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Top 10 Moments of 2023: Orlando City Sweeps Nashville in Playoff Series

The Lions got their brooms out and swept Nashville aside in the postseason with a pair of nervy 1-0 wins.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2024 — which will be Orlando City’s 10th in MLS and the Orlando Pride’s ninth in the NWSL — and say goodbye to 2023, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

It was like Champions League all over again, as Orlando City drew one of the toughest assignments to kick off their run in the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs. For the Lions to advance past the first round, they’d have to win a best-of-three series against one of the league’s most stingy defensive clubs in Nashville SC. This was a lot like drawing Tigres to start the Concacaf Champions League’s opening two-legged tie.

By finishing second in Major League Soccer, the Lions got to have home field for the first and (if necessary) third games of the series. But Orlando City entered the postseason just 2-2-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 2-3-5 in all competitions, which included a 1-2-1 record at home in the series in league play and 1-2-2 at home in all competitions and the Tennessee side had won the only postseason meeting between the clubs.

It’s true that Orlando City had won the most recent meeting — a 1-0 regular-season match in Nashville, which was the Lions’ first-ever road win in the series. But that game was anything but convincing. Duncan McGuire scored just before halftime on Orlando City’s only shot on goal in the match and on one of only two attempts at goal all night.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I wasn’t looking forward to facing the Nashville defense or Hany Mukhtar needing to get the better of them twice in three matches.

But the Lions were on a brilliant run of form, having gone 8-1-2 since their Leagues Cup run ended in early August. They were confident and winning games in a variety of ways, from the high-scoring 4-3 comeback home win over Columbus, to the aforementioned 90-minute nailbiter in Nashville.

Orlando City took to the pitch on Oct. 30 for Game 1 as a confident team and it played that way. Oscar Pareja mildly surprised by sticking with Rodrigo Schlegel at right center back instead of reinserting Antonio Carlos, who had gone 90 minutes against Toronto FC and played well on Decision Day. Aside from that, there were no other surprises of any kind in the starting XI. Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, with Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena in the central midfield. Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres started in the attacking midfield behind striker McGuire.

The Lions started the game well but couldn’t push a shot past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis. Orlando City caught a huge break in the 19th minute when Sam Surridge missed a sitter in front of goal, sending his shot over the bar. It was an absolutely stunning miss and the Lions took advantage later in the first half.

With the defense and central midfielders frustrating the Nashville attack, and Pedro Gallese coming to the rescue when needed, the game remained scoreless approaching halftime. Cartagena found himself on the ball near the middle of the field outside the area in the 41st minute. He dribbled forward and no one closed him down, as the Nashville defenders collapsed on McGuire and Torres. Cartagena accepted the invitation to shoot and sent the blast of his life off the underside of the crossbar near the right post, leaving Willis no chance of stopping it and giving Orlando a 1-0 lead.

It was an incredible strike and it sent the Lions to the locker room up a goal at halftime. However, it wasn’t as simple as that. Gallese came up big on a swerving shot from distance from Mukhtar, tipping it off his crossbar.

Unlike in the previous match in Nashville, Orlando generated plenty of shots in this match, including a whopping 16 in the first half to Nashville’s three.

The second half saw no goals between the sides, but the game pretty much continued the same way as the first half, except Nashville never got another look quite as good as Surridge’s. Orlando wasted a couple of decent chances at an insurance goal, but in the end it was a dominant win despite ending in just a 1-0 scoreline. That’s precisely why Nashville was such a difficult opponent to get in the first round.

“I thought we had a good game, especially that first half where we we connected much more in the final third and then we created many options,” Pareja said after the match. “We could probably have been more precise and opened the game earlier, and they may have a couple goals too. The game is tight, especially against Nashville. They place a lot of players in their final third and it was difficult for us to break it up and it is a test for us to accomplish and just be more precise in that last part of the field so we don’t need to suffer that much.”

The series shifted to Nashville on Nov. 7 for Game 2. A win or a draw with a shootout win would see Orlando through to the conference semifinals. A loss would give Nashville momentum heading back to Exploria Stadium for the deciding game.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so Oscar Pareja made no changes to his starting XI for the first-ever playoff match at Geodis Park.

The Lions again started well, firing a couple early shots and finding the breakthrough much earlier this time out. It came in just the sixth minute, when a poorly weighted back pass by Dax McCarty was closed down quickly by Angulo. The winger won a 50/50 challenge, survived a tug from behind by McCarty and then sent a shot off the Nashville midfielder that beat Willis over the top to make it 1-0.

Surridge sent a potential equalizer just wide of the post a couple of minutes later, and then the game got a bit stuttery, with injury delays for Walker Zimmerman and Gallese, with both players able to continue, and some general chippiness between the teams. Each team picked up a couple of yellow cards in the middle stages of the first half.

Shaq Moore and Angulo wasted opportunities for each team as the opening half wound down. Mukhtar scored shortly after that but the flag came up because he was offside on the initial shot, which Gallese uncharacteristically spilled. Mukhtar then missed the net in the 41st minute with a header and the Lions took their 1-0 lead into the break.

Torres had a chance to double the lead after the restart but hit a right-footed shot at Willis. Moments later, Araujo made a vital stop on Mukhtar in the penalty area to dispossess the Nashville star on the break.

Sean Davis made a similar desperation defensive play on Junior Urso in the 79th minute, sliding in to deflect a shot when the midfielder was in 1-v-1 on Willis.

Nashville’s last gasp was a header wide from Zimmerman in the 90th minute. Neither team got a scoring chance in the four-plus minutes of injury time and the Lions did well to keep winning fouls and throws to see out most of that time. The whistle finally blew to end the series.

Orlando led in most of the important statistical categories but by no means were the advantages as lopsided as in Game 1, but that didn’t matter to the Lions, who got the sweep after a second 1-0 win in the series.

“It’s important to know how to play these kind of games where they’re very tight, very intense,” Pareja said. “There is a lot of emotions during the game. The way we handled it today was good. Learning how to play these kinds of games made us a better team.”

Orlando City set several milestones in the series. The Lions won their first MLS playoff game in Game 1 (they had previously advanced on penalties after drawing with New York City FC in 2020, but that was it for the joy in the postseason up until this year). The series win was also a first in the postseason for Orlando and the Lions claimed the first playoff win in Geodis Park history.

Although the run ended in the conference semifinals in a hard-fought game against Columbus, the Lions digging deep and gutting out a pair of tight, nervy 1-0 wins against a determined Nashville side was one of the highlights of the 2023 season and definitely worthy of a high spot in our list of top moments of the year.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of Orlando City’s top 10 moments of 2023.

Previous Top Moments of 2023

10. The Orlando Pride select breakout stars Emily Madril and Messiah Bright in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
9. OCB draws at Chicago and then wins a shootout, clinching its first playoff spot since 2016.

8. Orlando Pride dump Portland Thorns 3-1 in June, kick-starting the team’s push for the playoffs.

7. Orlando City gets a late goal to defeat Santos Laguna 3-2 in Leagues Cup play, earning its first win over Liga MX competition.

6. Orlando Pride sign Brazilian international Adriana.

5. OCB forward Jack Lynn named MLS NEXT Pro MVP.

4. Orlando City makes its debut in Concacaf Champions League and battles Liga MX giants Tigres to a 1-1 aggregate.

3. Orlando City roars back from two goals down, scoring three times from the 73rd moment onward to stun Columbus at the death.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Extends Oscar Pareja’s Contract through 2028

The most successful coach in Orlando City’s MLS history has signed on for another three seasons.

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3 hours ago

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April 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City SC announced today that the club and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have come to terms on a new three-year contract through 2028. The winningest head coach in club history, Pareja’s previous two-year contract was scheduled to expire after the 2025 season. With the Lions off to a 3-2-3 start, and coming off the deepest MLS Cup playoff run in the organization’s history — the 2024 Eastern Conference final — the club locked down the veteran coach

“Throughout his career, Oscar has proven to be a coach deeply committed not only to winning and competing for championships, but also to building teams that fans can proudly rally behind,” Orlando City Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “Here in Orlando, he’s shown that same passion and dedication — taking immense pride in representing our club with integrity and driving us closer each year to our ultimate goal of winning it all. His unwavering positivity and focus have helped shape a culture grounded in respect and ambition. We’re thrilled to have Oscar continue leading us forward in the City Beautiful.” 

Pareja has led Orlando City to a record of 89-59-55 across all competitions in 203 matches, reaching the playoffs in each of his seasons at the helm of OCSC. He also won the team’s first MLS-era trophy by leading the Lions to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, and he’s guided the club to its first two appearances in Concacaf Champions League/Cup and to the MLS is Back Tournament final in 2020.

With 176 MLS victories, Pareja is No. 5 on the league’s all-time wins list. He ranks second among all active coaches. Orlando City initially hired Pareja, 56, as head coach on Dec. 4, 2019. He succeeded James O’Connor, Jason Kreis, and Adrian Heath as OCSC head coaches in the club’s MLS era. Prior to joining the Lions, Pareja spent one season in Liga MX with Club Tijuana after five successful seasons as head coach at FC Dallas. Pareja started his MLS head coaching career with the Colorado Rapids in 2012, leading the ‘Pids for two seasons, including a playoff appearance in 2013. He also coached the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team from 2007-2008. 

“First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mark Wilf, his family, the entire ownership group, and our executive board for their continued trust in the vision and culture we’ve built over the years,” Pareja said in the club’s release. “Their unwavering support is the foundation of everything we strive to achieve each day. Above all, I’m profoundly thankful to our incredible fans and the dedicated staff who pour their hearts into making Orlando City such a remarkable club. Together, we’ve grown stronger with each passing season, moving steadily closer to our shared ambition of bringing more trophies home to this great city. I remain deeply inspired by what lies ahead and look forward to continuing this journey in pursuit of more championships.” 

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

As I wrote when Pareja re-signed in December of 2023: 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 deepest run in the playoffs and perhaps the fourth-place finish the Lions enjoyed in 2024. That’s not an easy task, and it shouldn’t be held against him if he can’t reach those lofty heights.

In the short term, Pareja’s job is to get the team scoring goals again while maintaining the high defensive standards set over the last two matches.

Pareja’s tenure with Orlando City will ultimately be measured in trophies. So far, he’s won one of them. That’s more than everyone who came before him won with Orlando in the MLS era, but it’s understandable for fans and ownership to ask for more.

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

Major League Soccer Regular Season: 167 games, 74-48-45
MLS Playoffs: 12 games, 5-6-1 (Note: MLS considers draws losses if they happen in the best-of-three round but if it goes to penalties in a single-elimination game, it’s a draw.)
U.S. Open Cup: 7 games, 4-1-2
Concacaf Champions League/Cup: 6 games, 2-1-3
Leagues Cup: 7 games, 2-2-3
MLS is Back Knockout Stages: 4 games, 2-1-1

Total: 203 games coached, 89-59-55

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Lion Links 4/16/25

Orlando Pride on top, OCB falls to Inter Miami II, USMNT eyes Gold Cup, and more.

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17 hours ago

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April 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I know I’ve said it before, but I love that I can always find soccer to watch. Whether it’s UEFA Champions League or the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, or anything in between, I love it. I’m willing to bet you love it too. Speaking of love, we want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City Designated Player Luis Muriel. Let’s get to the links.

All the Rankings

With the win over the Seattle Reign, the Orlando Pride stayed perfect on the season. It was enough for the Pride to remain on top of the standings and also at the top of numerous power rankings. All for XI kept the Pride at No. 1 with a shoutout to Anna Moorhouse, SI.com did the same, while noting Summer Yates’ injury, and Goal.com completed the sweep. The Pride also landed at No. 8 in Opta’s global power rankings for women’s clubs. Strangely, the Kansas City Current were two spots above on that particular list.

OCB Falls to Inter Miami II

Orlando City B traveled to IMG Academy to take on Inter Miami II Tuesday night. The Young Lions went down early on the road, but were able to equalize thanks to a goal from Tahir Reid-Brown. Unfortunately, Inter Miami scored two more goals before a penalty in second-half stoppage time gave OCB a slight lifeline. It was not enough as the team fell 3-2 to their in-state foes.

Generation Adidas Cup Matchups

Orlando City Academy’s U-18 squad won Group J in the Generation Adidas Cup. Now the team will face St. Louis City SC 2 in the Round of 16. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the younger generations of players in Orlando City’s system, here is your opportunity.

U.S. Eyes Gold Cup

We’re about two months out from the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup and it feels like a must-win for the USMNT given recent results. Winning an eighth Gold Cup title will not come easily. Naturally, all eyes fall on Christian Pulisic to lead the squad, though not everyone thinks he should be the pick for captain. Tyler Adams is looking for more belief from his teammates heading into the competition.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/15/25

Pride players nominated for weekly awards, Americans in midweek action, UEFA Champions League preview, and more.

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2 days ago

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April 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a solid weekend for the two Orlando teams in action, as Orlando City played to a hard-fought scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls, while the Orlando Pride knocked off the Seattle Reign 1-0 on the road. We have plenty of things to talk through today, so let’s dive right in.

Orlando Pride Players Up for Weekly Awards

A pair of Orlando Pride players have been nominated for weekly awards due to their efforts in the team’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Saturday. We start with Anna Moorhouse, who was actually nominated for two awards, as she is up for both the NWSL Save of the Week and Player of the Week! Moorhouse stonewalled Reign winger Maddie Dahlien in the 81st minute during a 1-v-1 situation to preserve the Pride’s slender 1-0 lead on the road.

She also racked up five saves on the night, kept a clean sheet, and was hugely instrumental in the Pride winning a fourth straight game to start off the 2025 season.

Summer Yates, meanwhile, has been nominated for the Assist of the Week for her pinpoint pass to Barbra Banda for the game’s winning goal. In the 41st minute, she hit a stepover, glided past Madison Curry on the left side of the box, and played a great cross to Banda in the six-yard box, who made no mistake with the finish.

Make sure you go vote for our nominees!

Americans in Midweek Action

There are lots of American players taking part in games during the working week, so let’s check in on what we have to look forward to. Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund have the unenviable task of trying to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League today. Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Wednesday. Thursday has Tanner Tessman and Lyon on the road against Manchester United in the Europa League, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hit the road to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the Conference League. Things wrap up with some American vs. American violence on Friday when former Lion Daryl Dike and West Bromwich Albion travel to play Haji Wright and Coventry City in the EFL Championship.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns this week, with the second leg quarterfinal matches set to take place today and tomorrow. Aston Villa will need to actually come out and attack Paris Saint-Germain in Birmingham today, as the Premier League side comes into the match facing a 3-1 aggregate deficit. Borussia Dortmund has a mountain the size of Everest to climb to overturn a 4-0 deficit against a Barcelona team that looked absolutely lethal on the counterattack last week. Real Madrid also finds itself in a big 3-0 hole against Arsenal, and Los Blancos need to look much more dangerous going forward if they want to have a chance against a Gunners team that will surely look to defend and protect what they earned in the first leg. Bayern Munich is in the best position of the teams that trail after the first leg, as Inter Milan’s aggregate lead is only 2-1. That means Bayern can be fairly flexible approaching the second leg, although the Germans will need to do a much better job at finishing chances than they did last week.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

With the end of most European seasons creeping closer and closer, the transfer rumor mill is starting to spin with increasing intensity, so let’s take a look at some of today’s notable stories. We start with Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who has 19 goals in all competitions this season and could fetch a price in the range of 100 million euros if he is sold this summer. Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who is likely to leave Southampton this summer after the Saints were relegated this year. Speaking of Manchester United, Red Devils striker Rasmus Hojlund is said to be attracting interest from both Juventus and Inter Milan, and he could be on the move this summer.

Free Kicks

  • Barbra Banda and Marta received their trophies for making the 2024 FIFPRO World XI.
  • Orlando City’s U-18 team enjoyed a successful campaign in group play at the Generation Adidas Cup, earning a spot in the Championship Bracket.
  • The Orlando Pride rightly remained the no.1 team in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Despite dominating the New York Red Bulls while playing most of the second half with 10 men, Orlando City somehow dropped a place below those same Red Bulls in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • Chelsea spent the most on agent fees out of all Premier League clubs for a second consecutive year, as they dished out a whopping  £60 million to agents for transfers.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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