Connect with us

Orlando City

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

The Lions kick off their 10th MLS season at home with a match against CF Montreal.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday opening night matchup between Orlando City and CF Montreal at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the first of the two scheduled meetings set for the 2024 regular season, with the Lions making the return trip to Stade Saputo on April 20.

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

History

The Lions are 8-9-3 against Montreal in the all-time regular-season series and 9-10-3 in all competitions since the club joined MLS. Orlando is just 4-4-2 at home against Montreal and 5-4-2 in all competitions held in Central Florida.

The teams last met on Sept. 30, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-0 in dominant fashion. Jonathan Sirois’ own goal opened the scoring, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Facundo Torres added strikes for Orlando City. That was a good measure of revenge for OCSC, after Montreal defeated Orlando City 2-0 and handed the Lions their first road loss of the 2023 MLS season on May 6 at Stade Saputo. A Robin Jansson own goal got Montreal started in the second half and Romell Quioto added a second goal four minutes later.

These two sides met in the 2022 MLS playoffs, with CF Montreal knocking Orlando City out of the postseason by a 2-0 scoreline on Oct. 16, with goals by Ismael Kone and Djordje Mihailovic — the latter coming deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot.

Each team won at home in the two-game, regular-season series in 2022, with Montreal thumping Orlando 4-1 on May 7. Joel Waterman, Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, and Zachary Brault-Guillard did the damage on the scoreboard and Orlando City managed just two shot attempts, with Joao Moutinho’s goal on a set piece helping the Lions avoid a shutout. Orlando City did not have either starting center back for that match, and it showed. The teams also met on opening day of the 2022 season, when Orlando City captured a 2-0 home win behind second-half goals from Alexandre Pato and Benji Michel.

In 2021, the teams met in Montreal on Decision Day, with the Lions earning a 2-0 road victory at Stade Saputo to clinch a playoff spot. Sebas Mendez and Daryl Dike provided the goals. That season’s matchup in Orlando came on Oct. 20, 2021, with the visitors managing a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller struck for the Lions just before halftime, but Rudy Camacho answered on a corner kick header shortly after the restart. The first meeting of 2021 took place Sept. 15 in Orlando with the Lions falling 4-2 and finishing the game with just nine men after both Nani and Andres Perea were sent off. Quioto led Montreal with a goal and two assists. Mathieu Choiniere and Quioto put Montreal up 2-0, but despite already being down one man, Jansson and Ruan tied things up. The visitors got two more from Lassi Lappalainen and Sunusi Ibrahim.

The teams met at Red Bull Arena in late 2020 as the then-Montreal Impact played home games in New Jersey due to the pandemic. Orlando City got a Dike goal in the 39th minute to win 1-0 on Nov. 1, 2020. It was the second meeting of the 2020 season, with Orlando also beating Montreal 1-0 in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout rounds on July 25 to advance to the quarterfinals. Tesho Akindele scored the game’s only goal on a Montreal defensive mistake.

Orlando City snapped a six-game winless streak against Montreal (0-5-1) in MLS regular-season play dating back to 2016 when the Lions put the Impact to the sword in a 3-0 drubbing at Stade Saputo on June 1, 2019. Nani (penalty), Akindele, and Will Johnson supplied the offense that day. The Lions fell 3-1 at Exploria Stadium back on March 16, 2019, and Ignacio Piatti was a big reason why, scoring his ninth and 10th career goals against Orlando, adding to a strike by Orji Okwonkwo. Dom Dwyer added a cosmetic goal late for Orlando City to spoil the clean sheet.

Montreal did not allow a goal against the Lions in 2018, sweeping the two-game set from Orlando, and the Impact shut out Orlando City in three of the six meetings in that 5-0-1 run. The lone draw in that time frame was a 3-3 shootout in Orlando in 2017, in which the Impact led deep in stoppage time, only to see Jonathan Spector’s well-placed header steal the Lions a point.

Orlando won the first two meetings in 2016 by a combined score of 6-2. The teams split three meetings in 2015, with each going 1-1-1.

Match Overview

The Lions went 4-0-1 in preseason and enter this match fresh off a 3-0 win over Cavalry FC in Concacaf Champions Cup play on Wednesday night in British Columbia. Torres provided a brace after Duncan McGuire’s opening goal. As the Lions played during the midweek with mostly a first-choice lineup, it’s logical to expect some rotation for this match, including a change in defense as Rodrigo Schlegel serves his suspension for the red card he picked up in the playoff match against Columbus at the end of the 2023 season.

Orlando City comes off a 2023 campaign that saw the club go 9-3-5 in league play, 0-0-1 in Concacaf Champions League, 1-0-1 in Leagues Cup, and 1-1-0 in the playoffs at home. The Lions are 3-0-6 all-time in league openers (all at home), are 2-0-2 under Head Coach Oscar Pareja in openers, have won their last two straight, and are 1-0-0 in MLS openers against Montreal.

Tonight’s visitors have yet to play a competitive match in 2024 under their new head coach, Laurent Courtois, and went 0-3-1 in the preseason, which doesn’t usually mean much. The club was dreadful on the road in 2023, finishing 2-13-2 away from home. That terrible road record largely prevented the Canadian side from making the postseason. Montreal finished just two points out of the playoff places, ending up 12-17-5 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

Looking to improve from scoring just 36 goals during the 2023 season — tied for third worst in the Eastern Conference — Montreal has added former Inter Miami and Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez. He’s always a handful, and Orlando City will not only be without Schlegel, but as of Friday the club was still waiting for the international paperwork for new center back David Brekalo, who has been training with the Lions. Likewise, the paperwork had not yet arrived as of training on Friday for new striker Luis Muriel, so either McGuire will need to play on short rest or Ramiro Enrique could get the start.

The visitors tonight will feature a familiar face as former Lion Ruan is now with CF Montreal after spending last season with D.C. United. Other new faces for Montreal include Uruguayan striker Matias Coccaro, midfielder Dominic Iankov, and fullback Raheem Edwards.

“We’re feeling good. The boys have approached the match in a very professional manner this time when we have been busy, but we were missing the competition, so it’s good,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “After the result in Canada, we came up with big expectations of ourselves. The opener, being in front of our fans, and having a good start. So, we’ll get optimistic and it’s going to be a long journey, like always, but we’re ready to do it.”

The Lions have no one listed on their availability report. Schlegel will miss the match with his suspension, and it remains to be seen if Brekalo and/or Muriel will be cleared to play. Montreal will be without Róbert Thorkelsson (adductor) and Lappalainen (ankle), while Nathan Saliba (bone bruise) and Joaquín Sosa (lower leg) are day-to-day.

Match Content


Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeio, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, Abdi Salim, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, Jack Lynn.

CF Montreal (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Sirois.

Defenders: Gabriele Corbo, Joel Waterman, George Campbell.

Midfielders: Ariel Lassiter, Mathieu Choiniere, Samuel Piette, Ruan.

Forwards: Bryce Duke, Matias Coccaro, Dominik Iankov.

Bench: Sebastian Breza, Raheem Edwards, Fernando Alvarez, Ousman Jabang, Victor Wanyama, Rida Zouhir, Kwadwo Opoku, Sunusi Ibrahim, Josef Martinez.

Referees:

REF: Rafael Santos.
AR1: Andrew Hanks.
AR2: Albert Kyei-Mensah.
4TH: Amin Hadzic.
VAR: ?.
AVAR: ?.


How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Acción 97.9 FM and 810 AM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).


Enjoy the match. Go City!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Final Score 4-2 as Enrique, Pasalic Power Lions to Victory

The attack was spectacular on the road, as the Lions scored four times to stay unbeaten against St. Louis City.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City’s attack scored four goals and could have at least doubled that with a little better luck and decision making in a 4-2 win over St. Louis City at Energizer Park. Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic each bagged a brace, and the Lions (9-4-6, 33 points) needed each of those goals after a pair of defensive errors allowed the hosts to climb back into a game they were seemingly out of just 22 minutes after kickoff.

Simon Becher and Joao Klauss pulled St. Louis City (3-10-6, 15 points) to within 3-2 just before halftime, but Orlando City weathered the heat and the pressure and put the game away late.

“First, I want to recognize to the players, the effort. Incredible, incredible heat today on the pitch and the humidity,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think everybody noticed it at the end. But the effort was constant and I want to remark (on) that.”

With Rodrigo Schlegel suspended and Alex Freeman away on international duty, Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta were the central midfielders between wingers Ivan Angulo and Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.

The opening half was a shooting gallery, with the Lions jumping on St. Louis early, then threatening to blow the hosts out, only to start wasting some of the best chances they’ve had all season and returning to the kind of awful defensive lapses that plagued the team early in the year. That turned a comfortable 3-0 lead into a 3-2 nervy finish to the first half.

The Lions created the game’s first scoring chance off a corner kick won by Atuesta. The service found Araujo in the box, and the Uruguayan put his header on target but it was an easy one-hop save for Roman Burki in the fourth minute. Two minutes later, Pasalic sent a good ball from the right to the back post, but there were not teammates making a run there.

No matter, because Orlando City struck first anyway a minute later. The Lions worked the ball through the St. Louis midfield, moving it right to left to Angulo. The Colombian slipped Ojeda down the left, and the Argentine sent a crisp ball across the top of the six. Enrique ran onto it and redirected it past Burki to make it 1-0 in the seventh minute.

“That was a transition goal, something we worked on a lot this week in training,” Enrique said. “It was a great transition by the team. We brought it forward well, and once Tincho (Ojeda) arrived in the spot that he did, I know that he’s always going to move it towards the center, and then open up spaces. So, as soon as he did that, I was able to get in the right spot and push it towards goal and pushed us ahead.”

The lead grew just moments later. Orlando broke in transition and Pasalic made a nice move to slow down and buy himself some space in the middle. The Croatian fired from distance and picked out the inside of the right post to make it 2-0 in the ninth minute.

Pasalic had an open header on a Smith cross in the 11th minute but this time the Croatian hit his shot right at Burki for an easy save.

After that miss, St. Louis had a good attacking spell as the Lions struggled with some poor touches and passes against the press. Klauss created the first chance out of nowhere, but Gallese made a partial save and the ball hit off of Smith and deflected away. In the 13th minute, a poor giveaway allowed Marcel Hartel a shot, but the effort went over the crossbar.

Jansson had a good chance to clear in a cross, as he was positioned well and no one was in front of him, but he scuffed the clearance out for a corner. Timo Baumgartl bundled the service forward but right to Gallese. Klauss then got another opportunity, but the defense blocked his shot out for a corner.

The Lions finally took the pressure off with a counterattack and created another scoring chance in the 18th minute. Enrique was set up at the top of the box, but he sent his curling effort just outside the right post near the top corner. That led to another good spell for Orlando City, and moments later, Pasalic found Ojeda in a good position on the left but the ball skipped over the Argentine’s foot and out for a goal kick.

The Lions’ lead bulged to 3-0 just after the restart. Orlando forced a giveaway and Atuesta knocked the ball quickly to Enrique, who slammed the ball past Burki to make it 3-0 in the 22nd minute. It was Enrique’s fourth of the season.

“We saw in St. Louis a group that they aggressively want to play it out of the back, and especially their goalkeeper,” Pareja said. “We were sure that with the pressure that we were doing, we may have a chance on that phase of the game.”

“It’s another thing that we trained on this week, and it was something that we told ourselves that we could score from, because they had a lot of confidence in the way that they were building out,” Enrique said. “We worked with the high press and the back press as well. And, you know, we were able to take advantage of that tonight and get it high up the field, and then thankfully, I was able to score on the chance that we were able to turn over in that situation.”

The game slowed down for a bit leading up to the hydration break in the 33rd minute. The Lions then got exceedingly wasteful with their chances and a couple of defensive lapses allowed the hosts to climb right back into a game they were completely out of at the time.

Enrique had his first opportunity to complete his hat trick in the 36th minute on a great ball over the top. He was able to bring it down with Burki charging out, and as he tried to cut inside and fire it into the empty net, Burki got the slightest of touches on the ball to knock it away. By the time he regathered, the chance was gone.

Two minutes later, Enrique got his second chance to complete the hat trick on a nice diagonal ball to send him in behind. This time, the Argentine took an extra touch instead of shooting first-time, and Burki came out to smother it. Ojeda then fired a right-footed shot in the 39th minute from the left. The shot was right at Burki, who made the save. The rebound found its way to Thorhallsson on the right, but the Icelandic fullback made a mess of the shot, sending it high into the stands.

Those wasted opportunities allowed the hosts to pull one back in the 40th minute and get into the game. Becher got in behind Smith on a ball over the top. Jansson overran it as he cut back inside and slotted past Gallese to make it 3-1.

“I thought we had two very clear chances to put the game even further away from St Louis,” Pareja said. “We missed it, and in that moment, they reacted well. They scored that first goal and it seems like we lost a little bit of control of the ball.”

The goal galvanized St. Louis City. Klauss had a chance from the top of the box moments later but his shot deflected out for a corner. The Brazilian then headed over on the ensuing corner kick.

The Lions’ biggest mistake in the attack came in the 44th minute. Orlando broke 2-v-0 behind the defense with Angulo taking the ball up the left. Enrique was on Angulo’s right, hanging back to stay onside. Inexplicably, Angulo dribbled the ball straight to Burki before trying to lay it off and the goalkeeper got his foot on it to break up what should have been the easiest goal of the night and Enrique’s first career hat trick. Instead, the chance evaporated.

St. Louis City pulled a second goal back in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Atuesta had a chance to clear it but he muffed his attempt and his distraction kept Brekalo from being able to clear. The ball ended up with Klauss, who slammed it into the net to make it 3-2.

“They scored that second goal with that mistake that we made,” Pareja said.

Ojeda had one more decent opportunity late, but Burki saved it and the Lions went to the half nursing just a one-goal lead.

At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (53%-47%), shots (12-11), shots on target (8-3), and passing accuracy (90.4%-87.1%). Both teams earned three corners.

“We scored three goals and we could have scored probably a couple more,” Pareja said. “But we ended up just conceding them two goals and made them believe in the game, so that became a challenge for the second half. We started the half more timid and they got some confidence, but at the same time, in that second half, we played very smart and we did what we needed. We moved the numerical superiority that they wanted to do, and in the moments that we arrived to the box, we were very dangerous.”

St. Louis City came out of the break as the much more confident team, keeping Orlando pinned deep for much of the first 10 minutes. Eventually, the Lions settled into the half and started generating chances, but not as clear-cut as in the first half.

Ojeda fired over the bar with his right foot off a deflected Atuesta cross that found him near the top of the area in the 48th minute.

St. Louis held possession for a spell but couldn’t create chances out of it. Orlando eventually went the other way and fashioned some promising attacks, but the Lions couldn’t pay them off. The first of those came in the 56th minute, when Pasalic laid the ball off for Atuesta outside the area, but the Colombian fired right at Burki. Seconds later, Angulo did well to cut in from left to right, but his shot was deflected out for a corner by Kyle Hiebert. The Lions couldn’t pay off the set piece.

Enrique again came close to his hat trick in the 59th minute, getting forward and trying an inside-out shot from near the top of the area. Burki made another diving save to keep it a one-goal game. On the ensuing corner, Atuesta did well to pick out Araujo near the left corner of the box. The Uruguayan again got his header on target but Burki fought it off at the near post in the 62nd minute. A minute later, Pasalic had his shot blocked out front by Hartel. Atuesta’s shot was blocked out front two minutes later. Pasalic then drew a foul just outside the area in the 67th minute, but Ojeda fired his free kick over the goal frame.

Klauss had a good opportunity to equalize off an attacking-third turnover by Atuesta in the 76th minute. A quick ball over the top found the Brazilian, who discarded Brekalo and then fired just wide.

Enrique’s final chance to complete his hat trick came in the 80th minute, when he made a great move to put himself in behind the defense at midfield. The Argentine had a long run with the ball from left to right to get himself clear to shoot and sent a shot toward the left post that beat Burki but slipped just inches wide of finding the net.

Two minutes later, it was Pasalic who put the game away. Jansson sent a ball forward to Atuesta near midfield. The Colombian chested it down and dished to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian cut inside, got his defender to open up, and fired a clinical incision of a shot through Jayden Reid’s legs, freezing Burki in place and making it 4-2 in the 82nd minute with his eighth goal of the season.

“The surprise is that the way (Pasalic) adjusted to the league, to the group, has been so fast, and I may say that he even improved our position in there,” Pareja said of the Croatian filling the hole left behind by the sale of Facundo Torres to Palmeiras. “So, with all what Facu has given us, too, and the love that we have for him, I think Marco is taking that position to the next level. His scoring talent, the way he grew with the group, socially he’s an incredible kid, too. So we’re so blessed to have him.”

The hosts kept coming in an effort to get something from the game. Klauss fired a header wide in the 89th minute as the Orlando defense did just enough to pressure him into the misfire. Gallese then made two big saves in stoppage time to preserve the lead. The first came off a flicked header on a long-range set piece in the third extra minute. Michael Wentzel got his head to the entry ball and flicked it into Gallese’s belly, but the Peruvian was able to catch it cleanly with St. Louis attackers closing on him. Shortly thereafter, substitute Brendan McSorley was left in too much space and sent a 25-yard shot just wide of the left post.

The last chance ended with Gallese’s biggest save of the match. McSorley did well to turn Smith and then beat him to the outside, smashing a shot on target. Gallese reacted quickly to knock the ball over the net with a good save.

That was the last good look and the Lions hung onto the two-goal lead to win their second straight on the road.

Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (50.2%-49.8%), shots (24-16), shots on target (12-5), corners (6-5), and passing accuracy (88.3%-85%).

“Very happy tonight for the team, especially to get this win out here on the road and in the heat,” Enrique said. “You know, it’s a good three points for the team tonight, so I’m really happy and ready to go.”

Due to other results around the league, Orlando City remains fifth in the Eastern Conference, just a point behind the Columbus Crew.


Hopefully the Lions got a good, long rest after the Colorado match, because they have a short turnaround with FC Cincinnati visiting Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Fullback Alex Freeman Selected to Participate in 2025 MLS All-Star Game

The 20-year-old, currently with the USMNT, was selected via fan vote to his first MLS All-Star Game.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Fullback Alex Freeman has been selected to the 2025 MLS All-Star Team to compete in Austin, TX on July 23, the club announced today. Freeman, 20, who is currently away on international duty with the United States Men’s National Team in the Concacaf Gold Cup, was selected via fan vote and is the youngest player on this year’s All-Star squad. The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will pit the MLS All-Star Team against the Liga MX All-Star Team at Q2 Stadium.

Freeman was selected through the league’s fan, media and player voting process, receiving
the highest vote total among MLS right backs. The young fullback has had a breakout season in 2025, appearing in 17 matches (16 starts) with Orlando City, playing 1,474 minutes and scoring four goals with one assist. His four goals are the most by a defender in MLS play this season.

Prior to this season, Freeman had made just three MLS appearances — all off the bench — for a total of nine minutes, putting just one shot on target. He picked up his first goal contribution last year with an assist against D.C. United on July 6, 2024.

Freeman’s play has been head-turning, and he’s earned his first USMNT call-up and appearance at the senior level this season. A member of the U.S. Gold Cup team, Freeman started all three group stage games, becoming just the second USMNT player aged 20 or younger to do so. He helped the United States win all three matches, keeping clean sheets against Trinidad & Tobago and Saudi Arabia.

Freeman is the first Orlando City player selected to the MLS All-Star Team since Pedro Gallese and Nani represented the Lions in Los Angeles in 2021. He is also the first OCSC defender to be selected to the MLS All-Star Team. Freeman becomes the seventh different player and eighth different representative of the club overall in the midseason exhibition (James O’Connor was head coach of the 2019 event held in Orlando).

Orlando City SC All-Stars

YearPlayerPosition
2025Alex FreemanDefender
2021Pedro GalleseGoalkeeper
2021NaniForward
2019NaniForward
2019James O’ConnorManager
2018Yoshimar YotunMidfielder
2017Dom DwyerForward
2017KakáMidfielder
2016Cyle LarinForward
2016KakáMidfielder
2015KakáMidfielder


2025 MLS All-Star Team

Goalkeepers (3)

  • Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
  • Brad Stuver (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
  • Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Coach’s Selection)

Defenders (8)

  • Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
  • Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
  • Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
  • Michael Boxall (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
  • Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC / Voted In)
  • Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union / Coach’s Selection)
  • Andy Najar (Nashville SC / Coach’s Selection)
  • Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati / Coach’s Selection)

Midfielders (6)

  • Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
  • David Da Costa (Portland Timbers / Coach’s Selection)
  • Evander (FC Cincinnati / Voted In)
  • Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake / Voted In)
  • Jeppe Tverskov (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
  • Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago Fire FC / Coach’s Selection)

Forwards / Wingers (9)

  • Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
  • Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union / Voted In)
  • Denis Bouanga (LAFC / Voted In)
  • Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
  • Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano (San Diego FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
  • Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
  • Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
  • Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
  • Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
Continue Reading

Orlando City

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

The Lions make their first trip to St. Louis looking to build on their win at Colorado.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (8-4-6, 30 points) and St. Louis City SC (3-9-6, 15 points) at Energizer Park in St. Louis, MO (8:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second meeting ever between the two sides, the first in St. Louis, and the only one on the 2025 regular-season schedule.

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

These teams have met just once before. Orlando City won that match 2-1 on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium on Facundo Torres’ penalty in the first minute of stoppage time. Torres completed his brace after a handball in the box by Anthony Markanich stopped a shot by Rafael Santos. Torres opened the scoring in the second half, but Rasmus Alm equalized, with his goal being awarded after video review revealed the referee’s assistant should not have raised their flag for the ball going out of play prior to the critical pass that led to the goal. Jake Nerwinsky was sent off late in that game for a foul denying Ramiro Enrique a goal-scoring opportunity.

Overview

The Lions are 3-2-4 on the road this season after coming off a tightly contested 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, snapping a two-match losing streak that ended a busy May schedule. Orlando has been off since beating the Rapids but will try to continue building momentum as the month of June comes to a close. The Lions have six matches against Eastern Conference competition after visiting tonight’s Western Conference opponents in the leadup to the 2025 Leagues Cup at the end of July.

Orlando City center back Rodrigo Schlegel will serve his one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation tonight, and with Alex Freeman away with the USMNT, the Lions will be missing half of their starters on the back line for this match as the entire right half will be out. Look for David Brekalo to move to right center back. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson is the most likely candidate to take the right back spot, with either Kyle Smith or Santos slotting in at left back.

St. Louis City is 2-3-4 at home this season and is coming off a wild 3-3 home draw against the LA Galaxy on June 14. Joao Klauss scored a hat trick in the match, putting his third goal of the game in the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time to steal a point against the defending champions. Tonight’s hosts are 0-1-1 in their last two matches, but they’ve been playing better lately, with five consecutive games either decided by a single goal or finishing in a draw.

Klauss may have gotten three of his five goals this season in the last game, but he can be one of the league’s most lethal finishers. It’s not the best night for Orlando to be missing half of its back line with the Brazilian rounding into form. On the other end, Roman Burki is one of the best goalkeepers in the league, so Orlando City will need to be clinical to finish chances — something that the team has struggled with at times.

“St. Louis is a team we don’t regularly play, but we’ve followed them over the last three or four games,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “They’ve changed coaches, even though it’s someone who has been within the system. We try to capture what their current modes are — how they’re structured, how they’re playing — and then merge that into our game plan. We don’t have as much context of a rivalry as we usually do, since it’s a team we don’t know very well. But we keep preparing in our way and keep insisting that imposing our style on the game is what we’re looking for.”

In addition to Schlegel (suspension) and Freeman (international duty) the Lions will be without Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Joran Gerbet (thigh) is listed as questionable. St. Louis City will be without Alm (hip), Chris Durkin (knee), Henry Kessler (hamstring), Eduard Löwen (hamstring), Joakim Nilsson (knee), and Tomáš Ostrák (lower body).

Match Content


Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Zakaria Taifi, Thomas Williams, Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, Justin Ellis, Nico Rodriguez, Luis Muriel.

St. Louis City SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Roman Burki.

Defenders: Jayden Reid, Timo Baumgartl, Kyle Hiebert, Tomas Totland.

Midfielders: Marcel Hartel, Simon Becher, Akil Watts.

Forwards: Celio Pompeu, Joao Klauss, Cedric Teuchert.

Bench: Ben Lundt, Michael Wentzel, Joey Zalinsky, Josh Yaro, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Conrad Wallem, Alfredo Morales, Xande Silva, Brendan McSorely.

Referees

REF: Guido Gonzales, Jr.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Walt Heatherly.
4TH: Matt Thompson.
VAR: Kevin Terry, Jr.
AVAR: TBA.


How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Energizer Park — St. Louis, MO.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (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 game. Go City!

Continue Reading

Trending