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Flashback Friday: April 13, 2018 — Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

Hop in the time machine as we reminisce about a classic Orlando City game from six years ago.

Published

2 years ago

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Carlos Romero, The Mane Land

During the two-week break we’ve had since Orlando City’s last competitive match, I’ve had some time to go back and revisit some of the matches that the team has played in the past. What better thing to do when considering the heavy emphasis that the club has placed on its 10th season as a member of Major League Soccer?

So, before the Lions take on D.C. United tomorrow, let’s hop in the time machine and reminisce about a game that OCSC played six years ago — almost to the day.

The date was Saturday, April 13, 2018, and the Lions found themselves on the road in Philadelphia. The Jason Kreis-coached team had won two games on the bounce and entered the contest with a record of 2-2-1 (7 points), while the Union sat at 1-1-2 (5 points). The Orlando team sheet on the day looked wildly different from what we’re used to seeing these days, as no one on that gameday roster is still with the club. Kreis deployed his team in a 4-2-3-1, which will be plenty familiar to Orlando fans by now, but that was where the similarities ended.

Philadelphia’s XI had a few familiar faces however, with Andre Blake in goal, Jack Elliot at center back, Matt Real at left back, and Alejandro Bedoya in midfield.

The Union began the game strong, with Keegan Rosenberry getting off a shot from long distance, and David Accam beating RJ Allen down the right and delivering a dangerous cross that fortunately didn’t have any teammates attacking it. Despite the slow start, Orlando almost opened the scoring just inside 10 minutes when Amro Tarek had a shot cleared off the line after being picked out by Yoshi Yotun from a corner.

Philadelphia continued to be dangerous, and Orlando’s task got more difficult when Allen went down with a hamstring issue in the 21st minute. The Lions were already missing Jonathan Spector through concussion and Scott Sutter with the dreaded lower body injury, so Cristian Higuita entered the fray while Will Johnson moved to right back.

The Lions’ resilience paid dividends a few minutes before halftime. Dom Dwyer timed a perfect run to stay level with Real, and Sacha Kljestan delivered him the ball by way of an outstanding lifted pass. Dwyer showed outstanding invention to settle the pass using his back, and then turned to curl the ball beyond Blake for the game’s first goal and the 99th of his career.

The goal seemed to unlock something in the good guys, as the first-half-fun didn’t end there. The second goal of the night had a bit of fortune to it, as Chris Mueller collected the ball in midfield and drove toward the box. A heavy touch meant he lost the ball, but Philadelphia couldn’t clear its lines and the ball came right back to him off the foot of Elliot. From there, it was a simple matter of taking a touch to settle himself and then firing low and hard past Blake and into the far corner.

The Lions took that 2-0 lead into halftime, but after the restart they once again found the Union streaming forward toward their goal. Bendik made his second big save of the night in the 53rd minute from a Fafa Picault shot, and it wasn’t the last time he was called on, as he denied Bedoya in the 62nd minute.

Justin Meram provided some moments of danger as the half wore on, and probably should have had an assist as the clock struck 90 minutes, but Dwyer fired his shot off target. Bendik had to make one big final save in the 94th minute to stop Borek Dockal’s effort, and when the whistle blew for full time the Lions’ had escaped with a 2-0 win.

The home side finished with 55% of the ball to Orlando’s 45%, and outshot OCSC by a whopping 20-8, but a lack of clinical finishing proved to be the Union’s undoing (sound familiar?).

That win meant the good guys had won three on the bounce, and a strong start to the season continued as that streak ultimately stretched all the way to six victories in a row. Sadly, the good vibes didn’t last. The last league win of that six-game streak came on May 6 in a 3-1 home victory over Real Salt Lake, and then the bottom fell out. The Lions lost nine straight league games, Kreis lost his job after the sixth of those losses, and Orlando only won two more league games for the remainder of the season.

Ultimately, the 2018 season proved to be the most difficult that the club has endured since joining MLS. OCSC’s total of 28 points is the lowest that the team has ever finished with in a season, and only a truly woeful San Jose side prevented the Lions from claiming the Wooden Spoon. Still, the win over Philadelphia — and the win streak that it was part of — were bright spots early in the year, and it’s always fun to look back on those. With a little luck, the Lions will get a similar result on the road against D.C. United tomorrow. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 6-2 loss to FC Cincinnati.

Published

13 hours ago

on

May 24, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda taking a free kick against FC Cincinnati as Eduard Atuesta looks on.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City heads into the World Cup break having given up all the goals in a 6-2 road loss to FC Cincinnati. It started out pretty well, but I don’t think there was ever really a chance with how many matches the Lions had played in such a short time in the lead-up to this match. Now the team will have the opportunity to think about what they’ve done.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

The Accountant Pays

So often it’s a former player that hurts an Orlando team. Fortunately, Kyle Smith would never hurt us — at least now that he doesn’t play for the Lions. One might think he was a Manchurian candidate thanks to the foul he committed in the box against Tiago. It was exactly the type of call that usually goes against Orlando City, so I was happy to see it called correctly in this case. Martin Ojeda put away the penalty to give the Lions the early lead. Thank you for your service, El Soldado.

Can’t Keeper it Clean

Let me be very fair from the jump. The header scored by Kenji Mboma Dem was perfectly placed, and I don’t blame Maxime Crepeau for not saving it. The second goal wasn’t really his fault either. His defense gave the ball away cheaply in their own half and the Lions paid for it. He wasn’t getting to the third goal either. Braian Ojeda was so far behind Evander in defense that I don’t think he made it into frame until the ball was in the back of the net. I don’t have the heart to go through the other three goals conceded.

OMG Ojeda

Orlando City needed to score the first goal of the second half if the Lions were to have any chance — they did not have any chance — to win the match. Orlando City pressed into the attack and earned a free kick outside the box. Martin Ojeda stepped up to take it. I knew he was taking it, you knew it, and Roman Celentano knew it. Knowing and stopping a perfectly placed free kick goal are two very different things, and this goal should be up for Goal of the Matchday. It won’t win because of Orlando City reasons, but it should.

Tired Legs

Five matches in 15 days takes a toll. That toll was six goals conceded by Orlando City. The Lions pressed effectively for the first 15 minutes or so of the first half. They also did well the first five minutes of the second half. Other than that, it was obvious that Cincinnati was the team with the fresher legs. If it wasn’t obvious, even Ivan Angulo couldn’t outrun the competition, begging the question of why there wasn’t more rotation over this brutal stretch of May. Once the team was down a goal and then two, and then three, the Lions did not have the legs to chase the match effectively.

Still No Defense

Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman has tried a few different formations, different lineups, and assorted player combinations, and he still hasn’t found an effective defense. I will concede — much like the defense — that shutting down an offense like FC Cincinnati’s is not easy, especially given the tired legs. However, it shouldn’t be hard to keep any team to — let’s say four goals instead of six. This was the fifth time this season the Lions have allowed an opponent to score four or more goals. They only did that three times in each of last two seasons, and in neither season did they allow six in a single match, which they have now done twice this season. It is unacceptable, and changes need to happen.

That is what I saw in the disappointing but predictable loss to FC Cincinnati. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 6-2 as Leaky Lions Suffer Another Heavy Road Loss

Martin Ojeda provided an early lead but Evander tallied five goal contributions as the Lions were embarrassed on the road again.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 23, 2026

By

Image of Griffin Dorsey dribbling up the side past two FC Cincinnati defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After a disastrous start to the season, Orlando City entered tonight’s match at FC Cincinnati looking to enter the World Cup break with only one loss in the past six games. However, the Lions also had only won one away game all season. This wasn’t the game for them to get another one as Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) fell 6-2 to FC Cincinnati (5-5-5, 20 points) at TQL Stadium.

Thus, the Lions end the first part of the season as they started it.

Evander scored twice and assisted on three other goals to lead the rout, despite Martin Ojeda giving Orlando City the early lead in the first half and tying the game at 2-2 shortly after halftime. After the second of those goals, it was all FC Cincinnati, ripping apart a passive midfield and back line. Kenji Mboma Dem added a brace for the hosts and Kevin Denkey and Tom Barlow also scored.

“The scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “They have talented players and take advantage of the mistakes we made. One thing everybody can be sure is that we gave everything on the field, maybe making some mistakes, but we gave everything.”

Perelman switched very little from the side that played four days ago in Orlando in the U.S. Open Cup match against Atlanta United, and one of the few changes was to start Maxime Crepeau in goal, after starting Javier Otero on Tuesday, behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda manned the middle inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, as Marco Pasalic started the game on the bench ahead of his World Cup journey with Croatia. Justin Ellis and Martin Ojeda led the attack up front. That means most of the starting XI was playing its third game in seven days and it looked like it after an energetic opening 15 or 20 minutes.

Orlando City came out in a high press and was able to keep the ball trapped in the Cincinnati end for the first four minutes, winning a pair of free kicks, including one from 30 yards out in the fifth minute. Martin Ojeda tried to find some on the far post but overhit it. However, just one minute later, Tiago poked the ball away from Samuel Gidi, right to Martin Ojeda in the box, which he put in the back of the net. However, Ojeda was offside when Tiago poked the ball to him, nullifying what would have been the opener.

Once Cincinnati was able to survive that initial onslaught, the hosts were able to possess the ball a bit more in the midfield. Some of the passing was loose enough to entice the Lions to challenge aggressively and Marin went into a challenge on Kenji Mboma Dem awkwardly and picked up a yellow card in the 10th minute.

Orlando City’s pressure kept unsettling Cincinnati and in the 13th minute Dorsey crossed the ball into the box. Former Lion Kyle Smith got to it first to cut it off, but he took a heavy touch. That enabled Tiago to close him down and slip in between Smith and the ball. Smith caught Tiago’s leg, tripping the Brazilian in the box and handing his old team a penalty kick.

Martin Ojeda took the penalty kick and stutter-stepped enough to force goalkeeper Roman Celentano to move, and then he calmly slotted it down the middle, scoring his 10th goal of the MLS season and giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.

The teams exchanged possession for the next six minutes, and Orlando became less aggressive on the press after scoring the first goal. At the 24-minute mark, Bryan Ramirez was sent free on a long ball down the left side and put a great cross into Denkey to put him behind the defense, but Marin slid in at the last minute and knocked the ball out for a corner. FC Cincinnati piled on the pressure over the next six minutes, totaling six different attempts with an expected goal value of just 0.8. Orlando City could not possess the ball for any amount of time with FC Cincinnati starting to press higher, but the Lions withstood the pressure.

In the 32nd, Atuesta suffered a nasty tackle from behind, earning Gerardo Valenzuela a yellow card. The Lions got a bit better at possessing the ball but still had to defend more than they would like. It led to the eventual tying goal in the 42nd minute when an Evander corner found Mboma Dem, who beat Brekalo in the air and put arc on the header, sending it just inside the far post out of Crepeau’s reach. The placement couldn’t have been more perfect for Cincinnati.

Orlando City appeared like the team that had a game Tuesday playing against a fully-rested team. The Lions couldn’t possess for long stretches and kept giving away opportunities. In the second minute of first-half injury time, Martin Ojeda was slow reacting to an underhit Jansson pass, allowing Pavel Bucha to intercept it and start a counterattack. He switched field to an open Evander, who slotted it home at the far post.

Losing the lead seemed to get Orlando City focused a little more for the final few minutes, earning the team a corner, but it was deflected out on the recycle and halftime was called instead of giving the Lions a second set piece. As befits a half that saw Orlando City jump out with force but then lose energy, the Lions trailed in all stats as well. FC Cincinnati led in shots (13-6), shots on target (6-1), possession (53%-47%), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (90.9%-82.#%). With such a disparity in statistics, Orlando City was lucky to only be down one entering halftime despite a strong start.

Tyrese Spicer came on for Tiago at the break and Orlando City came out on the front foot again. The Lions kept Cincinnati trapped in their end and, one minute in, Atuesta intercepted a ball and was pulled back by Matt Miazga at the top of the box. Martin Ojeda took the ensuing free kick and placed it perfectly over the wall and into the top corner to even the game in the 48th minute. Ojeda’s 11th of the year in just 15 games puts him just five behind his MLS total of 16 in 33 games a year ago.

The fireworks were just beginning. Cincinnati pushed possession into the Orlando half and Mboma Dem got his head on another Evander corner but hit the crossbar. The rebound fell to Miazga, who couldn’t get enough on it to push it past Crepeau, who deflected it wide. However, just two minutes later, Evander found Mboma Dem in the box and the forward finished it cleanly to pick up his brace, restoring Cincinnati’s lead in the 52nd minute.

Orlando City tried to push fresh legs on in the 57th minute, subbing in Marco Pasalic for Ellis, who had a moment or two of interest but was not his best self. One minute later, the midfield let Evander carry the ball 30 yards forward, so he took them up on their offer and cracked one home from the top of the box in the 58th minute.

The Lions were able to re-establish their share of possession over the next eight minutes, leading to a series of corners that didn’t turn into anything dangerous. Eventually, Cincinnati was able to break through for a spell and Brekalo stepped up strongly on an Evander advance after a turnover by Pasalic and picked up a yellow card for his tactical foul in the 70th minute.

After Evander missed the following free kick, Orlando City subbed in Duncan McGuire for Marin and Wilder Cartagena for Dorsey. Two minutes later, FC Cincinnati brought in Brian Anunga for Obinna Nwobodo.

The subs didn’t bring any additional energy for Orlando City as, in the 77th minute, Evander dribbled in front from the left past multiple Lions and slipped a ball through the defense to Denkey in the box. Denkey had beaten Cartagena goal-side and pushed it past Crepeau to make the score 5-2 in the 77th minute.

Orlando City was able to apply pressure as Cincinnati seemed content with its allotment of goals and earned a couple of corners that went begging. Cincinnati brought on two more subs in the 83rd minute, pulling out Mboma Dem and Valenzuela for Tom Barlow and Ender Echenique. Atuesta showed a touch of skill one minute later, beating the defenders and hitting the far post with his attempt. Luis Otavio was brought on as Orlando City’s final sub in the 85th minute for Braian Ojeda.

Orlando City was able to apply a little more pressure as regulation time wore down, with Spicer getting a header blocked and Angulo getting his shot in the 90th minute saved. It eventually wore down though as, one minute later, Echenique chipped a pass to his sub mate Barlow, left unmarked by Brekalo and Otavio, and the forward was able to volley it home in the first minute of stoppage time.

Pasalic added one final moment of excitement as his left foot cannon unleashed a shot at the far post that Celentano was just able to tip wide. That was it for the game and the Lions now have some questions to answer regarding everything about the team and what it will look like when Antoine Griezmann joins the club after the break. An attack that is already decent will get better, but there are clearly some issues with the defense.

“It’s a bad mood in the dressing room, because we started the game really good,” Pasalic said. “We conceded a lot of goals this season but I cannot blame the defense. If you start to blame each other, it’s not good and you’re not going to end good.”

Orlando City was able to finish ahead in one statistic with the late push by leading in corners (8-6). FC Cincinnati again led all the rest: shots (23-20), shots on target (11-9), possession (57%-43%), and passing accuracy (89.8%-83.5%).

Orlando City now will be off until late July for the MLS World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 22 at the San Jose Earthquakes.

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

The Lions head north for their final match prior to Major League Soccer’s World Cup break.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 23, 2026

By

Image of Wilder Cartagena booting the ball against FC Cincinnati.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-8-2, 14 points) and FC Cincinnati (4-5-5, 17 points) at TQL Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV) in Cincinnati. It’s the first of the two meetings between the teams this season, with FC Cincinnati scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando on Aug. 15.

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

History

Orlando City leads the all-time series, 5-4-4, with a 3-1-3 mark on the road. The teams last met on Sept. 28, 2025, with Alex Freeman’s goal late in stoppage time salvaging a 1-1 draw for Orlando City on the road, canceling out Kevin Denkey’s second-half strike.

Prior to that, the teams also met last year on June 28 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, with FC Cincinnati winning 2-1. An Evander brace, which included a poorly conceded set piece goal from distance, was enough to offset Marco Pasalic’s goal.

These two teams met at TQL Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024, with the Lions leaving southwest Ohio with a 3-1 victory in their final road match of the regular season. Ramiro Enrique scored twice and had a third chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick. He also assisted on a goal by Ivan Angulo in an impressive performance. Luciano Acosta scored Cincinnati’s goal.

These two sides also met on May 4 of that year in Orlando with FC Cincinnati claiming a 1-0 road win on a first-minute goal by Acosta. The Lions went down a man early in the game when Rodrigo Schlegel was called for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity on Yuya Kubo. Orlando City had a second-half goal waved off for an offside in the buildup. Cincinnati lost Bret Halsey to a second yellow card late but the Lions couldn’t take advantage.

The teams met in Ohio on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in Orlando.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s early goal. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first-ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off back-to-back matches at home against Atlanta United. Orlando City conceded a late goal a week ago, allowing the Five Stripes to snatch a point in a 1-1 draw. On Tuesday night, Orlando City ran roughshod over Atlanta in the first half on the way to a 4-0 lead at the break and a 4-1 win. The Lions are playing their fifth match in 15 days, and now they take their heavy legs with them on the road, where they are a terrible 1-5-1 on the season.

FC Cincinnati is the much better-rested side, having last played a week ago in a wild 3-3 draw at San Diego FC. That match featured two goals deep in stoppage time, with Cincy scoring the final one in the 98th minute to snatch a road point. Tonight’s hosts are 3-2-1 at home this year, but they’re also 0-1-2 in their last three games.

To win tonight, the Lions will have to play much better defense than they have throughout most of the season. Cincinnati is second in the Eastern Conference and tied for third in MLS in goals scored (30). Neither side has been good defensively, with Orlando continuing to lead Major League Soccer in goals conceded (38) and FC Cincinnati second in that category (35). Orlando City’s offense has come to life in recent weeks — at least at home — but with so many miles logged in May, the Lions can’t afford to make tonight’s match a track meet.

“We are preparing this game like it’s the most important, not because it’s more important than the previous ones, but because the next one always is the more important for us,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “So, it’s true that this one is the last one of this semester (before the World Cup break), but for us it’s about one game at a time, so hopefully we can do a good job against Cincinnati. We know them. I think they know us as well. Both of us, we changed a little bit some things, but Cincy’s a good team and we’re going to be ready to go there and do our best in order to bring the points to Orlando.”

The Lions will be without Joran Gerbet (knee), while Tyrese Spicer (ankle) is questionable. FC Cincinnati will be without Teenage Hadebe (leg) and Alvas Powell (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forward: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic, Tyrese Spicer, Duncan McGuire.

FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Kyle Smith, Matt Miazga, Samuel Gidi.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Bryan Ramirez, Gerardo Valenzuela, Evander, Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha.

Forwards: Kenji Mboma Dem, Kevin Denkey.

Bench: Evan Louro, Ayoub Lajhar, Gilberto Flores, Nick Hagglund, Andrei Chirila, Brian Anunga, Ender Echenique, Tom Barlow, Ayoub Jabbari.

Referees

REF: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Cory Richardson.
AR2: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho.
4TH: Allen Chapman.
VAR: Ismir Pekmic.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: TQL Stadium — Cincinnati, OH.

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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