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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 2-0 as Early Season Futility Continues for Lions

Lions remain winless in 2024 after another frustrating result.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It was another frustrating night for Orlando City as the Lions were dumped 2-0 by Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Saba Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis did the damage but it could easily have been a far worse final score if not for some big saves from Pedro Gallese and some moments of good emergency defending.

Orlando City (0-3-1, 1 point) has never had a worse start to an MLS season after falling to rival Atlanta (2-1-0, 6 points) on the road.

“Obviously frustrated on not getting a result, but the team that was on the pitch today really had a big effort on the game and a commitment to try to do the best possible way that we planned during the week, so I’m very proud of them,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Obviously, the frustration at this point is probably bigger, but we are professionals and we have to move on.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Kyle Smith. Martin Ojeda, Nico Lodeiro, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ivan Angulo started in a midfield behind forwards Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta pressed and looked to push the pace early, with the Lions coming in on short rest and having traveled to Mexico for a midweek match. Xande Silva fired a shot over the bar early and the Lions struggled to match the hosts’ energy in the game’s early moments.

Muriel managed to free himself for a blast from outside the area in the sixth minute but Brad Guzan tipped it over the bar. Two minutes later, Santos sent in a cross/shot that caught the crossbar. The Lions paid for that near miss seconds later.

Lobjanidze opened the scoring in the ninth minute as Atlanta unlocked the Orlando defense, which was caught out and rotated to the right. Giakoumakis sent a ball in front with the outside of his boot, putting the Lobjanidze behind Santos and in alone on Gallese. The Peruvian kept his near post covered, but Lobjanidze had a lot of net to shoot at on the far side and slotted it in to put the hosts up early.

That was a problem throughout the first half. The defense got caught multiple times with far too much space to defend.

Ojeda tried to get the Lions level in the 19th minute, trying a near-post shot from the left. Guzan was able to get down and keep it out. The Lions played the ensuing corner short and Angulo floated a perfect back-post cross, but none of his teammates made that run.

Brekalo and Jansson each made key defensive plays to deny Atlanta an easy second goal, but the hosts were bypassing the 4-4-2 midfield easily. Giakoumakis sent an off-balance shot well over the bar from the top of the box in the 34th minute as Atlanta kept coming. Jansson made another huge defensive play in the 38th to stop Brooks Lennon.

Atlanta did pretty much what it wanted on set pieces, easily winning free headers in front of goal. Derrick Williams’ free header was tipped over the bar in the 39th minute and another big stop on Williams on the next corner didn’t count as the defender was called for a foul after climbing over Santos to get to the ball.

Muriel had another good look in the 42nd minute but again Guzan got down to make the save. Thorhallsson tried to cross it back into the area but it was blocked behind for a corner. Muriel then tried a shot with his weaker foot a minute later but it was well off target.

The half ended with an enormous double save by Gallese off another corner, as El Pulpo was able to deny Atlanta twice.

The Lions ended up settling in and keeping more possession in the first half (51.5%-48.5%) and even passed more accurately (90.3%-88%), despite some bad wayward back passes in the defensive third. Atlanta attempted more shots (8-5), with each team getting three shots on target and earning three corners.

Giakoumakis went for glory from long distance just after the restart, but it was an easy bouncer for Gallese to handle.

Moments later, Angulo sent a tantalizing ball through the box that was just inches out of McGuire’s reach.

“It’s definitely frustrating when you have the ball in the opponent’s half that much, and especially in the final third, and not being able to put the final touches on the ball is definitely very frustrating for myself as a striker and for the rest of the guys,” McGuire said. “But knowing that we’ve had that much possession in their half is a good sign, I would say.”

The next 15 minutes were mostly controlled by Orlando City, but the final ball just wouldn’t come off due to a heavy touch, a deflection, or simply a failure to shoot in one case — as Thorhallsson opted instead to lay off a weak pass that was taken away.

In the 62nd minute, Gallese did well to deny Silva with a key save. The Lions then squandered a corner kick won by McGuire and Santos was forced to do some emergency defending to prevent Caleb Wiley from getting a breakaway on the counter. Set pieces were an issue on both ends, as the Lions failed to defend them well and practically none of their own crosses fell anywhere near a friendly face.

Despite there being plenty of time left, Giakoumakis basically put the game away in the 71st minute. Another scramble in the defensive end in transition started with Santos getting beaten by Lobjanidze. Santos then compounded the issue by slipping and leaving too much space for his teammates to cover. Giakoumakis stayed near the top of the box and the ball found him. He fired a shot off the crossbar and in to make it 2-0.

Maybe the only nice moment of the match for Orlando fans came in the 81st minute when Jeorgio Kocevski made his MLS debut. That good feeling was short-lived, however, as Giakoumakis fired over the bar on a dangerous chance seconds later.

Lodeiro had a good look at goal in the 83rd minute off a give-and-go, but he fired his shot over the bar. After another overcooked cross from Angulo — from the right side this time — Kocevski nearly caught a break in the 87th minute, when a ball into the box caromed to him with Guzan out of position. The rookie had to swing high for the ball and caught an Atlanta defender, ending the play in a foul given instead of a debut goal.

Orlando finally found a purple shirt on a corner kick early in stoppage time, but the ball hit off of Smith and bundled wide. Moments later, substitute Michael Halliday had a free run at a back-post cross but he muffed the chance badly and sent it well wide. Angulo sent a late shot into the outside netting from the right and that was that.

The Lions finished with the advantage in possession (54.1%-45.9%), passing accuracy (90.3%-87.9%), and corners (8-5), while Atlanta had more shots (12-11) and shots on target (6-3).

“I’d say we’re obviously disappointed,” McGuire said. “And I feel like it hurts the most, because I feel like we can see ourselves playing the way that we want to play, and just the results aren’t falling our way.”

“There is a bunch of things that we saw today that just left us with the taste that we can bounce back,” Pareja said. “The boys gave 110 percent effort. I saw a lot of good things today. At this point we’re not getting results but what I saw today on the pitch is way different and I’m very optimistic.”

The Lions get their first normal work week in a while as they will prepare to host Austin FC on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. to start a two-game homestand.

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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

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September 4, 2026

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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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