Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Austin FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The shorthanded Lions are still hunting for their first win of the 2024 regular season.

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (0-3-1, 1 point) and Austin FC (0-1-3, 3 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
There is very little history between these two clubs, as they have only met once previously, and tonight will mark the first meeting in Orlando. The lone meeting came on May 22, 2022 in Austin, when the teams drew 2-2. The Lions built a 2-0 lead on goals by Ercan Kara and Ruan, and appeared set to take the first meeting between the teams. However, things spun out of control in the second half. Rodrigo Schlegel was booked twice for handball within a matter of seconds. His first set up a set piece, and the subsequent delivery hit him in the area. Although his arm didn’t appear to be in an unnatural position, match referee Joe Dickerson awarded a penalty and gave the Argentine a second yellow card, reducing Orlando to 10 players. Sebastian Driussi pulled the hosts within a goal on the ensuing spot kick.
Dickerson (properly, this time) sent off Cesar Araujo, reducing the Lions to just nine players. Still, Orlando was moments away from victory when Dickerson made another error that helped the hosts. A seemingly obvious goal kick was instead given as a corner and Moussa Djitte scored off that set piece in the 95th minute to limt Orlando’s point haul to just one in their first trip to Austin.
Match Overview
Orlando City enters this match still looking for its first win of the season. The Lions are 0-1-1 at home and are coming off a 2-0 loss Sunday at Atlanta United. Orlando has failed to score in three of its four matches this season and only Duncan McGuire, who is unavailable tonight due to international duty (more on that later), has a regular-season goal in 2024. The Lions have given up a whopping 10 goals through four matches while scoring just twice. Things aren’t quite as bad at home (two goals for, three against).
Austin FC is also seeking its first win this season but has gotten three results — all draws — from four matches. The Texas club is coming off a 2-2 home draw against the Philadelphia Union last weekend. Tonight’s match will be just the second away game for Austin, which is 0-0-1 after a scoreless draw at Seattle on the second matchday of the season. Austin has scored five goals and surrendered six on the season.
One of the biggest things Orlando needs to do is overcome its personnel issues. While Austin has a few players out, the Lions will be without several players who are away on international duty, including the following starters: striker Duncan McGuire (U.S. U-23s), winger Facundo Torres (Uruguay), goalkeeper Pedro Gallese (Peru), central midfielder Wilder Cartagena (Peru), defender David Brekalo (Slovenia). Reserves Abdi Salim (Somalia) and Favian Loyola (U.S. U-19s) are also missing.
“We had a chance to have a couple extra days to add into our trainings and it’s healthier,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “I hope that we can use that obviously to get a result that is very necessary, but most importantly, at this time as well, is that we can gel together, and then we can add time in training and games with players that add to our roster. We’re good and we’re taking advantage of this time during the week.”
In addition to their international absences, Orlando City lists Cesar Araujo (ankle) and Ramiro Enrique (ankle) as questionable. With Austin’s availability report not up to date on the MLS website and not listed at all in the team’s game notes, we’ll defer to our Intelligence Report this week.
Julio Cascante and Dani Pereira were called up for international duty, which makes the back line a little thinner than we feared they might be with injuries to both Leo Vaisanen (plantar fasciitis) and Zan Kolmanic (hamstring).
Match Content
- Our Intelligence Report provides insight on Austin FC from Phil West of Verde All Day.
- Our most recent PawedCast includes our key match-ups and score predictions for today’s match.
- Dave Rohe outlined his three keys to victory for Orlando City in this match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, Kyle Smith, Martin Ojeda.
Forward: Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn.
Bench: Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Michael Halliday, Thomas Williams, Jeorgio Kocevski, Felipe, Wilfredo Rivera, Shak Mohammed.
Austin FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Brad Stuver.
Defenders: Guilherme Biro, Matt Hedges, Brendan Hines-Ike, Jon Gallagher.
Defensive Midfielders: Jhojan Valencia, Alex Ring.
Attacking Midfielders: Ethan Finlay, Sebastian Driussi, Jader Obrian.
Forward: Diego Rubio.
Bench: Stefan Cleveland, Jimmy Farkarlun, Antonio Gomez, Hector Jimenez, Emiliano Rigoni, Owen Wolff, Gyasi Zardes.
Referees
REF: Esteban Rosano.
AR1: Alexander Arita.
AR2: Diego Armando Parra.
4TH: Jonathan Weiner.
VAR: Alan Kelly.
AVAR: TBA.
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), Mega 97.1 FM (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
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union
Find out how the season has been treating the Philadelphia Union since the two teams met in the season opener.

Orlando City has strung two wins together for the first time in the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and now the Lions will try to make it three on the bounce. Along with the chance to extend the winning streak to three games comes the opportunity for revenge against the Philadelphia Union. The Union got the better of Orlando in the first game of the season to the tune of a 4-2 victory, and now we’ll have a chance to see what sort of progress OCSC has made since then.
Before that, though, I spoke to Matt Ralph, the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now, to see how things have been going for Philly since that first game of the season. He was kind enough to help get us up to speed on a Union side that’s been one of the best in the league so far.
The Union don’t seem to have had much problem in adjusting to how Bradley Carnell wants to play. What’s made this team so successful through its opening six games?
Matt Ralph: The players have bought in, and the new additions have fit in well. One of Carnell’s strengths is his communication, and like Jim Curtin before him, he has done a great job of being consistent with his messaging and has created a challenging training environment that has prepared his players well week to week. Carnell has put his stamp on the “Philly tough” approach, no doubt, but many of the ingredients were already in place, and if anything, he’s cranked things up another notch with the intensity he expects day to day in training and within the 90 minutes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but both losses have shown that there is little margin for error, which is not really a new phenomenon for a team over the last decade that’s become known for punching above their weight.
Let’s talk about Golden Boot leader, Tai Baribo. Outside of the great scoring numbers, what does he bring to the team?
MR: Baribo will be the first person to deflect credit to his teammates and his humility and team-first mentality is one of his greatest attributes. When you see him get stuck in to make a tackle in the middle of the park in the 80th minute, it illustrates how much his work rate and willingness to do anything to win — whether the goals come or not — impacts the team.
Obviously it’s pretty early in a long season, but the Union have been impressive so far. What would be seen as a successful season for this group?
MR: It’s pretty much playoffs or bust, and once they get to the post-season, as we know, all bets are off. A competitive U.S. Open Cup run would be nice, though the schedule in May is not very kind.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MR: Kai Wagner is questionable again, so look for him to come off the bench at the very least. I think there will be one or two changes in the starting XI, be it Indiana Vassilev, Bruno Damiani, or Olwethu Makhanya starting, but it will mostly be a similar look (with Nathan Harriel healthy) from match day 1.
Projected starting XI: Andre Blake; Frankie Westfield, Ian Glavinovich, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel; Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean-Jacques, Quinn Sullivan; Daniel Gazdag, Bruno Damiani, Tai Baribo.
The Union haven’t drawn a match yet this season and Orlando has shown they can score (first in the league with 15 goals), so I’m going with a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for the refresher on the Union. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/4/25
Orlando City gets ready for the Philadelphia Union, OCSC partners with Footy Access, USWNT prepares for Brazil, and more.

Happy Friday! It may feel a bit like the calm before the storm today, as Orlando City, Orlando City B, and the United States Women’s National Team are all in action on Saturday. It all makes for a fun next few days and I’m looking forward to it and also watching some kart racing on Sunday. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Gets Ready For the Philadelphia Union
The Lions are back in action Saturday with an away game against the Philadelphia Union at 7:30 p.m. Orlando has won its past two games and leads the league with 15 goals this season. The Union remain near the top of the Eastern Conference, but have lost two of their past three games. Duncan McGuire detailed how healthy competition and a willingness to defend has the offense firing on all cylinders heading into this match.
This will also be a rematch of the season opener on Feb. 22 when the Union won 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium. Philadelphia Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell spoke on how Orlando is a different team compared to that match due to changes on offense and center back Robin Jansson’s recovery from a knock.
Orlando City Partners With Footy Access
With the Generation Adidas Cup set to take place later this month, Orlando City has partnered with Footy Access, which is a media company focused on youth soccer. This collaboration means fans will be able to enjoy highlights and interviews from Orlando’s academy as it progresses through the tournament. I’m pretty excited about being able to see how well Orlando’s academy is doing.
MLS NEXT also announced that new rankings focused on development rather than results will be used for its U-13 and U-14 age groups. These rankings will use an analytical formula that measures game play and the caliber of offensive and defensive actions. There will also be encouragement for teams to have their own identities on how they want to play.
USWNT Prepares to Face Brazil in Friendlies
The United States Women’s National Team will take on Brazil on Saturday in the first of two friendlies this international break, with the second match set for Tuesday. These friendlies will be rematches of last year’s Olympic gold medal match, which the U.S. won 1-0. Marta has retired from international soccer, but Pride midfielder Angelina was called up for these friendlies, along with former Pride forward Adriana. Lorena, who has only conceded one goal in three games for the Kansas City Current this season, will likely get the start in goal for Brazil behind a talented back line anchored by Tarciane. The USWNT will need to find ways to limit attacking threats like Kerolin and Gabi Portilho as well. These should be matches, with familiar faces on both sides for Orlando fans.
U.S. Set to Host 2031 Women’s World Cup
It looks like the 2031 Women’s World Cup will be held in the U.S., as FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the only bid came from the U.S. and potentially other Concacaf nations. The U.S., which withdrew from hosting the 2027 World Cup, would be the first country to host the tournament three times and last hosted it in 2007. The United Kingdom was also revealed as the lone valid bid to host the 2035 World Cup and it would be the first time the tournament is hosted there.
Free Kicks
- Shout out to Orlando City’s U-19 team for its title win and securing a spot in the MLS NEXT Cup playoffs.
- NJ/NY Gotham FC and Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós have reached an agreement for a contract extension that will keep him at the club through 2029.
- The schedule for the third round of the U.S. Open Cup is out, with more USL Championship teams joining the fray. Only two MLS NEXT Pro teams remain, while El Farolito is the lone team from an open division still standing.
- Philadelphia Union forward Tai Baribo was named MLS Player of the Month for his performance in March and February. The 27-year-old scored six goals in five games, with five of those goals coming in the Union’s first two games of the season.
- As for the NWSL’s monthly awards, Kansas City forward Temwa Chawinga won Player of the Month after scoring in all three of her games so far this season. Houston Dash midfielder Maggie Graham claimed Rookie of the Month for scoring in her first two appearances.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia has announced his retirement from professional soccer after a 17-year career that included 10 years with Sporting Kansas City.
- Toronto FC added midfielder Maxime Dominguez on loan from Vasco da Gama in Brazil’s top flight.
- Arsenal’s injury woes this season continue, with defender Gabriel Magalhaes set to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.
- We’ll end our links with the Lions celebrating Rodrigo Schlegel’s birthday in style.
That’s all for this fine Friday, I hope you all have a fantastic day and a relaxing weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City Relies on Starters More Than Any Other MLS Team
An analysis of Óscar Pareja’s early lineup choices and substitution patterns and how that compares to the 2024 season.

Legendary swordsman Inigo Montoya, a man who is not lefthanded, once opened a conversation by asking the Dread Pirate Roberts if, by any chance, he had six fingers on his right hand. Nobody will need to prepare to die by the end of this column, but I will ask a similar question: I don’t mean to pry, but did you by any chance happen to realize that we are already more than one-sixth of the way through the MLS regular season? Six fingers, one-sixth of the season…close enough. Let’s go.
Time flies when you are having fun, and somehow Orlando City has already played 540 minutes of MLS soccer this season. I consider 500 minutes played to be a cutoff amount when looking at player and lineup performance, and with the conclusion of the most recent game in Los Angeles, the team has now surpassed that 500-minute threshold.
In looking at the opening 540 minutes, I was surprised to see how much continuity I found in the minutes played, considering how many injuries the Lions have had to work around during these first six games. In just the first six games, Orlando City has already had full games missed due to injury by César Araujo (1), David Brekalo (2), Robin Jansson (2), Duncan McGuire (3) and Nico Rodriguez (5). Brekalo and Pedro Gallese both missed a game for international duty as well. McGuire was not expected back during the first set of games, but all of those other players, with the possible exception of Rodriguez, were expected to contribute during the early part of the season.
These absences led to games where the substitutes list was full of players who will play big minutes for Orlando City B this year, but not players who Óscar Pareja was likely to turn to off the bench unless the game was out of hand or he was absolutely desperate. According to Opta’s tracking through the opening six games, Orlando City ranks last in MLS in the average minutes played by its substitutes, as the average amount of time per appearance for the players off the bench for the Lions is only 12 minutes. For context, 16 teams have an average amount of time per substitute appearance of 20 minutes or greater, and Inter Miami and Toronto are tied with a league-leading 27 minutes per substitute appearance.
The interesting thing about those two teams, Miami and Toronto, is that Miami leads the league in points per match with 2.6 and Toronto is second from the bottom with a scant 0.33 points per match. I think a lot of this data will even out over time, as right now there are several teams, including Miami, that are playing in multiple competitions and trying to keep players fresh for all of their matches.
When it comes to Orlando City, however, that is not the case, and thus far there has just been the standard one game per week on six consecutive Saturdays. The players are rested for each game. The issue has just been that Pareja has not had the depth and variety of players he thought he would have to bring off the bench to protect a lead or chase a deficit.
We often joke in articles or on The Mane Land PawedCast about how “Óscar gonna Óscar,” and once he finds a lineup he likes, he sticks with it. Even with all the injuries he has somehow managed to do this again this season, as you can see from the chart below. I started tracking lineup data last season, and even though the 2025 season is only six games old and there have been so many absences from key players this season, it was striking to see that the 11-man lineup that has played the most minutes together this season already outranks all but two lineups from the entire 2024 MLS season (including the five playoff games!):

Now, it is a little unfair to the one 2025 lineup on the above chart that it has such a negative goal differential per 90 minutes, because if it is only the 10 field players, with goalkeeper excluded, then that lineup has played 215 minutes together and has a +0.84 goal differential per 90 minutes. That group is +4 with Javier Otero in net in 74 minutes together, and removing the goalkeepers from the calculation turns that negative goal differential into a positive.
What that also tells us, however, is that when it comes to the 10 field players, Pareja has played the same unit in the field for 40% (215/540) of the team’s minutes already. Granted it is early in the season, but after six MLS games last season, the lineup that had played together the most had played a grand total of 74 minutes together (14% of all minutes). The top five most used lineups in last season’s opening six MLS games combined to play 302 minutes, or 56% of all minutes, and in 2025 it is 402 minutes, or 80%. My math, and everyone else’s math, says that is a much higher percentage and indicates that the team is focused on continuity early.
That continuity thus far this season has paid dividends, with the Lions earning 10 points from the first six games, twice as nice as last season’s five points after the first six games. Last year, the team was balancing midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games in addition to injuries and an international break during the opening weeks of the MLS season, so there were some good reasons for the lineup rotation and the slow start. This year’s squad will have to navigate two upcoming cup tournaments in the coming months, and so we likely will see a lot of new lineup configurations or more rotation once the U.S. Open Cup starts in May and then again when Leagues Cup starts in July.
Thus far though, Pareja has been able to stick with his starters deep into matches, and has only given playing time to 20 players, which is tied for third fewest across all of MLS. Fan bases often clamor for the coach to “play the kids,” but while Pareja has had young and inexperienced players on the senior roster for every game, he really has only given significant minutes to Alex Freeman from the group of players that could be referred to as “the kids.” Gustavo Caraballo has played nine minutes, which is incredible for a 16-year-old (15-year-old Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia is the only player younger than Caraballo to have played this season, and he has also played only nine minutes), and new signing Nico Rodriguez (20 years old) has played 11 minutes, but the next three youngest players to play are all at least 22 and were with the senior club last season (Otero and Ramiro Enrique) or came to the club after four seasons of college soccer (23-year-old, but nearly 24-year-old, Joran Gerbet).
The team’s record thus far shows that Pareja has been right to limit the minutes to the small group of players he trusts, and with one game per week for the next six weeks it will be interesting to see if the early trend of starters playing long minutes and only a few players getting all the minutes off the bench continues. The next match is on the road against Philadelphia, which so rudely came into Orlando and defeated the Lions 4-2 in the season opener, and my expectation is that while we likely will not see any players make their season debut in this game, I do think we will see a different starting lineup than the season opener and probably a different one than the game last weekend against the Galaxy.
No matter who the Lions go with, I am sure they will want to avenge the season-opening loss and bring three points back home to Orlando.
As we wish.
Vamos Orlando!
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