield. Facundo Torres was also back in the starting lineup, replacing Martin Ojeda on the attacking midfield line with Ivan Angulo and Mauricio Pereyra, while Ramiro Enrique got his second straight start up top.

Despite the strong lineup, the Lions could hardly have had a worse performance or result with a heavily rotated side and now the starters will be tasked with playing their third match in eight days when Inter Miami visits this weekend. On a small pitch, where movement has to be quicker and more precise, the Lions were neither.

The first few minutes of the game consisted of the teams fouling each other in the midfield. The hosts then got the game’s first big chance off of one of those fouls. New York City FC played a long-distance set piece short and worked it to the middle of the field before sending a chipped ball over the top. Orlando’s deefending was awful and two NYCFC players got in behind. Former Lion Andres Perea took a pass from Richie Ledezma and fired a shot from point-blank range. However, Gallese made a huge stop on his former teammate in the fourth minute.

Moments later, Perea whiffed on his initial shot attempt near the top of the area, then sent a half-volley, follow-up shot well over the bar as Orlando City struggled to get into the attacking half, as has often been the case on these baseball fields up north.

Orlando did get forward for the first time in the seventh minute, winning a corner, but Torres left his cross too close to Freese, who knocked it away.

The Lions managed their best attack of the half in the 22nd minute, as the ball was sent from right to left, where it ended up with Torres. The Uruguayan found his countryman Pereyra near the top of the area, but the captain’s first-time shot deflected off a defender and out for a corner. The ensuing set piece found Santos at the near post but his redirected shot hit the outside netting.

NYCFC’s second excellent opportunity came two minutes later. Andres Jasson was well covered near the right sideline but somehow got in an accurate cross and Schlegel lost track of Bakrar, but the home team’s forward headed it over the bar.

The breakthrough went the hosts’ way after an Orlando turnover in the middle of the pitch. Enrique followed Santiago Rodriguez down the left sideline and when the opposing attacker cut into the box, Schlegel came over to close the play down. Before the defender got there, Rodriguez’s foot made contact with Enrique’s. The referee initially gave a goal kick but then took a brief look himself before awarding a penalty.

Gallese made a terrific diving save to stop the Rodriguez penalty, but Bakrar was first to the ball and headed it into the far corner to make it 1-0 in the 37th minute. Orlando players appealed for an encroachment call but the goal stood.

“I got the ball, played it into (Enrique’s) feet and was going to go for a one-two,” Thorhallsson said about the play that led to the penalty. He played it behind me and then he was tracking back and I was right behind him. I didn’t see the penalty but it looked like a penalty. And then Pedro saves the penalty, and I would say me and Rodri made the mistake of not blocking the guy to get the ball. So, just a fiasco and something we need to look into — me and everybody. Me especially.”

Neither team got a clear-cut look for the rest of the half but Torres earned a free kick in a dangerous spot in stoppage time. Pereyra went for goal but fired over the bar on the last chance of the opening period.

Orlando City finished with more first-half possession (56.4%-43.6%) but most of that was kicking it around the back line, looking for a way to break out on the narrow field. The Lions also somehow managed more shot attempts (6-5), although it didn’t seem like it, as most of them were of the non-dangerous variety, won more corners (2-1), and had the edge in passing accuracy (84%-81.3%). However, again, that’s largely due to passing it around the back line and back to Gallese. NYCFC fired more shots on target (3-1).

The Lions nearly equalized two minutes after the restart. A good cross from Santos found its way through traffic to Torres, but the ball was a bit behind him and he couldn’t direct it on frame as it fizzed wide.

Gallese then made a good save in the 51st minute when a shot from outside the box by Bakrar was deflected by Jansson’s foot. Perea got a free header on the ensuing corner but hit his shot right at his former teammate in goal.

Pareja sent fresh attackers on in the 59th minute, introducing Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, and Luca Petrasso for Cartagena, Enrique, and Santos. Seconds later, a ball fell kindly for Pereyra outside the box but he squibbed his shot badly off target.

Orlando appealed for a handball in the 62nd minute off a long throw by Araujo but there was no whistle. The Lions then had a prolonged spell of poor defense. It started with a free look for Magno in the box but he slipped while cutting inside for a better shot. He got his goal three minutes later as he found himself between an inattentive Schlegel and Thorhallsson, with neither player actually marking him.

The Lions learned nothing from the previous open looks by NYCFC and left Perea unmarked on a corner in the 77th minute. The former Lion sent his shot right at Gallese, however. Two minutes after that, Birk Risa was the man free for a header but sent it over the bar with Araujo not paying him closely enough.

Orlando got on the front foot down the stretch but couldn’t create anything dangerous from its possession. Ojeda won a couple of corners. Schlegel sent one of those headed just wide of the right post. Petrasso had a shot blocked late and the game’s last chance was a soft pop-up header by McGuire that went down as just the team’s second shot on target of the night.

There were no late-match heroics on this night.

Orlando City held the final edge in possession (59.5%-40.5%) and passed more accurately (83.6%-78%), but NYCFC finished with more (16-11), way more shots on frame (7-2), and corners (6-5). The only two shots on frame by the Lions couldn’t have been easier for Freese to handle.

“I don’t think we had a spark today, but I think we were a little predictable,” Pareja said. “I thought we had more problems today with dealing with the spaces and trying to put ourselves into the map of the field. We have to be able to do it, but we couldn’t do it. New York neutralized those things. They condensed with many numbers in behind. We tried to do the same but we were not effective.”

“It’s a little bit hard to be happy,” Thorhallsson said about clinching a playoff spot. “We can say sweet and sour emotion but of course it’s a little more sour because we lost the game.”

The Lions have another short turnaround, returning home for a Sunday night Tropic Thunder showdown against Inter Miami at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Final Score 1-0 as Griezmann’s Goal Enough for Lions Win

Antoine Griezmann’s first-half goal and a stout defensive effort lifted the Lions to a hard-fought home win.

Published

2 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Maxime Crepeau giving his team instructions.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Antoine Griezmann’s first-half goal was all that separated Orlando City and San Diego FC in their first-ever meeting. The French superstar’s teammates had numerous chances to double the lead for Orlando (8-11-4, 28 points), coming within inches at times, but that one strike was enough for a victory over San Diego (8-9-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium.

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who lost his father just days ago, made two saves, and a defense that has struggled at times, held firm against San Diego to keep a clean sheet. The club held a moment of silence for Crepeau’s father before the match started.

“My respect for (Crepeau), for his family. We are proud of him in the way he faced this situation, and we support him like the family we are,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We should finish the game earlier. We couldn’t, but we defended. We fight. The players did an amazing effort, and now we’re thinking of the next (game).”

Perelman’s lineup featured Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Joran Gerbet and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Justin Ellis with Griezmann and Daryl Dike leading the attack.

The Lions started brightly, creating the first chance just a few minutes after kickoff. Griezmann found Ellis with a nice ball forward. The young attacker got to the ball first but misfired on his initial shot. Ellis eventually regathered and shot but sent his effort wide in the fourth minute. Three minutes later, Griezmann fired from the right channel, but San Diego goalkeeper CJ dos Santos made a good diving save, getting his right hand on it to keep the game scoreless.

Referee Joe Dickerson let the game get physical, ignoring Atuesta getting upended at midfield and a ball that might have had Dike in behind the defense had he not been grabbed and clipped. The big striker didn’t get a clean look at goal as a result of the no calls.

San Diego started to settle into the game as it reached the quarter-hour mark, seeing more of the possession and starting to build some looks at goal. The visitors had the ball in the net off a recycled corner kick in the 13th minute but the play was offside.

A free header by Onni Valakari went wide in the 17th minute as San Diego continued to gain rhythm and look for openings in the Orlando defense.

The Lions started looking more for transition opportunities with San Diego pressing high. One such play nearly came off in the 18th minute. Dorsey sent a ball to the back post on the counter with perhaps better options trailing. Angulo collected it on the left and sent it back in for Griezmann, who tried a bicycle kick but just missed getting onto it. The ball fell to Dorsey for a shot that deflected to Dike. The striker stuck a toe out and made contact with it but couldn’t direct it on frame.

Crepeau made a big save at the near post to deny Anders Dreyer in the 22nd minute, blocking it behind for a corner. Orlando dealt with the set piece and broke the other way. Dorsey had options in transition but he tried to pick out Griezmann and San Diego’s defense headed it behind for an Orlando corner. The ball pinged around off of various heads on the ensuing set piece until Dike was called for a foul on Oscar Verhoeven on an aerial duel.

The Lions broke the scoreless deadlock in the 28th minute. Jansson sent a great long ball over the top for Dike, who turned on the jets and got to it first on the right side of the penalty area. Dike slipped the ball past a defender to Ellis, who turned and found Griezmann. The Frenchman fired a right-footed shot from the right side that found the inside of the left post to make it 1-0. Ellis and Dike picked up assists on Griezmann’s fifth MLS goal in just eight matches.

“I think we just noticed that they’re playing this high line, even when there was no pressure on the ball,” Ellis said. “And when we have center backs like this on the ball, like Robin, David, when you give them time and space, it’s an opportunity, you know. And then (Jansson) puts a nice ball to Daryl — and adding Daryl to the squad and to the team is crucial, you know, because we didn’t really have that threat in behind. But me and Grizi (Griezmann), we like the ball at our feet, but Daryl has like this physical presence, and you know, he got in behind and kept calm, played me, and then I just checked my my shoulder, saw Grizi, and then…I mean every single time I pass him the ball, I have a feeling like he can do something. So that’s why I’m always looking for him. And it was a nice finish.”

The teams paused for a hydration break moments after the goal, and the action slowed as time wound down on the first half. San Diego fired into the side netting in the 38th minute but the play was offside anyway. Orlando’s best opportunity came when Ellis made a good run through traffic a minute later, but the play broke down when he unselfishly tried to slip the ball through traffic to Griezmann and the defense knocked it away.

That was it for the big moments in the opening period and after four minutes of added time, Dickerson blew the halftime whistle.

At the break, San Diego held the advantage in possession (55.6%-44.4%), passing accuracy (92.9%-90.1%), and corners (2-1). The Lions attempted more shots (6-3) and put more on target (2-1).

The teams opened the second half cautiously, with San Diego continuing to press high in the attacking end. Perelman made his first substitution in the 51st minute, sending Martin Ojeda in for Rhein, who played well in his return from a thigh injury.

Ellis made a good move to lead Orlando on the break in the 53rd minute. Dike fired from the right but Ian Murphy deflected it wide for a corner, but the Lions didn’t threaten from the set piece.

Ojeda worked himself free for an open shot just outside the box in the 59th minute but dos Santos went down to make a diving stop.

Atuesta won a corner on the recycled attack but again Orlando couldn’t pay it off.

Gabriel Pirani shot wide of the right post from the left for San Diego in the 69th minute on a shot that had little on it. Crepeau simply watched it roll gently out for a goal kick.

The Lions should have doubled the lead in the 72nd minute. Ojeda found Angulo in transition, putting the speedy attacker in on goal. Angulo rounded dos Santos despite a heavy touch and had a wide-open net. He went down from a light tug on the shoulder as he shot but got nothing on his effort, which Kieran Sargeant blocked on the line. Angulo wanted a penalty but it wasn’t much of a tug and he still should have scored. A yellow card was shown to the Orlando bench at the next stoppage for dissent.

Orlando had a couple of other near misses down the stretch. Ojeda showed he isn’t quite game sharp yet, as he and Griezmann nearly connected in the 84th minute. The Lions managed to win a corner off of it but couldn’t connect on the set piece. Substitute Luis Otavio picked up a yellow card to break up a potential counter off of the corner.

Substitute Tyrese Spicer got down the left flank in the 87th minute and sent a tantalizing low cross that somehow failed to find Ojeda or Marco Pasalic in the middle. Griezmann picked it up on the far right but dos Santos blocked his shot behind for another corner.

Midfielder Wilder Cartagena thought he’d scored on the ensuing set piece. The ball fell for him near the top of the area and he fired it toward goal. The ball looked like it hit the crossbar and then came off Manu Duah’s rear end and fell at the goal line. Part of the ball was across, but not the whole ball, and the spin carried it back out for San Diego to clear.

Nine minutes of stoppage time seemed like a lot, but there was little of note in those added minutes. San Diego’s best chance at an equalizer fell to Dreyer just outside the area right in the middle. The Designated Player fired a shot that hit the right post and stayed out, skipping out of play for a goal kick. After a late set piece, the match was over.

At full time, San Diego held the advantage in possession (54.2%-45.8%) and passing accuracy (91.5%-88.3%). Orlando City finished with more shots (15-7), shots on target (5-2), and corner, kicks (6-4).

“The win was very important,” Crepeau said. “We started the game confidently with the ball. Obviously, we were able to to hit them when their line was high sometimes, and then they were dangerous in transition in a couple of those moments, but we were able to shut the dangerous plays, and then the second half it was about finishing the game strong.”

It was obviously an emotional shutout win for the Canadian goalkeeper, which was visible when the final whistle blew.

“I’m grateful to be in a place where I’ve had so much support and love from my teammates, the staff, everybody in the organization, the city of Orlando,” Crepeau said. “I’ve had so many messages from all around the world, former teammates, even guys that I’ve played against, from Canada to the U.S., coast to coast. I’ve received so many messages. So, thank you to every single one of of the people that reached out. It’s something that I’m grateful (for), and I don’t take that support for granted.”

The Lions have a short turnaround with a road match Wednesday night in Atlanta.

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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

15 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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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!

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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

2 days 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!

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