Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-1 as a Late Own Goal Salvages a Point for the Lions
It was a mostly forgettable match but the Lions found a late goal to at least earn a point.
Orlando City continues to struggle in the final third, but an own goal created by a Jack Lynn flick allowed the Lions (1-3-2, 5 points) to come from behind late to grab a point in a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls (3-1-2, 11 points). The Lions conceded first from the penalty spot with Lewis Morgan giving the visitors the lead, but ultimately found a way to get a result in front of an announced crowd of 23,859 at Inter&Co Stadium.
“A great effort with what a poor result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. ” And the poor result means, we’ve got to take the point, but with that performance, that effort, that energy, you may think things should end different, but it did not. We conceded a PK from nothing and other than that dangerous play that New York had in the second half, I don’t remember any other action (created by the Red Bulls).”
Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese back in goal after missing last weekend while on international duty. El Pulpo lined up behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. The four-man midfield was made up of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, Kyle Smith, and Facundo Torres. Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire led the attack up top.
The Lions started on the front foot but struggled to break through New York’s tight defense in the last decisive movement. Angulo fired a shot that was blocked behind for a corner in the second minute. Orlando took its first several corners short in the first half and none of those plays came close to producing anything.
Thorhallsson tried to fizz a cross through the six to Angulo in the fifth minute but it was too close to Carlos Coronel, who came off his line to grab it.
In the 16th minute, Muriel lined up a shot but took too long in getting it off and Wikelman Carmona got to it first. As a result, Muriel’s swing hit the New York midfielder instead of the ball and the resulting foul on the Orlando forward stopped another promising attack.
New York broke through moments later. Santos was beaten badly by fullback Dylan Nealis, who got into the penalty area and held off Angulo before dropping a pass for Morgan. Smith arrived at the same time as the ball but clipped Morgan and referee Victor Rivas pointed to the spot.
Morgan sent a perfect penalty inside the right post to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.
“They get the penalty, which is too easy that we let that one happen,” Jansson said. “But other than that, I don’t remember anything crazy. They created a little bit, but I do think that we had the most time on the ball and we were really trying to go for it today.”
The Smith foul was a microcosm of the first half for Orlando, which was always second quickest to 50/50 balls and every untidy touch was taken away by the visitors.
Orlando won a series of corners but did nothing with them, although one dangerous cross in was flicked on by McGuire. However, none of his teammates could get onto the end of it and New York cleared.
The Lions were lucky not to go down two goals moments later. A terrible giveaway by Santos sent the Red Bulls in transition. Dennis Gjengaar took the ball down the right and Gallese came off his line to cut down the angle. The New York winger sent his shot well wide of the near post, wasting the opportunity.
The match got a bit chippy after that, with players on both teams pushing and shoving but everyone managed to avoid a booking for it. New York did have Peter Stroud cautioned for a hard foul on Lodeiro and Andres Reyes later picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul to stop McGuire in transition.
Muriel did well to beat Coronel to a ball in the box in the 43rd minute but he had no angle to shoot. He laid the ball back to Torres, who crossed it to the far post for Thorhallsson, however, the Icelandic fullback was beaten in the air and New York cleared.
Angulo sent a bouncing ball high over the net deep in stoppage time and that was it for the first half. Orlando did some things well but the passing and touch was a bit off, playing right into New York’s pressure, and several Lions dribbled into traps the Red Bulls set and were dispossessed in a half mostly played between the penalty areas.
Orlando City finished the half with more possession (55.4%-44.6%), shot attempts (6-2), and corners (5-0), while New York passed more accurately (86.2%-83.8%) and each team put just one shot on frame.
Orlando had a couple of opportunities to start the half, but could not make them pay off. His first was a shot he pulled wide of the left post in the 52nd minute. Coronel had his near post covered anyway. Moments later, McGuire had a shot deflected into Coronel’s hands. Muriel then missed badly on a good attacking movement started with Smith sending a great ball down the left for Torres.
Jansson kept the scoreline from getting worse in the 57th minute. Santos got skinned down the flank again and the ball found its way to Gjengaar in front but Jansson slid in to deflect the shot wide.
New York again could have doubled the lead in the 64th minute when substitute Elias Manoel had a free header in the box but sent it right at Gallese. The play quickly went the other way and McGuire did well to get free of the last defender, but when he entered the box, he sent his shot straight at Coronel.
Orlando nearly got a gift of an own goal in the 73rd minute off a free kick entry that the defense smashed just wide of Coronel’s goal.
The Red Bulls should have put the game away moments later. Schlegel coughed up the ball in his own half and Morgan quickly sent the ball to the middle for a streaking Manoel, but the New York attacker sent his shot just inches wide of the left post.
Smith won Orlando a dangerous free kick two minutes later just outside the area and right in the middle, however, the Lions were called for being offside on the ensuing set piece shot by substitute Martin Ojeda. Coronel had made the save on the shot, but gave up a juicy rebound. The infraction on Orlando stopped the attack.
Pareja sent Lynn and Cesar Araujo on as late subs and it paid dividends. In the 89th minute, Angulo did well to race past the defense to get to a through ball from Araujo, and he cut toward goal, sending a dangerous ball in front. Lynn tried to backheel flick it toward goal but couldn’t make good contact, and it hit defender Noah Eile and went in to tie the score.
“Before I (sent in the centering pass), I took a look up and I saw Jack Lynn at the front post,” Angulo said through a club interpeter. “So, I crossed it and centered it his way. But the good news is that thankfully it went off the defender and resulted in that own goal that we were able to equalize with.”
The Lions looked for a late winner, but couldn’t find one. The only decent look during the five minutes of stoppage time fell for Araujo outside the area. The midfielder had a long run-up to the loose ball and smashed it toward the net, but it was always rising and fizzed over the crossbar.
Moments later, the game was over. Orlando is just 1-1-2 at home in 2024 in MLS play.
The Lions dominated possession (62.2%-37.8%) with New York content most of the second half to stay compact and look for counterattack opportunities. Orlando also finished with more shots (13-7), shots on target (4-2), and corners (8-1). With the Red Bulls playing the anywhere-will-do game in the second half, the Lions also finished as the more accurate passing team (87.6%-78.4%).
“I think we played well. We had the ball, (but it) was not really too dangerous in the opposite attacking area, unfortunately,” Jansson said. “But we’re creating a lot, bringing the ball up there, and then we need to get to the more dangerous chances to put the ball in the net.”
“We had volume, we had sequences, we had energy, we had many things that make you win games, but if you don’t have punch, then it’s not going to happen,” Pareja said. “So, we need to score goals if we want to win games. It’s not happening and I have to come up with something and help them. They are bringing a lot of energy and they have the quality.”
The Lions have next weekend off and will next be in action on April 13, when they visit Audi Field to play D.C. United.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/23/25
Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.
I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract
Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.
Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled
The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.
USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando
The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20
Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News
San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.
LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.
UEFA Champions League Roundup
The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.
Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.
Free Kicks
- American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
- Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
- Borussia Dortmund fired Nuri Sahin following the club’s 2-1 defeat to Bologna in the Champions League. Dortmund has lost all four of its matches so far in 2025 and is 10th in the Bundesliga standings.
- Some of the notable matches in today’s Europa League action include Manchester United hosting Rangers, Tottenham taking on Hoffenheim, and AS Roma traveling to face AZ Alkmaar.
- Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas has joined Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina. The 38-year-old hasn’t been with a club since departing PSG in May of 2024.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026
Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.
Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.
“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”
The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.
The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.
Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.
What It Means for Orlando City
Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.
While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.
It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/22/25
Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.
Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International
While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.
Pride Preseason Begins
The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.
USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight
Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.
Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move
USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.
MLS Transfer Updates
Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.
Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.
Free Kicks
- I know you might think that Orlando City has a lot to do personnel-wise as the preseason begins, but evidently, the Lions didn’t make the Top 5.
- EUFA Champions League is in full swing, with big names Liverpool and Barcelona winning yesterday. There’s also more to come today.
- Former Orlando Pride player Alanna Kennedy signed a one-year contract with Angel City FC.
- Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links: 1/23/25
United States vs. Costa Rica: Final Score 3-0 as Yanks Win Again in Orlando
Orlando Pride Announce 2025 NWSL Schedule
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City is Often Late to the Transfer Party
-
Opinion2 weeks agoThree Questions on the Eve of Orlando City’s 2025 Preseason Camp
-
Lion Links1 week agoLion Links: 1/13/25
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoEvaluating How Orlando City May Fill Its Open Designated Player Spot
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride Sign Defender Zara Chavoshi to One-Year Deal
-
Orlando City B2 weeks agoOrlando City B Signs Goalkeeper Tristan Himes
-
Orlando City7 days agoA 2025 Orlando City Wish List
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City Trades Goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar to Real Salt Lake