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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 2-0 as 10-Man Lions Fall at Home in Extra Time

The Lions didn’t generate much offensively until they were down a man and a goal.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City did not look like the same team that cruised through the final weeks of the regular season and had ousted a tough Nashville team in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs on this night. The Lions were completely overrun at Exploria Stadium by the visiting Columbus Crew in normal time during tonight’s Eastern Conference semifinals match, but despite being down a man after a needless second yellow card from Rodrigo Schlegel, the Lions took the match into extra time before bowing out.

Christian Ramirez got a fortunate rebound off Pedro Gallese’s hand in extra time that hit him and trickled in to break the 0-0 deadlock. Cucho Hernandez added a late insurance goal with the Lions pressed forward, looking for an equalizer. In between, Orlando City had multiple excellent chances to equalize but couldn’t put the ball in the net.

With the loss — the Lions’ first at Exploria Stadium since April 22, a span of 15 matches in all competitions (10-0-5) — Orlando City saw its most successful season since joining Major League Soccer come to a conclusion.

“I thought we could have done much more than that and advance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But we have to accept that this is the result of a game that is competitive against a rival who made his case as well to advance through this series. Complicated game, especially in the first half. We felt uncomfortable and couldn’t create many sequences.”

Pareja’s starting lineup produced no surprises, with Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena played central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

The first half was a cagey one, with Orlando seemingly reluctant to push forward much, yet Columbus applied its usual pressure and looked to counter quickly. The Crew won an early corner after it appeared Thorhallsson had been fouled out of his shoe, but referee Jon Freemon didn’t call it and Columbus took its throw-in quickly. Gallese caught the ensuing corner cross.

Moments later, Schlegel did well to break up a Crew attack in transition after Jansson lost sight of the ball. The Crew then got a free kick in a dangerous position after it appeared Mohamed Farsi was offside and Cartagena broke up the play with a foul. Instead of the flag coming up, the set piece was awarded but the wall did its job and blocked the ensuing attempt.

The Lions got their best chance of the half in the 13th minute when Angulo blazed down the left after taking a pass from Araujo. He cut a nice pass into the middle for Torres, who took an extra touch rather than firing first time. The Uruguayan then blazed a shot that was just inches high, skipping off the top of the net.

Alexandru Matan scuffed a shot attempt in the 14th minute that Gallese saved.

In the 20th minute, Angulo was sent in behind and appeared to be in on goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, but just before he could pull the trigger on his shot, Steven Moreira flew in from behind to poke it away.

Gallese made a huge save in the 23rd minute to deny Diego Rossi as the Crew continued to look dangerous in transition. Seconds later, Schlegel did well to make a sliding block of a cross, conceding a corner but preventing a scoring chance. The Crew couldn’t do anything with the set piece.

Hernandez had a shot blocked in the 26th minute for another Crew corner but again the Lions handled the set piece.

Rossi freed himself for a shot from outside the box in the 33rd minute but missed the target high and to the right. Three minutes later, Gallese had to throw out an arm to deny an Aidan Morris shot from distance that had a lot of power behind it. The Crew kept coming and Hernandez fired wide in the 41st minute.

That was the last decent look of the first half and the teams went into the break scoreless, but Columbus had to be the more confident team after the opening 45 minutes.

The Crew dominated the first half from a statistical standpoint, finishing the opening period with the edge in possession (52.6%-47.4%), shots (9-4), shots on target (3-0), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (91.1%-84.4%).

Pareja said the Crew didn’t throw anything at them that surprised him but his team just wasn’t sharp enough.

“When we tried to put some passes in the middle third, I thought we got caught in not being precise in the passing and not occupying the spaces,” Pareja said.

If the Crew had the better of the play in the first half, that only intensified after halftime. The Lions struggled to get out of their own half and frequently lost control of the ball when they did get forward.

Jansson did well to win a vital challenge in the first minute after the restart but conceded a corner in doing so.

Orlando’s next chance came in the 48th minute when a ball fell for Thorhallsson but he fired his shot a few feet wide.

Rossi got into a dangerous spot in the 58th minute but hit his shot softly at Gallese for an easy save. Ten minutes later, Rossi was left alone in space about 25 yards out but hit his shot off target.

Jansson did well to block a Hernandez effort in the 73rd minute as the Crew kept coming.

four minutes later, the Lions had the ball forward but turned it over and the Crew sent a long ball over the top that changed the game. Schlegel may have had help from Jansson behind him as he was tracking Rossi, but he may not have known it. Concerned he’d be beaten for pace, the Argentine grabbed the Crew forward and was shown his second yellow card.

Schlegel was sent off, joining Pereyra (2020) as Orlando City players to be ejected from the conference semifinals. Antonio Carlos came off the bench as Angulo was sacrificed from the attack.

“I think it was a good foul. It was one that had to happen,” Torres said. “Obviously, it was an expulsion, but even when we had 11 players it was tough. We weren’t able to get on top of them. And so, going into the next phase of the game with 10, we knew that it was going to be even tougher and that every player was going to have to do double the running and double the effort. We just weren’t able to get it, but it’s what happens in these games.”

“After the red card I thought the boys found ways just to fight,” Pareja said. “It was probably better, I would say. Unorganized, but better in terms of possibilities, and I have big respect for that.”

Hernandez went for an audacious bicycle kick in the 82nd minute but hit it over the bar. The Lions were packed deeply into their end looking to see out normal time and hoping to find something on the counterattack.

Martin Ojeda had a chance to end the game in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Torres intercepted a wayward pass out of the back and fed the winger down the left side. Ojeda took the ball down the left and fired a shot just inches wide of the right post. It would almost certainly have lifted the Lions to an improbable victory if he could have steered it on target.

The crew held lopsided advantages in possession (59.1%-40.9%), shots (17-7), shots on target (4-0), corners (7-2), and passing accuracy (90.5%-81.9%), but the game went into 30 minutes of extra time.

Wilfried Nancy, who hadn’t subbed during normal time, sent Ramirez on for Matan to start the extra session. It paid dividends early in extra time. Freemon allowed play to continue after it appeared that Thorhallsson had been fouled near midfield, and then again after Araujo dribbled the ball out of the box and appeared to get clipped from behind. However, neither was callled and the ensuing cross in was knocked down by Gallese, but he hit it right to a charging Ramirez, who got a piece to bundle in for the opener in the 93rd minute.

Surprisingly, Orlando City, down a man and a goal in extra time, started generating scoring chances. The first of those came in the 100th minute. Substitute Junior Urso carved through the Columbus midfield and fed a pass in behind for fellow sub Kyle Smith. The fullback fired a shot on target but Schulte was able to make a big save.

Ojeda nearly had Ramiro Enrique in behind in the 103rd minute but the pass was a tad heavy and Schulte got there first.

That was the last good look of the first 15 minutes and the Crew led 1-0 at the extra time intermission.

Enrique nearly tied the game in the 106th minute when he again got in but Schulte made another vital save. Two minutes later, Gallese kept the game at 1-0 with a big stop at the other end.

Seconds later came maybe the best chance of all. Ojeda sent in a fantastic cross from the leftthat found Enrique at the near post. His header was on frame but Schulte stuck out a leg and it hit his foot for another big save.

Columbus put the match away in the 118th minute. With Gallese pushed forward as a sweeper, the Crew took possession and the ball found Hernandez, who accurately hit the target from midfield, making it 2-0 and sealing the game. Despite the overzealous MLS Twitter admin’s assertion (see embedded tweet below), it was most certainly not an incredible goal for a player of that caliber with no goalkeeper in the net. It was quite credible but oh well.

It was the third game this season that Orlando City fell behind multiple goals to Columbus but this time there were no late-game heroics to pull it back.

Columbus dominated the stat sheet, finishing with more possession (56.7%-43.3%), shots (20-13), shots on target (7-3), corners (7-6), and passing accuracy (89.5%-81.5%).

Pareja lauded his team’s effort after the match, citing the team finally being able to create some chances to win late in normal time and to equalize once Columbus took the lead.

“That heart probably needed a better reward because they had a few chances where we could equalize the game. It seems like our heart was bigger in those difficult moments but it was not enough.”

“I’m really proud of this team, to be the captain of this team,” Pereyra said. “It was such an honor for me this year. I already thanked the guys because the effort that they made today and during the whole season. They made me and Orlando City fans believe that we could fight for winning things. Today’s the end of this dream, but the effort and the way these dreams made a thing this year was great.”


That’s a wrap on Orlando City’s 2023 season, folks. It was a good one, but the Lions will be left wondering what might have been had Ojeda’s shot in stoppage time had gone in.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Preseason Takeaways

Here is what we learned from a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City wrapped up the 2025 preseason in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium against in-state rival Inter Miami on Valentine’s Day. The two squads played to a 2-2 draw which saw Head Coach Oscar Pareja roll out essentially his opening-day lineup for the clash against the Herons. Orlando looked strong against Messi and Co. for the most part in several facets of the game but also showed that some things need to be cleaned up and addressed in the final week of preparation before the 2025 Major League Soccer season kicks off.

What follows are my five takeaways from the final preseason match.

Solid Start for Gallese

In the early part of the 2024 season, there was a quiet rumble regarding the form that Orlando City keeper Pedro Gallese demonstrated. The Peruvian No. 1 all but squashed those worries over the second half of last season, and by the end of the year, he was back to his old ways of making highlight reel plays. The final preseason game saw Gallese much in the same form he ended last season as opposed to how he started it. Gallese made several strong saves and was in good command of his goal for most of the night. Playing against a team of Miami’s caliber meant that Orlando City was going to spend a good portion of the night defending. Gallese, to his credit, made the saves he needed to in the moment, including a great reaction save on a Messi chip (which ultimately didn’t count due to the offside flag coming up).

Santos Struggles

The final preseason match is likely one that left back Rafael Santos will want to quickly forget. The Brazilian product struggled on the night and was caught either ball watching or out of position on several occurrences, which opened the door to quality chances for the Herons. Something just seemed off about his communication with his fellow defensive mates and he wound up being beaten badly on the equalizing goal for Miami in the first half.

The start of the 2025 season will effectively mark the third season in a row with more or less the same back line players, and the hope is that communication breakdowns are a thing of the past. Still, for Orlando City, Santos must improve his quality of play quickly as many teams in the Eastern Conference bolstered their attacking fronts during the off-season and will be looking to take advantage of any weak spots in the OCSC defense.

Ojeda Cooks

If Designated Player Martin Ojeda can consistently put in the type of effort that he showcased against Miami, the Orlando City attack might start in a better place than many had projected following the sale of Facundo Torres. Ojeda demonstrated good chemistry down the left side of the field with Colombian speedster Ivan Angulo and was responsible for the opening goal and then added an assist on Enrique’s goal.

The season changed last year when Ojeda was injected into the starting lineup, and against the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners, the Argentinian looked confident. My boldest prediction for the 2025 season is that Ojeda will put up career numbers for goals and assists, and I cannot wait to be proven correct.

Go-Ahead Goal

Ramiro Enrique’s motor reminds me of the scenes from The Fast and The Furious franchise when the main characters effectively shift their cars into 14 gears as they race down the road. Enrique just never stops and seemingly can shift into more gears than the opposition’s defense is prepared to handle. After a mistake at the back from Miami, Ojeda found himself and Enrique in a 2-v-1 situation and played a well-weighted ball to Enrique, who took one touch and then calmly picked out the bottom right corner. At the time that Ojeda recovered the ball, Enrique was easily 10 to 12 yards behind the play, broke out into a dead sprint while running past three Miami defenders, and then had the composure to find the back of the net. Enrique was subbed off in the second half after picking up what appeared to be a cramp.

For the Love of VAR

The outcome of a preseason match matter doesn’t matter much, but it sure could have been a nice feather in the Orlando City cap if the Lions had defeated their foes from the south in a match in which Messi went almost 80 minutes. While the game became a tad sloppy over the final 15 minutes after numerous substitutions on both sides, Orlando City was in a great position to win. However, multiple failed clearances in the last minute of stoppage time allowed Robert Taylor a shot on net that was cleared off the line (by Colin Guske) to Fafa Picault, who found the garbage time equalizer. Had it been a regular-season match with video review, the play likely would have been negated as Santiago Morales committed an obvious handball in the buildup.


Those are my five takeaways from the final match of the preseason and one that saw Orlando City play competitively. What moments stood out to you from the game? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 2-2 as Lions’ Subs Can’t Hold Late Lead

Orlando mostly held Lionel Messi in check but couldn’t hold onto a late lead in a draw against rival Miami to end the preseason.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

TAMPA — Orlando City struck first through Martin Ojeda and regained the lead through Ramiro Enrique, but a second-half squad primarily made up of substitutes could not hold the late advantage, giving up a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium. A stadium soccer record crowd of 42,017 fans — most there only to see Lionel Messi — saw tying goals in each half from Miami’s Tadeo Allende and Fafa Picault spoil the night for Orlando, which finished the preseason winless for the first time.

“We’re happy with the performance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “There is about a bunch of signs that we see from our team and the game that we want to put together, and then take advantage of the week of work on our training and see if we can get better. But we’re happy we got the objectives accomplished.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Eduard Atuesta made his Orlando City debut in central midfield alongside Cesar Araujo behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic with Enrique up top.

The two Florida rivals exchanged half chances early, with Atuesta blocking a shot early and Pasalic firing over the bar from just outside the area a couple of minutes later.

Orlando City started to create off of its defense over the next several minutes, with the first chance coming from an Ojeda steal and pass to Enrique in the 14th minute. The forward took a heavy first touch and was leaning into what would have been a difficult lunging shot when he went down under contact, but referee Filip Dujic ruled that there was no foul in the box.

The Lions scored a minute later anyway off another steal. Ojeda knocked the ball to Angulo on the left and the Colombian slipped a pass back to the Argentine, who chipped onrushing goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, tucking his shot just inside the right post to make it 1-0.

Three minutes after the goal, Schlegel was fortunate he was playing in a preseason game. Jansson lost an aerial duel he would normally win against Allende, which allowed the ball to get in behind. Schlegel tried to nick it away, and may have gotten the ball cleanly, but he was called for a foul just outside the box. In a normal game, he likely would have been sent off for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, but Dujic gave only a yellow. Messi sent the free kick over Gallese’s crossbar in the 19th minute.

Miami equalized in the 22nd minute. Santos got caught ball watching, allowing Allende to get in behind and take a pass on the right. He sent his shot just inside the left post to make it 1-1 on what was a difficult first half by the Brazilian left back.

Allende came close to a second goal in the 25th minute but fired wide of the left post from the right as again Santos was caught napping. Luis Suarez fired wide of the right post from a tight angle on the left in the 28th minute. Eight minutes later, Telasco Segovia tried to chip Gallese but fired just over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net.

Orlando couldn’t do anything with a pair of corners, but nearly paid off the second on the recycle when Ojeda sent in a dangerous cross that deflected off Schlegel, which kept it from reaching Enrique with the goalkeeper out of position. The Lions should have scored in the 39th minute. Atuesta picked out a great pass to send Pasalic in behind. The Croatian probably had more time than he thought, shooting early, but Ustari made an outstanding save.

Gallese had his own moment of brilliance in the 44th minute to deny Suarez from close range. Moments later, Gallese denied a Messi chip but the Argentinian was offside anyway. The save didn’t count, but it was still fun to watch.

The teams went to the break tied with a goal apiece.

Miami had more shots (6-4) and each team won four corners. Each goalkeeper made one save and both were spectacular.

Shortly after the restart, the Lions generated a good attack, with Atuesta switching play to Angulo on the left. Angulo lost his defender and sent in a good cross that never made it to Enrique, who vehemently shouted for a handball. None was given and the ball cycled back out to Atuesta, who fired well off target.

Jansson was called for fouling Suarez just outside the box moments later, but Messi fired the free kick wide in the 52nd minute.

Orlando made Miami pay for the miss two minutes later. A long ball into the attacking half was misplayed by the Herons’ defense, ending up on Ojeda’s foot. The Argentine slipped his countryman Enrique in on goal and the forward smashed his shot just inside the right post to make it 2-1 in the 54th minute.

Suarez found an opening at the top of the box in the 57th minute, but his shot was no trouble for Gallese, who made a comfortable save. Ten minutes later, Gallese was perfectly positioned when a recycled ball fell to Messi, who had an open header after pushing off of Thorhallsson. El Pulpo made the easy save.

The next 15 to 20 minutes saw both teams making substitutes, with Messi’s departure prompting a bit of an exodus from fans. The game got a bit sloppier after the changes, which included the introduction of Nicolas Rodriguez for his first minutes as a Lion.

Orlando should have put the game away in the 82nd minute when substitute Luis Muriel made a filthy pass through traffic to pick out forward Gustavo Caraballo in the box. The teenager sent his shot too close to Ustari, who made a vital save to keep it a one-goal game. Three minutes later, Muriel fired just over the bar from the top of the box — another costly miss in the end, as it turned out.

In the final minute of stoppage time, as Miami pushed for an equalizer, Orlando’s largely substitute squad failed multiple times to sufficiently clear their lines. Robert Taylor picked up the ball on the left, worked across to the right and fired a shot that got past Gallese but was cleared off the line by Colin Guske. The rebound fell to Picault, who fired it in to tie the match. The game was played without video review, which was unfortunate, because there was a clear handball on Santiago Morales in the buildup to the equalizer.

Shortly after the restart, the game was over. Although there had been talk about penalties if the game ended in a draw, there were no spot kicks and the match ended 2-2.

Inter Miami finished with more shot attempts (14-9) and corners (8-4), with the Lions finishing with more saves (5-2).

“Very happy, because we made a very good game,” Atuesta said after his first match as a Lion. “I was working just like five days with the team, and I feel very, very good on the pitch with my teammates. Trying to know each other is not easy, to know already what he’s doing, what I’m doing for them, I think is not an easy work, but they are very good players.”

“We need rhythm. We need much more rhythm,” Pareja said about what he needs to see from his team in the final week of preseason. “I thought we were not constant on our ways. It was good here and there, but we need more rhythm. I know the result was the most important part, but we were leading the game until the end. So, good for the players that played against a rival that has a bunch of games already. They’re good, but today we could end up just probably 3-1, because we had a few options in the box that we still have been better on that part.”

“I think we are in a good way,” Atuesta said. “It’s a very long season. We have to try to start well. I know the start is difficult because the rhythm is not there, but as soon as possible we’ll start to win points.”


That’s a wrap on preseason. Orlando City’s next match will be Saturday, Feb. 22 at home against the Philadelphia Union in the season opener.

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Opinion

Likes and Dislikes from this Week of Orlando City’s Preseason

Let’s break down some good and bad things from this past week of preseason preparations.

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It’s Friday once again, and just like that we find ourselves barely over a week away from the start of the 2025 Major League Soccer season. It feels like this off-season has passed by in a blur, and somehow the Lions are already about to play their final preseason match later today. This week was another busy one for Orlando City, so let’s run through some things that I liked from this week and some things that I didn’t.

Likes

Eduard Atuesta Arrives

It took awhile, and the transfer saga had some twists and turns, but Orlando City landed Eduard Atuesta to replace the injured Wilder Cartagena. Given the league’s budget constraints and the fact that he isn’t a Designated Player, Atuesta is about as good a replacement as fans could have hoped for. Not only is he familiar with the league, but he knows what it takes to win here, as he helped LAFC win the Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup during his time with the California club. Plus, he theoretically offers more going forward than Cartagena typically does, which could add a much-needed extra punch to the Lions’ offense. The structuring of a one-year deal with an additional club option also gives OCSC some flexibility at the end of the season if the Lions decide they want to move on, but if he replicates the form he typically showed at LAFC, then that option year can be triggered.

New Kit Looks Sharp

The club also debuted its new home jersey this week. Dubbed the “Perfect Storm” kit, no two are supposedly alike, as it pays tribute to the intensity and unpredictability of Central Florida’s weather. For my money, it isn’t anything revolutionary, but there’s a lot to like about it. The pattern is interesting without being too overwhelming, the collar adds a pop of welcome gold to the purple and white motif, and the 407 lightning bolt and doppler radar storm patches are nice, vibrant touches. Teams were also permitted to customize the Apple logo on the sleeves this year, and Orlando chose to do so by incorporating the lion’s mane/sun element of the club crest into the logo. My biggest gripe is that the pattern is only on the front of the jersey while the back is plain purple, but overall I really like it.

Dislikes

Thin Cupboards at Striker and Fullback

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Orlando City is still looking short on bodies at striker and fullback. Granted, the striker position will look better once Duncan McGuire returns, but that’s likely to be at least six to eight weeks away. Fullback isn’t quite as dire, as the Lions have Kyle Smith, Mikey Halliday, and Alex Freeman, who are all in contention to come off the bench. There are caveats though, as Halliday has struggled with injuries the last two seasons, and while Freeman was outstanding with Orlando City B last year, he’s almost completely untested at the MLS level. Plus, all three of Smith, Halliday, and Freeman are most comfortable on the right side. You obviously don’t want to take minutes away from the young guys, but I’d feel a lot better if there was a proven vet in the fold.

Final Preseason Match Prices

At the time of writing, the cheapest ticket listed for today’s preseason match against Inter Miami is $49 plus fees. That gets you in the door and up in the 300 level of Raymond James Stadium; any lower down than that and you’re looking at $65 plus fees and higher. It isn’t the most egregious pricing I’ve ever seen, but at the same time, when my season ticket in The Wall breaks down to being about $19 a game, it’s hard to not feel a little put off. I’m not saying that this is the club’s fault as I don’t know who set the pricing for the event, but I just don’t have much interest in paying over $100 for two people to go to a preseason match. It’s a shame, since Ray-J is about a five-minute drive from my house, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.


What stood out to you from this week of Orlando City’s preseason preparations? Be sure to have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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