Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Ride Duncan McGuire’s Brace to Victory

The Lions closed the season with another shutout win on the strength of two more goals by the rookie striker.

Published

1 year ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Duncan McGuire came off the bench in the second half and scored twice to lead Orlando City to a 2-0 road victory over Toronto FC at BMO Field on Decision Day. With the win, the Lions (18-7-9, 63 points) clinched the best road record in MLS (9-4-4) and extended their unbeaten run against Toronto (4-20-4, 16 points) to eight consecutive matches (6-0-2), completing a season sweep of the Reds for the second straight year.

“We’re very happy with the performance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The players have (had) a great season but the most important part is is coming. It was not easy for us. It’s a difficult place.”

Pareja’s lineup was a heavily rotated one, with backups starting just about all over the field. Mason Stajduhar started in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo was joined in central midfield by Felipe behind an attacking line of Gaston Gonzalez, Junior Urso, and Martin Ojeda, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

As expected from the lineup filled with backups, the game didn’t exactly start crisply for Orlando City. There was very little early possession beyond the center circle and defensively the Lions sometimes looked confused in coverage.

The rust of some players was evident early. Petrasso coughed up the ball in his own defensive third just five minutes in but Stajduhar did well to cut off the ensuing cross from Federico Bernardeschi.

The first half-chance for Orlando ended up on Felipe’s foot off a long throw-in by Araujo. The midfielder had a weak shot blocked by the traffic in front of Sean Johnson’s goal.

A minute later, Osei Owusu had a free header in the box off a Kobe Franklin cross, but he couldn’t get it on frame.

Toronto was forced into an early substitution in the 17th minute when Aime Mabika pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. With no defenders on the bench, Michael Bradley moved from the midfield to the back line and that turned out to be a key factor in the match.

The only shot on target for Orlando in the first half came in the 24th minute. Carlos got his head to a corner kick cross by Ojeda but he generated no power on the shot and it was an easy catch for Johnson. That was the last time in the half Johnson’s goal was even mildly threatened.

Four minutes after that attempt, Schlegel partially whiffed on his attempt to clear a cross into the box but Stajduhar was able to collect it. Bernardeschi then had his shot deflect off of Petrasso for a corner in the 30th minute. Owusu shook free of Schlegel for a free header on the corner kick but again missed the net.

Lorenzo Insigne sent a free kick over the bar in the 37th minute after Carlos brought down Owusu about 25 yards out from goal.

The Lions finally had a good-looking attack going in the 42nd minute when Gonzalez was sent down the left channel. The MLS U22 Initiative winger sent a cross through the top of the box that didn’t come close to a teammate and Toronto broke the other way, winning a corner. The Lions were able to clear the second ball after an unconvincing punch by Stajduhar left the ball near the top of his penalty area.

Insigne fired a shot from distance that Stajduhar stopped in first-half injury time after Urso turned the ball over cheaply in his own half. That was the last look for either side, despite a late corner won by Toronto. The game went scoreless to the break.

The hosts finished with more possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (88.3%-80.3%). Each team directed one shot on frame. Toronto was the much more threatening side as Orlando City generated very little offensively, often overcooking direct passes over the top and failing to pick out passes once they approached midfield.

“I think the first half the boys sustained,” Pareja said. “Toronto brought a lot of energy. This allowed us to bring the players that were on the bench who have been more regular in the lineups with more space.”

Pareja made no changes at halftime and Orlando City didn’t look any better to start the second period. Stajduhar was forced to make a save in the opening minute of the half when Insigne got in tight down the left.

Halliday was sent down the right in the 48th minute but he sent a cross straight to Johnson.

Bernardeschi then started creating mischief down the right. He sent a cross through the Orlando area in the 50th minute that Halliday was able to clear. A minute later, Bernardeschi sent a shot right at Stajduhar from the top of the area as the Lions were caught by Toronto’s movement.

Toronto’s Owusu scored in the 52nd minute but the flag came up immediately. The play wasn’t offside by much, but Carlos stepped forward just in time to put the Toronto forward off.

Gonzalez sent a decent cross through the Toronto area in the 54th minute but Ojeda couldn’t quite get there before it skipped through.

Just beyond the hour mark, Pareja made some substitutions and it made a huge difference. McGuire, Mauricio Pereyra, and Ivan Angulo came on for Enrique, Felipe, and Gonzalez.

Carlos made a vital sliding block as Toronto quickly got forward in transition after the game restarted. That was huge, because Orlando took the lead just seconds later.

Stajduhar started the play that gave the Lions the lead with a long ball forward. It was over the midfield and bounced high. McGuire ran onto it and chipped it past Bradley and then sped past the former USMNT man. Once he cleared his last defender, McGuire smashed an unstoppable shot into the upper left corner past Johnson to make it 1-0.

“That strike by Duncan was incredible,” said Stajduhar, who picked up his first career assist on the play. “I hit the long ball and kind of fell off to my left a little bit, saw him take the touch by Bradley, and I started to organize our prevent, our defense. And all of a sudden, I see the ball hit the back of the net. And I was like, ‘Holy crap, what a what a shot.'”

McGuire added a second in the 74th. This time substitute Kyle Smith, who had come on for Petrasso, sent a gorgeous through ball up the left side that was perfectly timed. McGuire again blazed past Bradley and slotted the ball past Johnson to make it 2-0 with his 13th strike of the season, .

“Happy to see Duncan scoring again,” Pareja said. “I think it’s the whole team, not just what happened in the second half, but the work that the boys did in the first half as well was important.”

From that point, Orlando City seemed content to see out the match, playing safely and not getting forward often over the final quarter of an hour. Robin Jansson replaced Schlegel, who appeared to be cramping, in the 78th minute.

In the 81st minute, John Herdman subbed off Bradley for the final time in his professional career. Latif Blessing replaced the former USMNT captain.

Just after the substitution, Orlando had a chance to make it 3-0 when Toronto turned the ball over to Ojeda at the top of the area. The Argentine took the ball into the area but a second touch allowed the defense to close and his shot was blocked.

The last chance for Toronto to pull one back came in the 90th minute after a bad giveaway by Araujo at the top of his penalty area. Sending a pass straight to Insigne, the Uruguayan had to breathe a sigh of relief when the Italian’s shot deflected off the outside of the left post and out for a goal kick.

That was the last decent opportunity of the match and the regular season came to an end with yet another Orlando City road victory.

Toronto maintained its possession advantage at the final whistle (59.5%-40.5%), and the Reds had the edge in shots (12-5), corners (5-1), and passing accuracy (88%-81.5%), with each team putting three shots on target. The Lions simply had one more Duncan McGuire than Toronto FC and that was all the difference in this match.

“Anytime you play anybody in this league, regardless of who it is, what their record is, it’s a tough game,” Stajduhar said. “There’s no real bad team. There’s a lot of parity in this league, so you have to be ready for anything, no matter who you play. Toronto probably had the better of us in the first half but we were able to hold it and take advantage of our opportunities.”

Following the match, both Pareja and Stajduhar dedicated the win to club equipment manager Chafik Tounzit, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the week.

And that will do it for the 2023 regular season. The Lions will next play in the postseason against Nashville SC in a best-of-three, first-round series. The dates and times of the matches will be announced soon.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Releases Full 2025 Preseason Schedule

The Lions will face three MLS sides, a Brazilian Serie A club, a USL Championship team, and a Canadian Premier League side this preseason.

Published

11 hours ago

on

January 24, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

On the eve of Orlando City’s first preseason friendly of the team’s 2025 camp — and 11 days into training — the club has released its full schedule for the remainder of the preseason. The Lions will play six matches, calling two of them “friendlies” and the other four “scrimmages,” but they all amount to competitive minutes for the squad ahead of the 2025 MLS regular season.

Two of the games are open to the general public, including Saturday’s FC Series friendly against Atletico Mineiro and the Feb. 14 preseason finale against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. In addition, season ticket members can access a preseason scrimmage against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. Club staff will reach out to season ticket members with the details for that game. The other three scrimmages will be closed door.

The preseason schedule is similar this year to what the club has had for the last several years under Oscar Pareja, with mostly closed scrimmages and a mixture of MLS and other assorted competition.

After facing the Brazil Serie A side on Saturday, the Lions will head to Mexico for a week of training and team bonding, with one scrimmage against Forge FC from the Canadian Premier League. Orlando City will play three MLS clubs in the preseason, along with one team each from the Canadian Premier League and the USL Championship.

Orlando City will kick off its 2025 regular season at home against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

2025 Orlando City Preseason Schedule

  • Saturday, Jan. 25 — Preseason friendly vs. Atletico Mineiro at Inter&Co Stadium
  • Sunday, Jan. 26 — Preseason camp opens in Mexico
  • Tuesday, Jan. 28 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Forge FC (Closed Door)
  • Wednesday, Feb. 5 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Atlanta United (Closed Door)
  • Saturday, Feb. 8 — Preseason scrimmage vs. CF Montreal (Season Ticket Members Exclusive Match)
  • Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Rhode Island FC (Closed Door)
  • Friday, Feb. 14 — Preseason friendly vs. Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/24/25

Cesar Araujo will reportedly stay in Orlando, USMNT takeaways, MLS transfer news, and much more.

Published

14 hours ago

on

January 24, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! It should be a pretty decent weekend with plenty of soccer to enjoy both in Orlando and abroad. Orlando City’s first preseason game is Saturday against Atletico Mineiro at Inter&Co Stadium. While I won’t be in attendance, I’m looking forward to learning how they do. But for now, let’s jump into today’s links!

Cesar Araujo Will Reportedly Stay in Orlando

There have been rumors and reports swirling around regarding midfielder Cesar Araujo leaving Orlando City this off-season. However, the 23-year-old will reportedly stay in Orlando for the 2025 season according to Tom Bogert. Uruguayan club Nacional has reportedly been trying to sign Araujo while he has a year left on his contract.

Sources: Cesar Araujo to stay at Orlando City.Nacional tried to sign him this winter but plan is for Araujo to stay. One year left on his contract and Orlando will still work on a new contract but know the team is better if he stays. Prioritizing 2025 over small transfer fee.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-01-24T01:07:39.303Z

It makes all the sense in the world for Orlando to want to keep Araujo in the center of its midfield for 2025. He’s been incredible since joining Orlando back in 2022 and has been integral to the club’s success in recent years. Clubs were always going to come knocking for Araujo’s talents, but I expect it would take a hefty offer for the Lions to let him go before his contract is up.

Takeaways From USMNT January Camp

While the United States Men’s National Team’s January camp usually isn’t too impactful, this year’s edition had some extra intrigue due to some standout performances across the two friendly wins. Zack Steffen had a statement game against Costa Rica, making a few sensational saves to secure a clean sheet. He needed a game like that to stay in the mix for the starting job after a rough season with the Colorado Rapids. Striker Patrick Agyemang played his first two USMNT games this month and scored in both, making the most of his opportunity. Diego Luna taking an elbow to the face and coming back out to assist on the team’s first goal against Costa Rica is also the kind of moment that could earn him more looks in the future.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS teams other than Orlando City continue to make moves ahead of the 2025 season. The exodus from FC Dallas rolls on, as Alan Velasco was officially transferred to Boca Juniors in Argentina for a reported $12 million transfer fee. Dallas also traded center back Nkosi Tafari to LAFC in exchange for $300,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money and an international roster slot.

The Karol Swiderski era in Charlotte is over, as the club transferred him to Panathinaikos for a reported transfer fee of $2 million. Real Salt Lake added a young striker, signing 20-year-old Ariath Piol from MacArthur FC in Australia. Nashville SC signed American goalkeeper Brian Schwake from CD Castellon in Spain’s second division to provide more depth behind Joe Willis. Austin FC’s busy off-season continued by signing Zan Kolmanic to a new contract through 2026. The club is also reportedly closer to signing forward Myrto Uzuni for a club-record fee.

Europa League First Phase Nears Conclusion

Lazio is the only team to guarantee a spot in the Europa League’s round of 16 so far, doing so after a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad. English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur edged closer to securing a spot. A late winner from Bruno Fernandes gave United a 2-1 victory against Rangers, while Tottenham beat Hoffenheim 3-2 thanks to a brace from Heung-Min Son. The upset of the round belonged to Latvian club FK RFS, which took down Ajax in a 1-0 win at home. Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Midtjylland also picked up wins this week. This phase of the tournament will wrap up with 18 games on Thursday.

Free Kicks

  • Bay FC bought out Deyna Castellanos’ contract, with the midfielder joining the Portland Thorns as a free agent soon after.
  • After a vote approving funds to repair Al Lang Stadium, the Tampa Bay Rowdies announced that they will play there for their upcoming USL Championship season.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 23, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending