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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando’s 1-0 victory in the Music City?

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continued its winning ways with a 1-0 businesslike road victory against Nashville SC. With shots and scoring opportunities scarce throughout the match, Orlando City made the most of its limited chances late in the first half as Duncan McGuire returned to the scoresheet. The club then put on a defensive clinic throughout the second half and turned away Nashville time and again, allowing just two second-half shots (and blocking both). The win continued to build on a record-setting season for the club for both most points (57) and most wins (16) in a season since the Lions joined MLS in 2015.

Here’s how I saw each individual performance in what may have been a preview of Orlando’s first round playoff matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — For the second match in a row, the Peruvian goalkeeper found himself with little to do, earning a clean sheet without having to make a save. Gallese faced no shots on target on the night and completed 65.4% of his 26 passes, including eight of his 16 long balls. El Pulpo set a new personal single season record for clean sheets in a season, recordeing his 10th on the year, surpassing his previous high of nine, which he set last year. He came off his line to punch away a cross or two but largely wasn’t given enough to do to earn a higher grade.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 — The Brazilian left back put in another solid effort on both ends of the pitch against a dangerous Nashville attacking front. On the offensive side of the ball, Santos logged a key pass and one successful dribble. He completed his lone crossing attempt on the night, but none of his three long balls found their target. He passed 51 times at an 88.2% rate. Santos was defensively solid, recording two tackles, making an interception, winning an aerial duel, and logging one clearance. Santos committed one foul and ultimately continued to prove his worth on the back line.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede was cooking all night long as the heart and soul of Orlando’s defense. He also got more into the attack than in matches past, making several lung-busting runs down the field, where he logged one successful dribble. Jansson had a tackle and a team-high four clearances as he broke up plays left and right, especially when Nashville was hunting for an equalizer. Fans held their collective breaths when Jansson went down in the first half after the full weight of Sam Surridge unintentionally found the top of his boot, but after some attendance from the training staff Jansson was able to soldier on. He completed 84.4% of his 64 passes, including two of his seven long balls, committed one foul, and won an aerial duel.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 (MotM) — Schlegel did his usual Schlegel things in this match, seemingly getting under the skin of the Nashville attacking players from the jump. He logged one tackle, one interception, and three clearances while also recording a team-high three blocked shots, including a vital one on Hany Mukhtar late in the second half. The center back committed two fouls. He attempted 60 passes, completing 90% of them, but was only successful on one of his seven long balls attempted. There is something to be said about the luxury of having Rodri fill in during Antonio Carlos’ extended absence and Schlegel deserves a lot of credit for being prepared match after match.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Smith got the nod to start during the midweek fixture, replacing Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. The accountant played a solid but ultimately unremarkable game while fighting off attempts from Nashville. Smith recorded one successful dribble but was unsuccessful on both of his crossing attempts. Defensively, he had just one tackle, but two clearances, and he won an aerial duel. Smith completed 88% of his 50 passes and was accurate on four of his seven attempted long balls. He was subbed off in the 85th minute when Orlando brought on Thorhallsson and Carlos in an attempt to protect the one goal lead.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — Araujo did a little bit of everything throughout the match. The 22-year-old led the Lions with a team-high 84 touches and 75 attempted passes, and completed 92% of his attempts. He earned two fouls for the Lions while committing none. Along with his defensive midfield partner, Wilder Cartagena, Araujo did a fine job of keeping former MVP Hany Mukhtar in check. The Uruguayan contributed one tackle, one interception, and one clearance while pestering Nashville.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Like Araujo, the Peruvian was given the tall task of defending Mukhtar and did well to be in the right place to alter runs or stymie the buildup. Cartagena was fouled twice on the night and committed two fouls as well, picking up a yellow card. Surprisingly, he did not record a tackle, interception, or clearance but he did record one blocked shot. He won two aerial duels and completed 89.1% of his 64 passes while also connecting on one of his two long balls.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — The Argentinian Designated Player got the start for the midweek clash. Ojeda has quietly put together a solid first year in MLS and built upon it by logging his 10th assist across all competitions on the winning goal for Orlando City. Sprung down the left side on a ball by Mauricio Pereyra, Ojeda curled a key pass to a streaking McGuire, who flicked it off the near post and in to put Orlando ahead just before halftime. Defensively, Ojeda contributed one tackle and a clearance. He was successful on 73.3% of his 30 passes and landed one of his two long balls and one of two crosses. It was a solid outing for the DP, who keeps adding to his season totals in goals and assists.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain had little room to work most of the night but was responsible for unleashing Ojeda right before Orlando scored. He missed on both of his long ball attempts and completed 80.6% of his 36 passes. Defensively, he contributed a tackle and an interception on an otherwise pedestrian night for the leader of the squad.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Speaking of quiet nights, Torres was coming off of one of his most dominant performances of the season, but he struggled to find the same impact against an aggressive Nashville defense. In defense of Torres, if would have been slightly easier to get water from a stone than to get any type of clean touch on the ball when he was constantly shoved in the back on almost every touch. Torres did not record a tackle, clearance, or interception and logged two successful dribbles while being fouled once (officially). He completed 81.8% of his 33 passes and his lone cross attempt from the endline sheepishly found the side of the net without posing much of a threat. Torres was subbed off in the 71st minute and thanks to missing out on 11 minutes of stoppage time was able to get some extra rest during a congested week.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7 — The rookie logged his 10th goal of the MLS season to provide the winning margin. There was a lot of talka bout whether he was onside, but the flag stayed down and video review showed that his run was in line with Ojeda’s pass. Besides finding the back of the net on his only shot attempt, McGuire completed seven of his 10 passes (70%) and completed one successful dribble while winning a foul and committing one. McGuire won a team-high three aerial duels.

Substitutes

MF, Ivan Angulo (65′), 5.5 — Oscar Pareja elected to bring on straight speed in the 65th minute by introducing Angulo and Ramiro Enrique into the match. While neither had a direct impact on the score sheet, their pace proved to be a issue for Nashville throughout the final half hour. Angulo completed all nine of his passes and logged one clearance and one interception. Based upon the congestion of fixtures this week, I expect Angulo to be back in the starting lineup for the home finale.

F, Ramiro Enrique (65′), 5.5 — Enrique came on alongside Angulo and brought plenty of energy with him. Enrique’s pace was a problem for the Nashville back line, but despite having at least two quality chances to go to goal, Enrique held up his attack to look for teammates, which ultimately resulted in the attack fizzling out. He completed 72.7% of his passes, won an aerial duel, and was fouled once.

MF, Junior Urso (72′), 6 — The Bear made another cameo off the bench for Orlando, this time spelling Torres. He had one successful dribble and was fouled once, and technically recorded a shot, which he tried from approximately the next county over. It was one of only two attempts all night by Orlando, though. Defensively he had one tackle and a clearance. Urso completed 72.2% of his 18 passes over the final third of the match and frustrated Nashville’s comeback efforts by winning a bunch of throw-ins and moving the ball quickly to his teammates.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (85′), N/A — The converted defender got some midweek rest before being called in to close out the match. Thorhallsson completed 50% of his four passes in limited action on the pitch. I would anticipate that he will be back in the starting lineup this Saturday.

D, Antonio Carlos (85′), N/A — A welcome sight for any Orlando City fan — and surely for the back line and Gallese as well — Carlos made his return to the field after an extended absence due to injury. The Brazilian center back got right to work, recording two clearances in quick succession and completed his lone pass on the night.

That’s how I saw the individual performances by the Lions. Let me know where you agree and disagree in the comments and make sure to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs Atlanta United: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Secure First Win in Atlanta Since 2023

Orlando puts five goals in the net, three for themselves and two for Atlanta, in a tight road win thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s brace.

Published

2 hours ago

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September 9, 2026

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Image of Ivan Angulo controlling the ball between two Atlanta defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Even though Atlanta jumped out to an early lead off an own goal, Antoine Griezmann continued his torrid play since joining Orlando City with a brace to secure the win. Ivan Angulo picked up a goal as well as Orlando (9-11-4, 31 points) continued its march up the standings and held off Atlanta (6-14-4, 22 points) which is trying to make its own push in the Eastern Conference.

“We got into the last part of the season, the most stressful, beautiful, and important moment of the season. We’re ready to go,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “We will fight with our weapons: our organization, the talent of our players, and the effort.”

Perelman made one change to the lineup, giving Martin Ojeda his first start since returning from injury. Maxime Crepeau started 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 Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda up front.

The teams exchanged pleasantries for the first five minutes with each wasting a cross opportunity. In the seventh minute, Atlanta played a short corner and the ensuing cross found the Paulo Diaz’s head. He knocked it in front of goal, where Breel Embolo, pirouetting in the air, knocked it into the path of Brekalo, who deflected the ball into the goal. The goal was reviewed for offside, but it was ruled that Angulo kept Atlanta onside on the set piece.

Miguel Almiron found himself open at the top of the box four minutes later but laced his shot wide. After some back-and-forth, Ojeda found himself one-on-one versus Five Stripes goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos but couldn’t get the shot around him.

That repeated itself at the 19-minute mark as Jansson sent a through ball onto a streaking Ojeda, but he took it too wide with a heavy touch and bounced his shot off Hoyos. On the recycle, Ojeda sent a blazing cross right across the mouth of goal, but Dorsey’s tap-in from point-blank range went high off his weaker left foot.

In the 22nd minute, Almiron found himself alone down the left side and switched the ball to Embolo going down the right. Embolo gathered it and then rocketed a shot to the near post, but Crepeau was there to knock it away.

After some good opportunities went to waste, Orlando found the equalizer on a half chance 26 minutes in. Gerbet played a give-and-go with Dorsey and, with the return ball, the midfielder sent a sharp ball to the front of the goal, where Griezmann slid in to deflect it through Hoyos.

The teams settled down a bit after those opening salvos and played a bit more conservatively. Finally, at the 37-minute mark, Tomas Jacob found himself open on the right and put a paced cross toward the goal mouth and a waiting Embolo, but Jansson cleared it out. The teams continued to be very slow in their buildup and generated nothing over the next few minutes. Atlanta tried to break loose on a long clearance in the 42nd minute, and Brekalo missed on a tackle, tripping an open Embolo and earning the first yellow card of the match.

These recaps usually capture dangerous moments as they happen. This game just did not have much of that. Whether it was fatigue with both teams having played in the heat of Florida on Saturday or playing not to give the opponent anything, the two sides passed the ball around and failed to generate anything the rest of the half.

Orlando City led at the half in shots (7-6), shots on goal (3-1), passing accuracy (89%-85%), and possession (58%-42%). Atlanta had one more corner (5-4).

Both sides sent in a substitute to start the second half. Orlando brought in Zakaria Taifi for Dorsey and Atlanta brought in Adrian Gill for Jay Fortune. Neither substitute changed the complexion of the game as both teams continued their cagey play.

Finally, in the 59th minute, Jansson played a ball over the top to Ojeda, who drew out Hoyos and tapped the ball over to Angulo, who knocked in his second goal of the season into the empty net. It was originally declared offside by the assistant referee, but the video assistant referee called for a review and the referee correclty overturned the offside decision.

Atlanta brought in Luke Brennan for Tristan Muyumba at the 64-minute mark. Atlanta then started to respond with two dangerous crosses that led to shots, but both plays were offside. Jacob picked up a yellow card 67 minutes in with a harsh challenge from behind Rhein in Orlando’s penalty area.

Perelman tried to inject some energy in the 71st minute with Tyrese Spicer replacing Rhein. Two minutes later, Wilder Cartagena came on for Ojeda. Cartagena was involved in Orlando’s next goal, so Perelman’s choice was rewarded.

Cartagena turned over Atlanta right outside the penalty box and laid the ball off to Griezmann. He ran a give-and-go with Ellis, took the return pass from the teenager, and passed the ball by Hoyos for his brace.

With his second brace of the season, Griezmann is on a four-game goal-scoring streak and has scored six goals in those last four games.

Both sides substituted after the goal. Atlanta brought on Sergio Santos, Fafa Picault, and Enea Mihaj for Embolo, Paulo Diaz, and Aleksey Miranchuk. Orlando substituted Iago on for Brekalo.

Atlanta had a chance in the 90th minute. Ellis picked up a yellow card for holding back Santos. On the ensuing free kick, Almiron put it at the back post to Elias Baez, who headed it across the mouth. Crepeau missed the save and the ball bounced toward the goal line where Griezmann cleared it off the line by a whisker.

Headed balls showed up again as stoppage time wound down. Seven minutes into added time, Mihaj headed the ball off a cross toward the goal mouth again, only this time it deflected off an unsuspecting Spicer and went right into the goal. Even in a close 3-2 game, Orlando scored all five. The Lions withstood nine minutes of injury time and claimed all three points on the road.

The two teams tied in shots at 14 apiece. Orlando City finished ahead in shots on target (7-2), possession (55%-45%), and passing accuracy (89%-86%). Atlanta kept its lead in corners (7-5).

“We played a good game. We controlled it except for the last 10 minutes and the first 10,” said Gerbet. “We felt the first goal wasn’t good for the team. We felt a little bit slow.”

Orlando City hosts Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter.co Stadium before traveling to Columbus for the U.S. Open Cup semifinal matchup against the Crew on Wednesday.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head north to Atlanta for a midweek rivalry matchup.

Published

14 hours ago

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September 9, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda taking a shot against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (8-11-4, 28 points) and Atlanta United (6-13-4, 22 points) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the second of the two MLS regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals and the third matchup between them in 2026 in all competitions.

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

History

The Lions are 5-11-8 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-5-4 on the road. Orlando City is 7-12-8 against tonight’s opponents in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup).

Orlando City and Atlanta United met most recently on May 19 in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, with the Lions mauling the Five Stripes 4-1 in Orlando. David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey, and Tiago provided the offense, with the latter scoring a brace to more than offset Atlanta’s late goal by Emmanuel Latte Lath that spoiled the shutout.

That U.S. Open Cup game came just three nights after the sides played to a 1-1 draw — also in Orlando. Dorsey gave Orlando the lead early but the Lions squandered chances to extend their advantage, allowing Jay Fortune’s late goal to steal a point for the visitors.

The Lions led 2-1 in Atlanta on May 28, 2025, on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off by getting his hands up in the face of an opponent. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams had met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26, and the Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra’s beautiful free kick gave Orlando the lead. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, and Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting of 2020 took place on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one. Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 road win on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 1-0 victory over San Diego FC on Saturday in the first meeting between the two clubs. Antoine Griezmann provided the game’s only goal in the first half, while Ivan Angulo frustratingly blew a sitter in the second half that could have provided some breathing room. Orlando’s defense played well, allowing few chances to get the shutout. That win gave Orlando City a modest three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1), with the draw coming on the road at Minnesota United in a match the Lions controlled until a three-goal lapse on defense. It was a costly dropped two points and underscored the team’s paltry 2-7-2 road record this season.

Atlanta enters tonight winless in its last two games (0-1-1), but came from behind to draw Inter Miami 2-2 on the road Saturday night. The tying goal was supplied by new Designated Player Breel Embolo from the penalty spot. The Five Stripes also added Mauricio Amaro, Paulo Díaz, and Júnior Alonso looking to retool a team that was recently in the Eastern Conference basement but is now five points behind the final playoff spot. Atlanta United is 4-6-1 at home this season.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Embolo, Almiron, and Miranchuk in particular, but the Lions can’t switch off in their own end regardless of who is on the pitch and what the score is.

The Lions will be without Adrian Marin (thigh) and Braian Ojeda (foot), while Atlanta will be missing Giuliano Galoppo (not due to injury) and Cooper Sanchez (concussion protocol), while Steven Alzate (illness) is questionable.

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, Martin Ojeda.

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

Atlanta United (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Lucas Hoyos.

Defenders: Elias Baez, Junior Alonso, Paulo Diaz, Tomas Jacob.

Midfielders: Mauricio Amaro, Tristan Muyumba, Jay Fortune.

Forward: Miguel Almiron, Aleksey Miranchuk, Breel Embolo.

Bench: Jayden Hibbert, Enea Mihaj, Matthew Edwards, Will Reilly, Adrian Gill, Cayman Togashi, Sergio Santos, Fafa Picault, Luke Brennan.

Referees:

REF: Armando Villarreal.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Kevin Lock.
4TH: Amin Hadzic.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Jason White.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Mercedez-Benz Stadium — Atlanta.

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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Lion Links: 9/9/26

Orlando City plays Atlanta, Griezmann gets fined, Banda a Ballon d’Or contender, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

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September 9, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann taking a set piece against Monterrey in Leagues Cup action.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s also match day for Orlando City. The fixture congestion is back for the next couple of weeks which means plenty of opportunity to watch the Lions in action. I’m looking forward to seeing Martin Ojeda fully integrate back into the offense with Antione Griezmann. We will have more match prep later today, but for now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Heads to Atlanta

Orlando City is headed north to take on Atlanta United tonight. Both teams have been playing better of late, but this is still an opportunity for the Lions to get all three points from a rival on the road. Atlanta has struggled to score goals this season, and Orlando City’s offensive weapons are many, and the team is rising up the MLS power rankings, thanks to the win over San Diego FC. It’s a double match week, so it will be interesting to see how Atlanta rotates players based on availability.

Grizi Gets Fined

The MLS Disciplinary Committee has fined Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann an undisclosed amount for violating the League’s policy regarding throwing/kicking an object toward fans in the match against San Diego FC. Here is the “incident” in case you missed it during the match.

If the fine was more than a dollar, it was too much. That’s not true, a dollar is also too much.

Pride in the News

The Orlando Pride made history in the 3-1 win over the Houston Dash. The victory made Yolanda Thomas the first Black woman in a head coach’s role in NWSL history, and only the fourth female coach to win their first-ever NWSL match in charge. It also comes as no surprise that Barbra Banda is a nominee for the Women’s Ballon d’Or.

Pochettino’s Big Plans

Mauricio Pochettino wants to make the USMNT one of the “most powerful” international teams in the world. That is a pretty ambitious goal, though I like the high aspirations. Pochettino is now in charge of the procedural and developmental sides of the game. He will have some time to experiment before the next World Cup, including utilizing more MLS homegrowns.

Free Kicks

  • Marco Pasalic has been called up to the Croatian National Team for the UEFA Nations League matches later this month and in the first part of October. Croatia will be playing Czechia, England, and Spain.
  • Ivan Angulo will be sporting a new look at the match tonight. Hopefully it helps him score goals on his breakaway opportunities.

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for live match updates and we will also have a recap of the match tonight and more coverage tomorrow. Vamos Orlando!

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