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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Flamengo, Preseason Friendly: Final Score 1-1 as Ivan Angulo’s Goal Erases 1-0 Deficit

The Lions held against a strong Brazilian side in their first test of the 2024 preseason.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City fell behind early but Ivan Angulo’s goal just before halftime brought the Lions back in a 1-1 preseason draw at home against Brazilian giants CR Flamengo. Pedro opened the scoring for the visitors in front of a crowd of 22,678 that skewed heavily toward fans of the Brazilian side, but the Lions were able to fight back and get a result.

“I thought it was a game that was very rich on soccer and we enjoyed it a lot,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We’re proud of our boys. Both teams played with a lot of quality.”

Pareja’s lineup was unusual for a preseason friendly, in that most of the expected starters began the game on the pitch. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. With Cesar Araujo on international duty, draft pick Jeorgio Kocevski started in central midfield with Wilder Cartagena behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

The first half went back and forth, with each team seeing plenty of the ball and having opportunities to build attacks. The Lions got the first good opportunity of the game when Santos sent McGuire in behind with a fantastic ball but the defense was able to close and knock it out of play from behind before the striker could shoot. McGuire then fired wide off of the set piece, which the Lions played short.

Orlando came within inches of opening the scoring in the seventh minute when Lodeiro fired a shot off the woodwork. Flamengo was able to get to the rebound first and clear the danger.

Flamengo broke the deadlock in the 13th minute. A good cross in from the right wing found Flamengo forward Pedro slicing left to right through the box. Jansson was playing the passing lane and no midfielder tracked Pedro’s run. Pedro’s finish just inside the far post left Gallese no chance to stop it, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes after the goal, Orlando nearly pulled level from an unlikely source. City took a long-range set piece near midfield after sending the defense forward into the box. A cross in from the left found the foot of Schlegel, who redirected it on target but Flamengo goalkeeper Augustin Rossi made a diving save to deny the shot and force a corner in the 18th minute.

Flamengo’s defense cleared the corner kick cross but it came back to Torres on the left. He gave off to Santos, who sent a cross fizzing into the area but McGuire couldn’t quite get onto it. McGuire headed over moments later after another Orlando corner.

Cartagena was booked for a dangerous challenge on Nicolas de la Cruz, giving Flamengo a free kick just outside the area on the left side. Rather than go for goal, the visitors sent a cross to the back post for Fabricio Bruno, who tried to head it back in front of goal, but Gallese was there to catch it in the 28th minute.

Flamengo had a golden opportunity to double the lead in the 40th minute when Kocevski turned the ball over in his own defensive third. The ball found its way to Pedro again but this time he sent his shot just wide of the left post. It was a costly miss, as the Lions tied the game moments later.

Santos had the ball out on the left side and played it into the box to Angulo. The Colombian turned and worked a quick give-and-go with Lodeiro, accelerating past the defense and taking the ball back from Orlando’s new playmaker. All alone in front of goal, Angulo calmly slotted past Rossi to make it 1-1 in the 42nd minute. Lodeiro got the assist on the goal.

“I’m very happy with the goal, and especially for helping the team,” Angulo said. “We trained that with Nico, that combination, and we made it this time. Nico is a great player. He’s helping us a lot, so I’m very happy overall with the result.”

“We trained a lot last week, especially with Ivan, Facu, Duncan and the forwards for this type of play,” Lodeiro said. “We are lucky we (could) do that in the game and I’m happy for Ivan because he played really well and he trained this play.”

Orlando nearly slipped in behind the defense again right after the goal. Torres got behind his man down the left flank and was taken down from behind. Guillermo Varela was booked and the Lions had a set piece a yard outside the left side of the penalty area. Lodeiro played it to the top of the box for Torres, but City’s Designated Player got under the shot, sending it over the bar. There was a lot of contact just after he released the shot but no foul was given and Flamengo was awarded a goal kick.

The last good look of the half fell to Kocevski, who found himself on the ball at the top of the box in space. The rookie tried to pick out the top left corner but missed just wide of the target. After five minutes of stoppage time, the teams went into the locker room knotted up at 1-1.

The second half wasn’t nearly as fluid as the first as both teams subbed liberally throughout, although Orlando City started the second half with the same lineup that started.

Flamengo got the first look of the second half as Gallese fought off a shot from Giorgian de Arrascaeta less than a minute after the restart.

The Lions then got on the front foot for a bit as Angulo sent a shot from outside the box that Rossi saved in the 51st minute, and Lodeiro went for goal on a free kick two minutes later but it was comfortably saved.

Jansson made a sparkling defensive play to track back and cut out a cross that would have presented problems in transition. Flamengo had a chance to go 2-v-1 after Schlegel was caught flat-footed on a sudden switch and Jansson’s effort saved the Lions some blushes.

Moments later, Pareja made his first subs of the match, sending Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Ramiro Enrique, and Felipe into the fray. That was just the first salvo, as Jack Lynn, Shak Mohammed, and Michael Halliday were introduced. By the end of the second half, Orlando’s lineup looked much closer to an OCB squad than an MLS side.

The next look in the match for either side came in the 67th minute, when Felipe attempted a range from extreme distance but the Brazilian midfielder’s attempt was off target. The Lions looked likely to take the lead two minutes later when Lynn sent a fantastic through ball that sprung Enrique in behind, but defender Fabricio Bruno made a great play to dispossess the Argentine in the penalty area before he could shoot.

Halliday, who was playing on the left side after replacing Santos, made a critical error in the 71st minute, turning the ball over, but the Lions were spared a dangerous counter when the flag came up for offside on Flamengo.

Thorhallsson tried his luck from a tight angle in the 74th minute but Rossi covered his near post and made the save.

OCB defender Zakaria Taifi made his first-team debut and picked up a yellow card with an unnecessary foul eight minutes later.

Luis Olieira got the last opportunity for either side early in stoppage time when he sent a shot over Stajduhar’s crossbar, and that was essentially it for the match.

“Impressed by how fit the boys were,” Pareja said when asked what he liked about his team today. “I was looking for 45 minutes today, just 45 minutes. And we discussed with the group if we see them fit then we will continue. I saw them fresh when we came back from the break. Just left us good sensations about how we are as a team. That part I like a lot. We’re still starting and they have a good understanding of what we want.”

“We showed a good intensity,” Felipe said. “We have only nine days of training but I believe we were a good match against Flamengo and it was a fair result.”

Next up for Orlando City is an out-of-town camp. It was originally supposed to be in Port St. Lucie, but now the team is going to Cancun, Mexico. The preseason match against Florida International University will no longer take place. The next scrimmage on the schedule is against Rhode Island FC.

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Lion Links: 5/29/25

Orlando City loses rivalry game, MLS All-Star voting opens, Antonee Robinson undergoes knee surgery, and more.

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2 hours ago

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May 29, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, Mane Landers. The bad news is that Orlando City lost last night. There’s not much good news, unless you count how I probably lost some weight pacing around my apartment for a few hours annoyed at how the game went. But today is a new day, and with it comes the fact that there’s no soccer to fret over. Before we dive in, please join us in wishing Orlando Pride Head Coach and former Lion Seb Hines a happy birthday! OK, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Falls in Atlanta

The Lions went on the road and lost 3-2 to Atlanta United in a frustrating result that snapped the team’s 12-game unbeaten streak in league play. A solid first half by the Lions was spoiled by a red card to Cesar Araujo late in the second, with Atlanta scoring twice while the Lions were a man down. Head Coach Oscar Pareja was sent off as well, and Orlando was deprived of a great chance to move up in the standings. Orlando will have to shake this off or use it as motivation as it gets set to host the Chicago Fire on Saturday. A much-needed break in the schedule is awaiting the Lions after that match following a busy May.

MLS All-Star Voting Begins

The voting for who will play in this year’s MLS All-Star Game is underway, and a few Lions may have a shot at being selected. Right back Alex Freeman’s case to be an All-Star is backed by statistics, as he’s done well creating chances for others and has three goals himself during his breakout season. Former MLS player Dax McCarty has Freeman on his list of players who deserve selection this year, along with midfielder Martin Ojeda. The 26-year-old Argentine’s eight goals so far are already twice as many goals as he had last season and he’s right up there with some of the league’s best playmakers. McCarty also gave honorable mentions to goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and winger Marco Pasalic. Voting will last through June 11 and the All-Star Game is set to take place on July 23 against Liga MX’s All-Stars in Austin.

Antonee Robinson Undergoes Surgery

Fulham announced that American left back Antonee Robinson underwent successful knee surgery and is expected to be ready for the English club’s next season. The 27-year-old started in 35 of Fulham’s 38 games this past season and did not take part in the Concacaf Nations League. He’ll miss out on this summer’s Gold Cup, but hopefully he has a smooth recovery and benefits from some time off the field before things start up again in Europe.

Chelsea Wins Europa Conference League

Chelsea beat Real Betis 4-1 to win the Europa Conference League, becoming the first club to win all five of UEFA’s men’s club competitions. Real Betis scored first, but Chelsea mounted a comeback and scored four goals in the second half to win. Cole Palmer had a pair of assists to spark the turnaround and Enzo Fernandez had a goal and an assist. It’s a brutal end to Real Betis’ tournament as its wait for its first major trophy continues. The Spanish club is at least bound for the Europa League regardless after placing sixth in the La Liga standings.

Free Kicks

  • Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady was called up by the USMNT to replace Patrick Schulte, who is dealing with an oblique injury. Brady joins a crowded goalkeeping unit that includes Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, and Matt Freese.
  • Welcome to Wrexham was renewed for a fifth season, and only time will tell if another happy ending is in store for the Welsh club when it plays in the EFL Championship.

That’s all I have for you today. This month of ups and downs as an Orlando soccer fan is almost over and there’s some international soccer to obsess over on the horizon. Have a wonderful Thursday!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-2 as Late Araujo Red Card Turns Orlando Lead into a Loss

Orlando led 2-1 late, but Cesar Araujo’s moment of madness gave Atlanta life and the hosts took advantage of it.

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10 hours ago

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May 28, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City had a 13th straight result in its sights with a late lead, but a late red card turned the game around in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Lions (7-3-6, 27 points) have no one but themselves to blame for turning a 2-1 lead with minutes to play into a loss, as Cesar Araujo lost his wits and grabbed Mateusz Klich by his throat after being pushed from behind and was given a straight red. That allowed Atlanta (4-7-5, 17 points) to score twice to come from behind and break the Lions’ 12-game unbeaten streak.

Araujo and Ramiro Enrique had given Orlando a 2-1 lead at the break by scoring on either side of an Alexey Miranchuk goal, and the Lions were defending resolutely with 13 minutes left in normal time, when the game got drunk after a routine foul by substitute Kyle Smith. Klich pushed Araujo from behind, and the Uruguayan took exception, putting his hand on the base of the throat of the Atlanta midfielder. It was perhaps soft, but it was also not a smart play, and Araujo was immediately sent off for violent conduct that wasn’t all that violent but was rather foolish.

After the sending off, Bartosz Slisz leveled the game for the hosts, prompting a reaction from the Orlando City bench that got Head Coach Oscar Pareja sent off. Jamal Thiare then scored off a needless giveaway in the defensive half late in stoppage time to steal the last point away from Orlando.

“I thought we played a very good 70 minutes until the red card and (that’s) something that we’re going to be loud (about) internally with the behavior of the referee,” Pareja said after the match. “I want to leave it there, but we (aren’t) very impressed with the way that was handled, because it was a game well played. We were doing the right things. And that changed the whole thing. So, we’re obviously frustrated, but we’re going to follow our protocols, as we always do with the league, and we’ll take care of that the best professional way possible.”

Pareja’s lineup again featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Araujo was joined in central midfield by Joran Gerbet with attacking midfielders Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.

The game got going early. Atlanta won a corner kick and the cross found Derrick Williams at the far post in the third minute, but the defender’s soft header was no trouble for Gallese, who made a routine catch.

The Lions went the other way after the save and scored the game’s first goal. Ojeda sent a centering pass to the middle, where Pasalic and Araujo were waiting. Pasalic touched the ball a few inches to Araujo, who had plenty of space and decided to shoot. The defensive midfielder sent his shot just inside the left post to open the scoring in the fourth minute. There was a long video check as Enrique was in an offside position all the way out near the top of the area. The judgment was that his positioning did not affect the goal, and the Lions led 1-0.

Each team had a near miss with a dangerous looking ball that couldn’t find a friendly foot over the next few minutes, before the Lions put together a couple of good attacks. A good buildup on the right fizzled when Enrique tried to force a pass in front to Angulo and Atlanta’s defense intervened in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Ojeda was sent over the top by Jansson and was in alone on Brad Guzan’s goal on the left. Ojeda fired his shot wide of the right post by a couple of yards, wasting the chance.

Atlanta held the ball a long time after that chance, passing it left and right, picking up some rhythm. That was broken up eventually, but Pasalic opted an audacious long attempt from his own defensive third, and he scuffed his effort, handing the ball right back. Atlanta scored a minute later, punishing the mistake.

Saba Lobjanidze shook loose down the right side, beating Brekalo and sending a cross toward the middle. The ball deflected off Angulo’s heel and hit off Schlegel’s arm, which would have been a penalty, except the rebound fell for Miranchuk — who Gerbet let go — to fire home from point-blank range, tying the game in the 19th minute.

The game settled down a bit for a while after that. The next shot came in the 25th minute when Angulo sent a weak header to Guzan off an Araujo long throw-in.

Orlando regained the lead out of nowhere. Ojeda sent a good ball up the pitch for Enrique, but Williams took it away. The defender then lost the ball and Enrique pounced on it, beating Guzan to the near post to make it 2-1 in the 32nd minute.

Neither side had more than a half-chance until stoppage time. In the first minute of injury time, Angulo made a great pass to send Ojeda in behind on the left. The Lions’ No. 10 sent a dangerous ball to Freeman at the back post, but the ball bounced over his foot to rob him of a tap-in goal.

“With Ojeda, when he’s in that position, he either hits it very hard across or he’ll try to dink it back post,” Freeman said. “didn’t want to anticipate it too much, because if he put it hard across goal, I wanted to be able to tap it. Then he kind of just dinked it right in front of me, and then the bounce kind of…I kind of misjudged it. And then it was kind of by me. But it was a beautiful move by the left side and Ojeda.”

That was the last decent look at goal and the Lions took their one-goal lead into the break.

Atlanta held the halftime advantage in possession (52%-48%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-86.8%), while the Lions recorded more shots (6-5), shots on target (4-2), and corners (2-1).

Atlanta put in a cross just after the restart but it was no trouble for Gallese. The Lions then went the other way and Angulo and Ojeda played a nice 1-2, but Orlando got no scoring chance out of it because Angulo’s first touch on the return pass was far too heavy.

The Lions came agonizingly close in the 50th minute on back-to-back shots. Freeman sent Pasalic down the right flank, with the Croatian cutting inside and firing. His shot took a partial deflection and floated over Guzan but hit the back post. Ojeda had to wait for the ball to come down as Guzan recovered, and then the ball bounced on him. He was eventually able to shoot, but Guzan did well to stop the shot at the near post.

In the 55th minute, Pasalic again got forward again off a nice pass from Ojeda, cut inside, and fired. This time his shot went right down the middle for an easy Guzan save. Three minutes later, Ojeda again had a good look and, again, fired wide to the right of goal from the left.

Atlanta held much of the possession from that point on, but didn’t create much against Orlando’s organized defense. The only threat during that span came from Pedro Amador in the 70th minute, when he was alone on the left but fired his swerving shot off target.

What turned out to be an important decision by Referee Filip didn’t seem like it at the time. Orlando broke a long spell of Atlanta possession when Pasalic won the ball and looked to move up the pitch. Klich completely engulfed the right wing, pulling him back in a bear hug on an obvious tactical foul. Referee Filip Dujic opted not to book Klich for the cynical challenge with no attempt to play the ball, and that ended up helping the host team immensely moments later.

Both teams then started to substitute. The Lions put on more defensive troops in Smith and Eduard Atuesta, removing Angulo and Ojeda for them, with Luis Muriel stepping on for Pasalic in the 73rd and 74th minutes. The idea was to see out the final minutes and take three points back to Orlando.

However, Araujo lost his head a few minutes later and it turned the game around.

Smith’s foul could have gone either way, but the whistle blew and Araujo dribbled the ball forward. Klich wanted to get on with the restart and shoved the Uruguayan down from behind. Araujo got up and came at Klich, who was engaging with another player, from the side, putting his hand up on the base of Klich’s throat. Dujic immediately showed a red card. Orlando has seen worse let go the other way, but it was still a moment of empty-headedness for the midfielder, who took forever to leave, so he’ll expect a fine from the league. Klich was shown a yellow for the initial shove that instigated it. Had Dujic done his job properly moments earlier, both teams would have finished with 10 men, but that no-call was critical to the outcome.

The Lions dealt with the ensuing set piece and held Atlanta at bay for the next several minutes, with Muriel forcing Ajani Fortune into a tactical foul that Dujic did call in the 82nd minute. However, the Lions gave the ball away right after the restart and it was costly.

Jansson cleared a routine ball out of the box with a header, but it only went as far as Slisz. Gerbet was late in recovering, giving the opposing midfielder room to shoot. Slisz’s shot hit the inside of the left post and in, giving Gallese no chance and tying the game in the 83rd minute.

In the aftermath of the goal, Pareja was sent off after confronting the fourth official about the earlier red card on Araujo.

“I came up to the fourth referee, and I asked him why it was a red card (on Araujo),” Pareja said. “The Atlanta player, he pushed Cesar wildly too, and we were the ones who received the red card. And I said, ‘It is not a red card, why did you eject the player?’ And I was coming out from my zone like the other coach did, too. I have been in the league coaching for many years, so this is something natural in the games, but it seems like the (treatment) from them was different. We’re going to address it with the league instead of doing it in public, but what happened today, we’re very frustrated with the way they handled it. If the coaches need to be ejected because we came out eventually from our area, then we all have to be out every single game. It was a normal question to the assistant referee that we do every single game.”

Buoyed by the tying goal, Atlanta continued to attack, but Orlando did well to keep shots coming from distance or angles, and the defense dealt with the crosses in from the flanks. One shot that got through was from Klich in the 88th minute, but he hit it straight at Gallese, who saved comfortably. Gallese made another big save from point-blank range moments later, but the play was offside anyway, so it didn’t count.

Miranchuk sent a shot well off target from range in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and the Lions had at least four more minutes to kill off to earn a road point and extend their unbeaten run to 13.

The Lions had a chance to clear their lines in the fifth added minute, as the ball fell for Atuesta outside his defensive penalty area. Rather than clear it down the field or find a teammate, the Colombian tried a fancy play to knock the ball to himself, but instead Atlanta recovered the ball and immediately attacked. Miranchuk lifted a ball in for Lobjanidze, who got away from Schlegel. The attacker chested the ball down and knocked it over to Thiare, with Jansson caught ball watching and Brekalo on the wrong side of the striker to be able to stop the play. Thiare touched the winner home from point-blank range, and Orlando’s collapse was complete.

Duncan McGuire subbed on late but was not able to do much. Guzan was allowed to waste time without a yellow card, unlike Gallese, who had received one earlier for roughly the same amount of time wasting.

The Lions won a late corner and shouted for handball to no avail late in stoppage time. Gallese had come up for the set piece and the net was wide open. Atlanta was able to move the ball down the pitch but Edward Mosquera was offside and the final shot was over the empty net anyway.

There didn’t seem to be a review of the play in the box, but the ball appeared to come off a teammate from point-blank range and hit the arm of an Atlanta player, and by the way that rule has been officiated this season, that’s not often given, as there is no time for a player to react. That was the last gasp, and the Orlando City streak was over.

Atlanta ended up with the advantage in possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (13-10), and passing accuracy (87.8%-80.6%). Orlando City put more shots on target (6-5) and won more corners (6-5).

Orlando missed an opportunity to keep building on an outstanding May, as the Lions vomited up their three-game winning streak late. The Lions fell to just 5-11-7 in the all-time series, and 2-5-4 at Atlanta.

“Overall, I feel that we played a good game,” Freeman said. “I feel like the first half, we played very well on the way we want to play. Most of the second half we did as well. Then the little scuffle happened. After that it was just 10 men, us defending, and they were able to get some goals back. Now we have to move on to Saturday against Chicago.”

“The players have to think about what a good job they did until those 75 minutes when the referee got involved with the red card and just bounce back on those positive things,” Pareja said. “Because I thought we played very well until that happened. We cannot forget that, and we have two days to bring forth the message and keep doing what we’re doing, and play against Chicago.”

The Lions have one more quick turnaround before anyone gets any rest, as they return home Saturday to host the Chicago Fire. They won’t have Araujo or Pareja for that match unless some unexpected adjudication happens.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions continue their May grind with a visit to the fake plastic surface of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to take on Atlanta.

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22 hours ago

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May 28, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (7-2-6, 27 points) and Atlanta United (3-7-5, 14 points) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (7:15 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals, closing the series for the 2025 regular season.

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

History

The Lions are 5-10-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-4-4 on the road. The Lions are 6-11-7 against tonight’s hosts in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup).

The teams just met in Orlando almost a month ago to the day on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

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

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

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at then-Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

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

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

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw. It was an evenly matched game, with each team firing 11 shots and getting three on frame.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overview

Orlando is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 win at home over the Portland Timbers on Saturday, marking the Lions’ third consecutive win and Orlando’s 12th consecutive result (6-0-6). The 12-game unbeaten streak equaled the club’s record set in 2020. McGuire scored the game’s only goal off a terrific assist by Eduard Atuesta, who returned to action after missing several games with a neck injury.

The Lions are 2-1-4 on the road this season, with the two wins and four draws all coming since a loss at New York City FC on March 8 in the Lions’ first road match of the season.

Atlanta United is coming off the team’s first win since before its visit to Orlando in April. The Five Stripes bested FC Cincinnati 4-2 on Sunday night. That win snapped an eight-game winless streak (0-5-3), as Derrick Williams, Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz, and Jamal Thiare scored.

Atlanta is 3-3-3 at home this season, meaning all of the team’s wins and three of its five draws have come at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as opposed to the team’s dreadful road record of 0-4-2.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who led Atlanta in goals (9) and was second in assists (7) a year ago. He’s off to a slow start in 2025, but he’s plagued Orlando in the past, so he’ll bear watching. Former Middlesbrough man Emmanuel Latte Lath has five goals and an assist on the season. Miguel Almiron is also always a threat, with three goals and three assists on the season. Thiare has also had success in the past against Orlando City and is coming off a game in which he scored his second goal of the season.

“We’re feeling very confident and we’re feeling very positive,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think the last results have shown in many ways that we are progressing during the year and we can be the team that we want to be, or at least just to keep advancing towards that type of team. It’s true that we’re playing a good rival in Atlanta United, who is coming off their game against FC Cincinnati. We always say one game at a time, and that is our approach. We’re going to play Atlanta with the same desire and commitment that is characteristic of this group.”

Orlando City will be without Nico Rodriguez (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) is listed as questionable. Atlanta will be without Brooks Lennon (hamstring), Tristan Muyumba (knee), and Stian Gregersen (quad).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Arajuo, Joran Gerbet, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Zakaria Taifi, Kyle Smith, Eduard Atuesta, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Shak Mohammed, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (5-3-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Ronald Hernandez, Luis Abram, Derrick Williams, Matthew Edwards, Saba Lobjanidze.

Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz, Aleksey Miranchuk.

Forwards: Miguel Almiron, Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Bench: Jayden Hibbert, Pedro Amador, Noah Cobb, Efrain Morales, Will Reilly, Luke Brennan, Edwin Mosquera, Mateusz Klich, Jamal Thiare.

Referees

Ref: Filip Dujic.
AR1: Walt Heatherly.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4th: Abdou Ndiaye.
VAR: Ramy Touchan.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FOX.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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