Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Head Coach Oscar Pareja Through 2025

Papi remains at the helm after agreeing to a new deal with Orlando City through 2025

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City has announced that the club has reached an agreement with Head Coach Oscar Pareja on a new contract through 2025. The most successful coach in the club’s MLS era is locked down through the next two years after leading the Lions to four consecutive postseason appearances and the 2022 U.S. Open Cup championship.

“Oscar has been integral to what we are building, and his leadership and dedication to winning championships has set an example for everyone at our club,” Orlando City Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “Oscar takes great pride in representing Orlando City SC and has established a culture that embodies everything our organization is about and a team of which our fans can be proud. The positive relationships and respect Oscar creates with his players has built a critical foundation for success. We are excited to have Oscar continue to lead us into the future.”

“I first want to say how grateful I am to the Wilf family and the whole ownership group for the support that they’ve given us and allowing us to create the culture here that we have built these last few years,” Pareja said in the club’s release. “The support that the fans have shown us has been incredible through everything and, along with everyone working at the club, they’ve made me feel like this is home. We know that there are things left that we want to achieve here in Orlando and I feel like we can accomplish those objectives. I’m excited to stay here in Orlando and for what’s to come.”

Orlando City hired Pareja, 55, as head coach four years and 15 days ago on Dec. 4, 2019. He succeeded James O’Connor, Jason Kreis, and Adrian Heath as OCSC head coaches in the club’s MLS era. Since then, Pareja has piloted Orlando to a 65-42-42 record in all competitions, leading the side to MLS Cup playoff appearances every year. He has also led the Lions to two-straight appearances in Concacaf Champions Cup (formerly Concacaf Champions League), and the club’s first major trophy in its MLS era with the 2022 U.S. Open Cup title. In 2023, Pareja led Orlando City to new club records for wins (18) and points (63) in an MLS season, as well as the league’s best road record (9-4-4). During the pandemic, Pareja’s Lions reached the championship match of the MLS is Back Tournament.

Pareja became the 10th coaching casualty for the Xolos in seven years. He left FC Dallas in November of 2018 to make the move to Tijuana. Pareja took over late during the 2018-2019 Torneo Apertura, but the Xolos finished out that season with Frankie Oviedo as the caretaker coach. Pareja’s first season at the helm with Tijuana was in the 2019 Torneo Clausura, in which his side finished eighth with a record of 9-7-1 to qualify for the postseason Liguilla. Tijuana then lost in the quarterfinals to top seed Leon by a 5-2 aggregate.

As the 2019-2020 Torneo Clausura drew near a close, Pareja had Tijuana in the postseason qualification places with three matches remaining, but the club lost those three games, with one of them being a bitter and controversial 2-1 loss to second-place Leon in the finale.

Pareja led FC Dallas to a record of 97-50-55 in 202 matches in all competitions in five seasons from 2014-2018. His Dallas teams reached the postseason in four of his five seasons at the helm — finishing fourth or better in the conference each time they made the playoffs. They won the 2016 Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup, and were the 2015 Shield runners-up due to losing a tiebreaker. He was 2-4-4 in playoff matches, advancing on penalties after one of those draws and getting eliminated by the away-goals rule after another. Pareja also led his team to the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions League in 2017.

Prior to joining the Hoops, Pareja spent two seasons with the Colorado Rapids, where he went 25-31-13 in 69 matches. The Rapids did not make the playoffs in Pareja’s first season of 2012, going 11-19-4, but finished fifth in the West in 2013 before losing to Seattle in the knockout stage of the playoffs. You may recall that Orlando City’s USL side knocked Pareja’s Colorado side out of the U.S. Open Cup that season.

As a player, Pareja spent 1987-1995 with Independiente Medellin in his native Colombia as a midfielder, appearing in 263 matches and scoring 18 goals. He moved to Deportivo Cali, where he scored 11 more goals in 122 games from 1995-1998 and then joined the New England Revolution, appearing in 13 games that year. He finished his playing career with FC Dallas, scoring 13 goals in 170 appearances from 1998-2005. He also earned 11 caps from 1991 to 1996 with Colombia’s national team, scoring three goals.

What It Means for Orlando City

Quite simply, it means the Lions retain their most successful coach since joining Major League Soccer. Pareja has created a culture and an identity that was lacking at the club prior to his arrival. While it’s common for players to say the team feels like a family and a city feels like “home,” the Lions have walked that walk during Pareja’s tenure in the City Beautiful.

Pareja’s challenge for the upcoming season is to improve upon the club’s best finish. That’s not an easy task considering the Lions completed the 2023 season second in the Supporters’ Shield race to FC Cincinnati. Beyond that, Pareja must find a way to integrate Designated Player Martin Ojeda into the starting lineup and find some continuity in the wake of the departures of Mauricio Pereyra and Antonio Carlos this off-season.

Additionally, of course, Pareja’s tenure with Orlando City will be measured in trophies. So far, he’s won one of them, and his squad came up just inches short of knocking 2023 MLS Cup-winning Columbus out of the playoffs when Ojeda’s late attempt skipped inches wide of the right post — despite the fact that his team had been down a man for about 20 minutes. Pareja has shown an ability to adapt to his personnel in his four years in Orlando. He’ll need to be able to do that again after the club parted ways with a few veterans since the season ended.

The next steps for the club should be locking up Executive Vice President and General Manager Luiz Muzzi and upgrading the roster for 2024.

Oscar Pareja’s Coaching Record at Orlando City (W-L-D)

Major League Soccer Regular Season: 125 games, 56-34-35
MLS Playoffs: 7 games, 2-4-1
U.S. Open Cup: 7 games, 4-1-2
Concacaf Champions League: 2 games, 0-0-2
Leagues Cup: 4 games, 1-2-1
MLS is Back Knockout Stages: 4 games, 2-1-1

Total: 149 games coached, 65-42-42

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss in the Eastern Conference final?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Every loss stings, but season-ending playoff losses hurt the most, and unfortunately Orlando City felt that deep sting Saturday night, losing 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls and falling one game short of advancing to MLS Cup. The Lions simply did not have it offensively, again, and it led to the Red Bulls celebrating a smash-and-grab victory on the field of Inter&Co Stadium after the final whistle. Ugh, I did not like typing that at all.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference final matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — There was not a lot for Gallese to do during this match, as while the Red Bulls did pose a threat offensively, they only managed seven shots and just one shot on goal, a well placed header off the post that no goalkeeper would have saved. Gallese made a great play to snuff out a late breakaway, coming well out of his box and making a sliding block with his body to keep the score 1-0, but aside from that, most of his game contributions were in distribution, and he did not have his finest game in that area, connecting on only 61.5% of his passes and only six of his 16 long-ball attempts.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — The Brazilian left back gave a strong effort, but was just was unable to make a major impact on the game. Orlando City attacked up the left side 45% of the time, but despite having so much possession and so many touches (a team-leading 88, 21 more than the next highest player), Santos passed at just a 68.8% rate, only completed one long ball and did not have any successful crosses in seven attempts. Some of those crosses were good, but New York kept them from reaching their targets. Defensively, he chipped in four clearances. In the attacking end, Santos fired one of Orlando City’s nine shots and registered one of the team’s meager three shots on target and drew two fouls without committing any.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson was solid in the back, providing his standard steady defending in partnership with Rodrigo Schlegel, and helping to limit the Red Bulls from getting any shots on target during the run of play. As the Lions began to chase the game in the second half and found themselves stretched, he made several excellent defensive recovery runs to track back and win it back, though when he did get the ball back I thought too often he settled for just launching the ball forward instead of trying to work the ball up the field out of the back. He blocked two shots and finished with two clearances. He completed 78.3% of his passes, a number which was limited by connecting on just six of 15 long balls.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — As is his trademark, Schlegel was intense and engaged for the full 90 minutes and left everything on the field. He and Jansson did an excellent job protecting the center of the box, limiting the Red Bulls to very few scoring opportunities through the middle of the field. Schlegel picked up a yellow card for a professional foul late in the game, but at that time the Lions were stretched and chasing the game and if not for his foul New York may have put the game away. The Argentine was the best passer of the back four (89.7% and 1/1 on long balls) and provided three clearances.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallson, 6 — Orlando City played primarily down the left side of the field during the Icelandic defender’s time on the field, and so despite playing 60 minutes, he only had 24 touches and did not contribute much offensively with those touches. Thorhallsson passed at a 75% rate without attempting a long ball or creating a scoring chance. On the defensive side he led the team with five clearances, but overall it was a quiet night for Thórhallson, and he was removed in an offense for defense substitution in the 61st minute.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 —Araujo played a solid match in the middle of the field, completing 94.2% of his passes, winning a team-leading four aerial duels, drawing two fouls, blocking one shot, and making one interception. I thought he was far closer to his usual standard than his midfield partner Wilder Cartagena, but despite his work rate and contributions, he was removed late in the game for Jack Lynn, as the Lions needed to throw all of their attacking players onto the field to try to find an equalizer.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5 — Cartagena picked the worst night to have perhaps his poorest performance of the season, as he was not the dominant player in the middle of the field that we saw in nearly every game. Everything seemed a step slow for the Peruvian midfielder and his touch was off as well, he only completed 79.4% of his passes, only the fourth time all season he was under 80%. The goal scored by the Red Bulls happened right behind him, and it appeared to me that it was his man who came in unmarked while he was watching the ball instead seeing both ball and man. Cartagena was subbed off in the 71st minute for Nico Lodeiro in a like for like substitution. His best moment was sending a great ball down the left for Martin Ojeda, setting up a golden opportunity for Facundo Torres. It was one of the Peruvian’s three successful long balls on six attempts. Defensively, he blocked a shot and had one interception.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — I don’t want to overly castigate Angulo for his foul that led to the game’s only goal, but it was a completely unnecessary one, and in a game against a team that struggles to score from open play, there was no excuse for giving the Red Bulls a cheaply earned set piece opportunity. That said, it is not Angulo’s fault that Cartagena did not stay with his man on the free kick (or perhaps got confused about whether someone behind him was supposed to pick up that runner — only the Lions know for sure), but without that foul, there would have been no dangerous cross in the first place. That was the moment of the match, but it was only one moment, and Angulo brought a lot to the table during the rest of that match. His speed up the left side created chances, he completed 90.5% of his passes, and the Colombian also showed his versatility by stepping back into a right back/right wingback role late in the match as Orlando City tried everything to get as many attacking players on the field as possible. I think he left everything on the field before being subbed out in the 88th minute for Kyle Smith, but I wish he had also left his hands down when trying to double the ball in the 47th minute. Angulo attempted one shot that was just wide, registered one key pass, and recorded one clearance.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 (MotM) — Ojeda made the offensive play of the game for Orlando City, making a great run up the left side to get onto Cartagena’s well-placed pass, drawing two defenders out of the middle, and playing a perfect cross to a wide-open Facundo Torres. On another night he would have added an assist to his ledger and the rest of the game could have played out completely differently. Ojeda was all over the field for the Lions, making plays all across the attacking third and leading the team with three chances created. In a departure from the normal substitution pattern, he stayed on the field when Luis Muriel entered the game and deservedly so, as I felt he was Orlando City’s most impactful player throughout the match. Ojeda passed at a 77.8% clip, including the aforementioned three key passes, two of his three long balls, and three successful crosses on 15 attempts. His lone shot attempt wasn’t on frame. The Argentine added a clearance on the defensive end.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres was active, but he did not have the precision that he showed during the late summer run and will rue the huge chance he missed in the 32nd minute, one that certainly would have changed the entire tenor of the game. I was surprised he chose to shoot to his right instead of his left, as Torres is an outstanding shooter to his left when attacking from the right, and he left his shot far too close to Carlos Coronel for an easy save. The Uruguayan did get another shot on goal on a header late in the match, but it also did not trouble Coronel, and though he drew a team-leading three fouls, none of them led to any great chances for Orlando City. The Lions attacked down the right side on only 24% of their possessions, and with their focus on going left, Torres had few chances on his preferred right side to cut back into the middle to cause havoc. The enduring memory from this game for Torres will be that missed opportunity, one that I think he generally scores for more often than not, but alas on this night it was not to be. Aside from that, he passed at a 78.2% rate, completing one of his two crosses and one of his two long balls, but he surprisingly did not register a key pass. Torres also didn’t register any defensive stats.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 7 — Orlando City followed its usual substitution pattern and removed Enrique after 61 minutes for Duncan McGuire, but I wish Oscar Pareja had found a way to keep him on the field instead, because I thought he was one of the two Lions (along with Ojeda) playing the best during his minutes on the field. He drew a team-leading three fouls to match Torres in that department and was constantly making darting runs all over the attacking third of the field. He made a great hustle play to create one of Orlando City’s best opportunities, but rather than shooting, he tried to finesse past a defender to get a better angle and the chance fell apart. Enrique’s only shot attempt was not on target, and he passed at 77.8% accuracy on just nine attempts without a key pass or attempting a long ball or a cross. He won three aerials and chipped in defensively with a team-high two tackles and an interception.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Muriel (61′), 6.5 — Muriel once again changed the game once he stepped on the field, helping to ratchet up Orlando City’s attack, but despite playing several high-level passes, nothing ended up coming from any the plays he initiated. Muriel also had a half-chance late in the game that he badly mishit, skying a ball high and to the right, so much so that it actually stayed in bounds due to all the back and sidespin on the ball. Even though Orlando City’s best chance came before Muriel entered the game I thought the offense looked better when he was on the field, and I walked out of the stadium wishing that he had come on right after New York had scored, as he clearly grasped the urgency and played like it throughout his time on the field. Muriel completed 90% of his 20 passes, including a key pass and a completed long ball on his lone attempt, but his one cross attempt did not meet the target. Neither of his two shots hit the target either, but he added a tackle on the defensive side.

F, Duncan McGuire (61′), 6 — The most impressive play McGuire made while on the field was a full-field sprint back on defense to break up a counterattack, and while that was a big play to prevent a possible doubling of the lead, you generally want a striker’s most impressive play to come while attacking the opponent’s goal, not defending their own. McGuire got one shot off, attempting to finish on a ball played beautifully over the top by Muriel, but he could not get his body turned enough and the ball went harmlessly into the stands off his weaker left foot. The effort was there on Saturday night, but the final product was not. He completed six of his nine passes (66.7%) without a key pass, long ball, or cross. He won an aerial but contributed no defensive statistics.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (71’), 6.5 The Uruguayan came on around his usual time, but with the Lions playing from behind, he was asked to play differently than he has in recent appearances off the bench. By the end of the game he was playing as the sole defensive midfielder, with Orlando City throwing everyone forwards in hopes of tying the game. I thought he was excellent off the bench and that he outplayed Cartagena, the man he replaced in the lineup, completing 84.9% of his 33 passes, including his only long-ball attempt, however, he did not create a scoring chance or complete a cross. He added a tackle on the defensive side.

MF, Kyle Smith, (88’), N/A — By the time Smith entered, Orlando City was no longer in a standard formation, so Smith debatably came in as a right back or possibly as a right midfielder when he entered the game in the 88th minute. It really did not matter though, as he only had time for four touches and two attempted crosses, neither of which led to significant opportunities for the offense, and he didn’t play long enough to fairly warrant a grade.

F, Jack Lynn, (88’), N/A — Lynn made his first appearance of the playoffs as Orlando City was desperately chasing the game, but only had one touch and really did not have the opportunity to influence the game at all.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 playoff loss. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/2/24

Orlando City’s playoff run ends, Barbra Banda nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player, USWNT draws against England, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving weekend spent with your family and loved ones. Under Armour kept me busy all weekend, along with working at Wrigley Field for the Northwestern and Illinois college football game. Let’s all wish Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar a happy birthday! It was frustrating to see Orlando City’s season end over the weekend, but let’s get to the links to catch up on all of the action.

Lions Fall to the New York Red Bulls in MLS Playoffs

Orlando City’s 2024 MLS playoff run ended on Saturday after a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium in the Eastern Conference final. Andres Reyes scored the lone goal to seal the win for the Red Bulls to advance to the MLS Cup final for the second time in club history. It’s the second time this postseason that the Lions have been shut out. Orlando didn’t beat the Red Bulls at all this year, drawing 1-1 at home and falling 1-0 on the road during the regular season prior to this playoff match. Orlando’s 2024 season ends just one round before reaching what would have been its first MLS Cup final appearance. Considering how Orlando’s season started, turning things around to finish as one of the final four teams in the playoffs gives the Lions something to build on next year.

Barbra Banda Nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player Award

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the 2024 Best FIFA Women’s Player Award. Banda is coming off a stellar season in her first year with the Pride, leading the club with 17 goals and scoring the winning goal against the Washington Spirit to seal Orlando’s first NWSL Championship title. She scored a hat trick for Zambia in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris against Australia as well. USWNT players Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman are also in contention for the award. Other notable players nominated are last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze, and Jamaican forward Khadija Shaw.

LA Galaxy Beat Seattle Sounders to Reach MLS Cup Final

In the Western Conference final, the LA Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Dejan Joveljic scored a late goal in the second half to seal the win for the Galaxy and clinch a spot in the MLS Cup final. Joveljic has scored five goals in the postseason and the Galaxy return to the MLS Cup final for the first time since 2014. Riqui Puig added the assist on Joveljic’s goal and has three assists and four goals this postseason. Unfortunately, Puig suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the match and will miss the final when the Galaxy host the Red Bulls on Saturday.

USWNT and England Play to Scoreless Draw in Friendly

On Saturday, the United States Women’s National Team fought to a scoreless draw against England in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. The USWNT thought it had scored a goal in the second half courtesy of Lindsey Horan, but it was waved off due to offside. The USWNT was also given a penalty kick after it appeared defender Alex Greenwood handled the ball, but the decision was overturned after video review. The USWNT will travel to The Hague to take on the Netherlands Tuesday at ADO Den Haag Stadium at 2:45 p.m. for the team’s final match to close out the year.

Scouting Report on the Netherlands

Stars and Stripes FC unveiled its scouting report on the Netherlands. The USWNT will face the Dutch for the 12th time, winning eight of the first 11 meetings. Their last matchup was a 1-1 draw in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage. Some notable names on the Dutch roster include forward Chasity Grant, goalkeeper Lize Kop, and defender Dominique Janssen. Kop is known for her quickness to get to the ground and possesses the physical strength to absorb contact from her opponents when going after aerial balls. Veteran defender Danielle van de Donk is another player to keep an eye out for, as she can still provide a spark and identify gaps in the opposition’s defense. Even though this is a friendly, this match will provide another test for Head Coach Emma Hayes to give opportunities to the younger players while building chemistry for the squad.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were both in action for Brazil in a friendly on Sunday. Brazil won 2-1 over Australia.

  • That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s disappointing playoff exit against the Red Bulls.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looked to advance to the MLS Cup final as the club hosted the Eastern Conference final for the first time in its history. Unfortunately, for the sold-out crowd at Inter&Co Stadium, the Lions came up just short and lost a 1-0 defensive battle to the New York Red Bulls. Getting to the Eastern Conference final is no small achievement, but the loss likely leaves many with a sense of “what if,” as the postseason finally has arrived. What follows are our final five takeaways of the Lions’ 10th year in MLS.

Bland Start

For a team that usually does not dominate possession, the Red Bulls came out of the gate on the front foot and likely surprised Orlando City with their early aggression. The Red Bulls started the game with the type of drive and desire that I would have assumed to see from Orlando City as the results during the playoff run where OCSC has been the aggressor were far more desirable. Instead, Orlando looked content to let the visitors dictate the pace of the game and attempted to find attacks on the counter. While there were some such chances, they proved unsuccessful.

Lack of Connectivity

Throughout the match, Orlando committed many careless giveaways. Several of these came in the team’s defensive third throughout the first quarter hour of play, but as the game wore on, some promising buildups collapsed with errant passes in the attacking half. The Lions’ passing rate in the first half was below 75%, which is uncharacteristic of their usual quality. While New York’s pressure was responsible for some of that, Orlando City players looked at times like they expected different runs or positioning from their teammates once they started to enter the final third.

Golden Opportunity Missed

Orlando City grew into the first half and started to inject more of its preferred style of play as the game hit the half-hour mark. Orlando’s best chance came in the 32nd minute when a pass from Wilder Cartagena released Designated Player Martin Ojeda down the left side of the field. Ojeda did well to run onto the ball with pace and draw the remaining two Red Bulls defenders toward him before squaring a pass for fellow DP Facundo Torres. The Uruguayan had time and space in the box to pick out a spot, but he may have felt rushed and fired his shot far too close to goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. Torres will likely lament his shot placement and a missed opportunity that could have put his team ahead before halftime. It was a relatively easy save for the goalkeeper, and in that moment, one would expect a player of Torres’ quality to do better after Orlando had executed a perfect buildup.

One is Enough

It is ironic that the deciding and lone goal of the match came from a set piece, as Orlando was one of the league’s best during the year in not conceding goals from set pieces. The shocking moment came before most fans were likely back in their seats from their halftime beverage run and bathroom breaks. Ivan Angulo committed an unnecessary foul on the right side of the penalty box, setting up a free kick by the left-footed John Tolkin. The kick had plenty of pace and was swinging in toward the far post. Andres Reyes made an unimpeded run to the post as the Orlando City defense left him completely unmarked. Reyes made good contact with his free header, leaving no chance for Pedro Gallese to make a save. It was New York’s only shot on target of the night, meaning the Orlando defense allowed just one shot on target — and 14 total shot attempts — in the team’s final two playoff games of 2024.

No Late Magic Off the Bench

The final 45 minutes plus stoppage time of game play after the breakthrough goal involved Orlando sending on every attacking component that the coaching staff could muster, looking for an equalizer. Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn, and Nico Lodeiro all entered the match as second-half substitutes, looking to change the outcome. The Lions were unable to muster many successful looks, as New York looked to pack in the defense and grind out the game. Ultimately, with no goal to show for their efforts and by allowing the NYRB to score on their only shot attempt on target, the Lions came up just a little short of advancing to the clubs’ first-ever MLS Cup final.


Those are our takeaways from a 1-0 home playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls. The 2024 season will be remembered as a long and winding one, which started in Victoria, British Columbia and ended with the first conference final appearance in team history. Let us know what your takeaways were in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending