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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Tigres UANL, Concacaf Champions Cup: Final Score 0-0 as Defensive Battle Ends without a Goal

The Lions didn’t concede a Tigres road goal, but neither team has managed to win in three meetings.

Published

3 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City and Tigres battled to a defensive stalemate in a 0-0 draw short on scoring chances in a Concacaf Champions Cup match in front of 10,104 fans at Inter&Co Stadium. Neither side tested the opposition goalkeeper much and Orlando will either need to win at Monterrey next week, draw a game in which it scores, or win a penalty shootout after another scoreless draw to advance.

“A very hard game for both teams,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We thought we could have won the game. We fought and we played well, but the most remarkable (thing) for me was the personality that the team brought to day and overcame that difficult moment that we had during the weekend. I’m very proud of them. That’s a great response.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena played central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Facundo Torres with Luis Muriel up top.

The game was a cagey, defensive battle from the jump. The first chance of the match didn’t come until the 23-minute mark off an Orlando City corner. The delivery from Lodeiro was knocked out of the box by the defense and found its way to Angulo. The Colombian fired a shot that hit off a defender and caromed to Jansson. The Swedish center back fired first touch but Nahuel Guzman made a good reaction save. He also saved the rebound try from Araujo, but the Uruguayan was offside on the play anyway.

The first chance for Tigres fell for Andre-Pierre Gignac in the 28th minute but the Frenchman fired well over Gallese’s crossbar from near the top of the box.

Araujo saw his shot from outside the area blocked in the 33rd minute.

Diego Lainez was booked for a hard foul on Torres late in the first half and the Orlando Designated Player didn’t look right, favoring his shoulder. He went down moments later and the trainers came on to attend to him, but he was eventually able to finish out the half.

The best chance of the half came in the 45th minute. Muriel did well to move inside onto his right foot and blast a shot from the top of the box. Guzman got a touch on it and it deflected inches wide of the left post. However, referee Walter Lopez didn’t see the goalkeeper’s touch and awarded a goal kick.

“We were a bit unlucky not to get a goal,” Smith said. “Their goalie had a good save that was called a goal kick. That was a good save.”

That was the last look for either side in the opening period.

Tigres finished the half with more possession (58.7%-41.3%), although much of it was in the defensive half. The visitors also passed more accurately (88.8%-83.5%), while the Lions won more corners (3-1). Both teams attempted two shots in the first half and neither got one on target — officially, anyway, as Muriel’s shot probably would have gone in without the touch from the keeper that the referee missed.

“I think maybe it takes someone to do something special maybe to score a goal,” Smith said of this style of game. “I thought our attackers did that sometimes and that’s why we had some chances to score.”

Nothing much changed after halftime except the Lions saw a bit less of the ball and generated almost nothing in the attack. Once Orlando won the ball back, it was quickly given away.

After the restart, Orlando had a half chance in the 58th minute that was the only offensive point of interest between halftime and the hour mark. Lodeiro sent a ball toward the back post that skipped wide and out for a goal kick. Whether the former Sounders man was going for goal or trying to hit a cutting Muriel, it didn’t quite come off.

In the 66th minute, Araujo nearly got the ball to an open Ramiro Enrique, but the defense arrived and knocked it behind for a corner. Brekalo’s shot on the set piece was deflected up over the bar.

Gallese was called into action for the only time on the night in the 70th minute. Araujo was bundled over from behind for the fourth or fifth time in the game but for the first time, a foul wasn’t given. Instead, Tigres was given a throw-in and worked the ball to the top of the box, where Sebastian Cordova smashed a shot on target that Gallese fought off.

Duncan McGuire sent a ball forward for his fellow second-half sub Enrique in the 81st minute and Guzman raced off his line to deflect the Argentine’s shot. A minute later, Martin Ojeda chipped the ball over the defense for McGuire, who in turn tried to chip Guzman. The ball fizzed just over the bar and landed on the roof of the net.

The last look of the match came in stoppage time, when Ojeda fired a laser shot from distance that hit Guzman square in the chest.

Tigres finished the match with more possession (55.4%-44.6%) and had a slight edge in passing accuracy (86.5%-84.4%), while Orlando attempted more shots (10-6), put more on frame (3-1), and earned more corners (5-4). In the end, the teams were simply evenly matched on the stat sheet and the scoreboard.

“It was not a surprise for me to see those both teams aren’t pushing that much and not having too much open spaces, especially in the last third,” Pareja said.

“I think it was very important,” Smith said of getting a clean sheet after allowing five goals at Miami on Saturday. “I thought we defended well as a group. It was good for us to get that shutout and build confidence again.”

“It’s going to come,” Thorhallsson said of the team’s offense. “We need to start back to basics, basically. Defensively, start there and work your way up the pitch. It’s going to come eventually. It just needs to fall for us one time and then it’s going to come.”

The Lions are back in league action on Saturday at home against Minnesota United. Leg 2 of the series against Tigres moves to Monterrey, Mexico next Tuesday.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

8 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

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

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Antoine Griezmann.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Anibal Godoy.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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