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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Late Lead at Home

Orlando’s inability to finish or to defend for a full 90 minutes was again front and center in a late home loss to the Reds.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

It was the same script for the Lions (2-4-3, 9 points) in a brutal 2-1 loss to Toronto FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. A lack of finishing chances and odd defensive lapses in an otherwise solid game turned around Orlando City’s 1-0 lead late and allowed Toronto FC (5-4-1, 16 points) to smash and grab three points in Orlando.

Duncan McGuire staked his team to a 1-0 lead by halftime, but late headers by Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu in the 87th and 90th minutes, respectively, turned things around quickly at the end. Orlando’s four-game unbeaten run is over, as is the team’s 6-0-2 run against Toronto, and the Lions fell to just 1-2-2 at home.

“Very disappointed obviously with a game that certainly had the necessity for us to add three points, win at home, and after these past four games just keep that momentum going,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “And the end of the game is very disappointing for us.”

Pareja’s lineup offered up a couple of changes from the side that drew at Montreal, with Rafael Santos, Martin Ojeda, and McGuire entering in place of Kyle Smith, Nico Lodeiro, and Luis Muriel, respectively. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ojeda, with McGuire up top.

The first half was a contrast in styles. Orlando City tried to work the ball up the pitch methodically, but the Lions were often their own enemy in sending an off-line pass or overshooting their intended recipient. The movement was a bit slow and predictable, and Toronto limited most of Orlando’s play to the sides once the Lions got into the final third.

The Reds looked to play direct balls over the top fot Owusu and Federico Bernardeschi when possible, and Toronto looked like the more dangerous team, despite having less of the ball and not getting forward often.

The first chance for either side was a shot over the bar by Owusu in the ninth minute from just outside the area.

Orlando had a few chances to play direct as well, but couldn’t pay them off. The first came in the 11th minute when Araujo made a forward run and made a fantastic pass to send McGuire behind on the right. However as the striker was collecting the ball and looking to get into the box, he was pulled back by Nickseon Gomis, who was booked. Referee Armando Villarreal ruled that another defender could have made a play on McGuire, so there was no red card. Ojeda went for goal on the ensuing corner kick but missed the top left corner just wide in the 13th minute.

Brekalo, who had picked up a knock a few minutes earlier, had to sub off in the 16th minute, with Rodrigo Schlegel coming on to replace him.

Torres tried to pick out McGuire in the 19th minute but the defense arrived to knock the ball back to El Cuervo. His second pass attempt was deflected off of him and out for a goal kick. Torres should have won a corner on another cross moments later but the AR’s flag came up and it didn’t appear to be a good call upon looking at the replay.

Orlando got beat over the top in the 28th minute but Schlegel did well to track back and knock the ball out for a corner kick. The Lions cleared the ensuing set piece.

Bernardeschi then started to get more involved. His cross in the 32nd minute went out for a goal kick, and moments later he got in behind and went down in the box but he was ruled offside.

McGuire sent Angulo behind down the right in the 34th minute. The winger could have crossed in but decided to cut back instead. His heavy touch was costly, as the defense arrived and knocked it out off of him for a goal kick, wasting the opportunity. Regardless, Orlando opened the scoring three minutes later.

The Lions finally completed a play in the 37th minute and it started in the back. Jansson pinged a long ball down the left channel for Torres to run onto. Once he got there, Torres put a cross into the box and McGuire got to it, knocking it in to make it 1-0 with his fourth goal of the MLS season.

“Facu played a beautiful ball and made my job real easy after a good buildup play,” McGuire said. “Good counterattack from the guys.”

Two minutes after the goal, Angulo tried to pick out McGuire but the striker couldn’t quite get onto it.

Santos was caught too far inside on a switch in the 42nd minute, which freed up Bernardeschi to cut inside and take a shot. The Italian’s shot fizzed just inches wide of the left post.

McGuire thought he’d scored his second in stoppage time. Jansson made a great play to deny a cross at the defensive end and Orlando broke in transition. Ojeda sent a gorgeous ball across the field from the left to McGuire on the right. The big striker scored on an absolute blast from a tough angle but the flag came up, and this time it looked to be the correct call upon seeing the replay.

“Martin played a good ball. Unluckily, I couldn’t stay onside,” McGuire said. “I mean, it was a good ball by him but I should have stayed onside.”

That was the last opportunity of the half and the Lions took their advantage to the break.

Orlando City held the halftime edge in possession (54.5%-45.5%) and passing accuracy (87.3%-84.1%), while the visitors attempted more shots (3-2) and won the only corner of the first half. Each team put one shot on target.

The teams exchanged corners early in the second half but couldn’t pay them off and the game settled into a bit of back-and-forth play. However, shots were rare in the early going of the second period.

Thorhallsson jumped up into the play in the 61st minute and fired a shot but it deflected out for a corner.

Toronto threw more players forward and started getting more looks. Gallese made a solid save in the 68th minute to deny a shot by Alonso Coello. Deybi Flores fired a minute later from outside the area but hit his shot wide. Thorhallsson blocked a close-range shot in the 72nd minute and the follow-up was sent wide of goal on the rebound.

Torres sent a blast on goal in the 73rd minute and Johnson did well to make a diving save. There was plenty of power on the shot but it was a bit too close to the center of goal.

Derrick Etienne, Jr. sent a header just wide of the left post in the 81st minute, but Gallese had it covered anyway had it been on target. The Lions were defending too deeply at this point and couldn’t get or maintain possession, allowing Toronto to push even higher up the field.

The visitors finally tied the game in the 87th minute and it had been coming. The ball was played out to the right and substitute Kyle Smith couldn’t prevent a Kobe Franklin cross into the area. Nobody picked up Spicer’s run into the box and a routine cross suddenly became a problem with Toronto outnumbering Orlando defenders in front of goal. Spicer put a lot of power on his shot and gave Gallese no chance.

The Lions nearly pulled the goal back two minutes later. Thorhallsson got down the right flank and sent a dangerous ball into the area. Angulo slid to try to get a piece of it at the near post but couldn’t make contact and Johnson smothered it.

It was a costly missed opportunity, because the visitors tied the game on their next attack. The ball again cycled out to the right of the Toronto attack and Smith again could not prevent a cross. Bernardeschi sent the ball to the left, where Thorhallsson had strayed too far from the back post. By the time he realized the danger, it was too late. The ball found Toronto’s leading goal scorer and Owusu sent a powerful header down into the ground in front of Gallese. The keeper was going down, following the flight of the ball but the angle of the bounce off the turf took it up and over him and into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 in the 90th minute.

Orlando had just one decent look in the five minutes of stoppage time. Luis Muriel was fouled just outside the left corner of the box. The Lions had possession so Villarreal allowed play to go on. The ball was crossed through the area and Cartagena tried a shot on the half volley but sent it over the crossbar in the 92nd minute. That was that.

With Toronto chasing the game and Orlando unable to maintain possession after the hour mark, the visitors turned around the possession, keeping more of the ball (52.3%-47.7%), as well as finishing with more shots (13-8), shots on target (4-3), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (85.2%-84.9%).

“I think we’re playing the way that we want to play and we’re trending in the right direction but I feel like just two little mishaps in the end of the second half cost us the three points tonight,” McGuire said.

“In the second half we lost control of the ball and we lost control of the game and we couldn’t hold the result,” Pareja said. “That’s what we need to study during the week to see how we can be better, because after a good first half, in the second half we lost control of the game.”

The Lions are back home again next Saturday when they host FC Cincinnati.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/23/25

Pride fall to Racing Louisville, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes share insight on path to success in Orlando, USMNT defeats Haiti, and more.

Published

18 hours ago

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June 23, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working and catching up with friends over the past week. Before we get started, let’s wish a belated happy birthday to Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, who turned 41 on Saturday. The Pride was the lone team in action over the weekend, while the Lions and OCB were off. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall at Racing Louisville

The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 2-0 Friday at Lynn Family Stadium. Arin Wright scored the opening goal in the first half, and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint converted a penalty kick for Racing Louisville. The Pride struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Orlando’s struggles in Louisville continue, as the club is winless in five matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The Pride will be on a long break, and their next match will be Aug. 3, taking on the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.

Seb Hines, Giles Barnes Share Insight on Path to Success in Orlando

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and Assistant Coach Giles Barnes were featured in an interview in The Guardian. Both Hines and Barnes shared insight into their longtime friendship, which began with playing in English youth international camps, their different paths to playing in Major League Soccer, and how they became involved in coaching. Hines discussed his time as interim manager of the Pride in 2022 and how he brought in Barnes to help change the club’s culture. Hines and Barnes helped change the perception of the club and led the Pride to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season.

USMNT Defeats Haiti to Win Group D in Gold Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Haiti 2-1 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, in their final match in the group stage of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT finished atop its group with three wins and nine points. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his third consecutive start and played 90 minutes.

Malik Tillman scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the match to give the USMNT the early lead. Haiti tied the match not long after Tillman’s goal. In the second half, Patrick Agyemang pulled the USMNT back in front. The USMNT advances to the quarterfinals as the group winner and will play its next match Sunday against the Group A runner-up which was the late game Sunday night and had yet to conclude as of this writing.

Club World Cup Weekend Recap

Another weekend of matches from the FIFA Club World Cup is in the books. On Friday, Benfica crushed Auckland City FC 6-0, while Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1. LAFC was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round after a 1-0 defeat to ES Tunis. Bayern Munich edged Boca Juniors 2-1. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3. Inter Milan needed a late stoppage-time winning goal from Valentin Carboni to edge Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. Fluminense beat Ulsan HD 4-2, and River Plate and Monterrey ended in a scoreless draw. On Sunday, Juventus cruised to a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. Xabi Alonso secured his first win as manager of Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory against Pachuca. Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal played to a scoreless draw, with Manchester City playing Al-Ain in the late match Sunday. Today’s matches feature Atletico Madrid facing Botafogo, the Seattle Sounders hosting Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto vs. Al Ahly, and Inter Miami taking on Palmeiras.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos and forward Simone Jackson have been called-up to the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. The U-23 camp will be led by Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas.

USL Championship side San Antonio FC has signed former Orlando City defender Abdi Salim to a 25-day contract.

San Diego Wave winger Maria Sanchez has reportedly reach an agreement to return to her former club, Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, on a four-year contract.

Paul Pogba is reportedly set to return to playing soccer and has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Opinion

Orlando City Has Been Better than Expected Halfway Through the Season

While there was plenty to worry about at the start of the season, Orlando has had a good first half of 2025.

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4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With 18 matches in the books, we’ve moved just past the halfway point of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and based off my feelings before Orlando City played its opening game of the season, the Lions have performed above expectations so far. There were plenty of valid reasons to be concerned heading into the year. Orlando had sold its all-time leading goal scorer, and there were questions about whether he’d been adequately replaced. There were worries about depth at multiple positions, and the defense was coming off an uncharacteristically poor year. Here we are though, with the Lions sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of second place and seven points out of first. So how did we get to this point?

For one thing, Marco Pasalic has been much better than I (and I think a lot of other people) expected him to be. The Croatian has six goals and four assists across 18 matches, and is second on the team in both categories. He scored 10 goals in 49 appearances in the Croatian first division before coming to Orlando and was extremely one-footed, which was enough evidence to sow real doubt about whether he could adequately replace the impact of Facundo Torres.

So far, it’s mostly been so good. His direct style of play is a good complement to the styles of Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel, and he’s largely hit the ground running in a league that can be difficult to adapt to. It hasn’t been perfect, as he’s still very one-footed, and can sometimes disappear if he’s stringently man marked, but on the whole there’s been much more good than bad.

Speaking of Ojeda and Muriel, they’ve also had strong years. Ojeda in particular has continued his great second half of the 2024 season and has nine goals and five assists in 18 games to show for it. He looks fast, confident, and decisive and is a far cry from the player who struggled frequently during his first year as a Lion. Muriel has cooled off a little after a scorching start to 2025, but he still has six goals and three assists in 18 matches. He looks vastly improved from last year, when he looked a little off the pace of play and quickly lost the starting striker role. He still has a tendency to not be as selfish as he needs to be in front of goal, but he’s been much better than 2024.

I mentioned depth being a big concern, and not just at one position. At the beginning of the season Orlando City was, and arguably still is, thin at striker, center back, defensive midfield, and fullback. Duncan McGuire was injured to start the year and is now injured again, leaving Orlando with two true strikers in Muriel and Ramiro Enrique. There was no true backup left back, only one reliable backup center back, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson starting at right back meant that defensive midfield depth consisted of rookie Joran Gerbet and the Swiss army knife that is Kyle Smith.

Things have mostly worked out though. David Brekalo has supplanted Rafael Santos, meaning the Brazilian is now a proven backup option at the position, and Smith has filled in there as well. That means that in games in which Rodrigo Schlegel or Robin Jansson are unavailable, Brekalo fills in at center back, Santos starts at left back, and Smith is the backup for both positions, so it isn’t a flawless system. Gerbet has been playing better and better and got some valuable minutes when Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo were unavailable. His emergence has been a crucial piece of the puzzle this year. So too has the rise of Alex Freeman, as his locking down the right back role has allowed Thorhallsson to fill in at defensive midfield, attacking midfield, and right back. The situation isn’t perfect, as a couple untimely injuries to the wrong guys would leave the Lions looking pretty threadbare, but so far it’s just about worked.

Another big concern was the defense. The Lions conceded 50 goals in the regular season last year, which was tied for the second-most of any Eastern Conference playoff team and fourth-most of any playoff team. With no defensive signings and the aforementioned depth concerns, there were plenty of reasons to worry about Orlando’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

Things have looked much better in 2025, though. The 22 goals OCSC has conceded are the fifth-fewest in the league, and Pedro Gallese’s eight clean sheets are tied for most in the league. Aside from a few egregious defensive performances against the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, and the Chicago Fire, things have mostly been tidy at the back, and when they haven’t been, El Pulpo has been around to pick up the slack. Again, things haven’t been perfect, as there have been moments where individual and collective errors have hurt the team, but it’s been better.

I thought the Lions would struggle this year. Going into the start of the season, we were talking about a team that lost Torres, arguably didn’t do enough to strengthen the team across the board, was facing depth issues, and was dealing with a leaky defense — all while pretty much every other contender in the East got stronger on paper. Instead, OCSC tied a club-best unbeaten streak and is just three points out of second place.

That being said, the East is so tight that Orlando is only five points above the playoff line, and injuries to the wrong guys could easily topple the fragile ecosystem that is the depth chart, but so far things are going better than I thought they would be. There are still a lot of matches to play, but this isn’t a bad position to be in at the halfway mark.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/20/25

Orlando Pride take on Racing Louisville FC tonight, Orlando Pride players called up by Zambia, USMNT beats Saudi Arabia, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! June continues to fly by as we enjoy the buffet of soccer here in the U.S. this month. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working, but I am hoping to get some reading done after being gifted some books for my birthday. But enough about me, let’s jump right into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Face Racing Louisville Tonight

The Orlando Pride are on the road tonight for a match against Racing Louisville FC at 8 p.m. in the final game before a league break until August. Going into the break with four straight wins would be nice for the Pride, but they’ve struggled at Lynn Family Stadium over the years. Louisville enters this match following a 4-2 loss to the league-leading Kansas City Current and has scored eight goals over the past three games. Orlando’s defense has been phenomenal this year, conceding just eight goals this season and only one during this win streak. Midfielder Cori Dyke spoke on how the team is finding its groove and shutting out opponents.

Zambia Calls Up Orlando Pride Trio

Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were all called up for Zambia’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations roster ahead of this summer’s tournament. Banda has eight goals this season with the Pride and had four goals at last year’s Olympics, including a hat trick against Australia. The Copper Queens claimed third place in the 2022 edition of this tournament, and they’ll need to be at their best to win this summer against tough opponents like South Africa and Nigeria. Zambia’s tournament campaign will kick off on July 5 against the host nation, Morocco.

USMNT Beats Saudi Arabia to Qualify for Quarterfinals

The United States Men’s National Team won 1-0 against Saudi Arabia to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. After a scoreless first half, the Yanks broke through in the 63rd minute thanks to a free kick. Sebastian Berhalter served the ball on a silver platter to Chris Richards, who buried it for the crucial goal. The defense did well to secure its second shutout of the tournament, with Orlando City’s Alex Freeman starting at right back yet again. The USMNT will play Haiti on Sunday and should be able to win the group for a smoother path in the knockout stage.

FIFA Club World Cup Roundup

An MLS club finally won a game during this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, with Inter Miami beating Porto 2-1 in Atlanta. Lionel Messi scored the winner from a free kick to complete the comeback after conceding an early goal. The Seattle Sounders had a rougher day, falling 3-1 to Atletico Madrid, with Pablo Barrios scoring a brace. Former Lion Facundo Torres started for Palmeiras in the Brazilian club’s 2-0 win over Egypt’s Al Ahly.

Today’s action features more soccer at Inter&Co Stadium, with Benfica and Auckland City squaring off in the City Beautiful. Our Michael Citro will be on hand to report on it. Elsewhere in the U.S., Chelsea will take on Flamengo, LAFC will face ES Tunis, and Bayern Munich will play Boca Juniors.

Free Kicks

  • Canada Head Coach Jesse Marsch, who is already serving a suspension for misconduct during the Nations League, is under investigation by Concacaf for incidents during this Gold Cup. Reports detail that Marsch disregarded regulations and used offensive language toward match officials.
  • Kylian Mbappe was discharged from the hospital after suffering from a case of gastroenteritis. It’s unclear if or when he’ll play for Real Madrid during the Club World Cup.
  • Carlos Cuesta was hired as Parma’s next head coach after five years with Arsenal as an assistant coach. The 29-year-old becomes the second-youngest coach in Serie A history.
  • Manchester City was fined over $1 million by the English Premier League for repeated delays regarding kickoff times.

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

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