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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Get Second Straight Result

In a defensive struggle, the Lions and Herons couldn’t produce a winner in a game that ended scoreless.

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2 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City and Inter Miami played to a scoreless draw in front of a sellout crowd of 25,046 at Inter&Co Stadium that looked every bit the part of two teams playing on short rest. Each side created only a couple of good looks at goal and the goalkeepers took center stage for the few chances that were generated, while the back lines of both teams cleaned up everything else.

Inter Miami (8-2-4, 28 points) has still never won a road game against Orlando City (3-5-4, 13 points), as the Lions are now 2-0-5 in the City Beautiful against their Tropic Thunder rivals. Lionel Messi, who was listed as questionable on the availability report, did not dress for the match and still hasn’t played in Orlando since coming to MLS.

“A very level game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought we found two teams that both had options. They could have scored at the beginning of the game, and then through the game we had our options too. We have the sensation that we could have walked off the field with three points, but we have to recognize that was a very tight game for both teams. The effort from the players was extraordinary and we keep on adapting to new things. I’m good with the performance of the team. I think we’re going in a good direction, I think we’re turning things around, and played against a good team who has good momentum. But today, as I say, we could have walked off with three points.”

Pareja went back to a 3-5-2 after it was successful in Philadelphia Saturday, with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a back line of Rodrigo Schlegel, Wilder Cartagena, and David Brekalo. Ivan Angulo and Facundo Torres played wingbacks outside of a midfield group of Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, and Martin Ojeda, with Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire up top.

Miami started by holding a lot of the early possession and quickly created a couple of excellent opportunities. Just moments after the opening kickoff, Luis Suarez got inside of Brekalo and fired a shot from the left toward the right post. Gallese went to ground and made a huge save to keep the game scoreless.

Franco Negri then was able to sneak in behind the defense in the seventh minute down the left flank. He centered the ball for Robert Taylor, who fired with his first touch. Brekalo got in front of it to block it and Orlando was able to clear the danger.

“Honestly, I was anticipating that the pass was going to be cut back. I thought at that moment that it’s an offside β€” I still didn’t see that clip β€” so if it wasn’t, it was it was a good block and well done by me,” Brekalo said with a smile.

The Lions finally produced some chances starting in the 14th minute. Muriel took a free kick outside the penalty area on the left and sent it to McGuire at the near post. The flick was just wide of the upright and hit the outside netting. A minute later, Torres was able to get to the end line, but his cross for Angulo was caught by Drake Callender.

McGuire tried a volley shot off a high cross in the 17th minute but it was deflected out by the defense for an Orlando corner. The cross in from Lodeiro on the set piece was just over Torres’ head at the back post and went harmlessly out for a goal kick. Seconds after that, Orlando took possession and Torres had a go from the top of the area with his right foot but he just missed the top right corner.

Cartagena did well in the air to deny a ball into the box intended for Suarez, conceding a corner, but Miami could do nothing with it.

Orlando’s best chance of the first half came in the 32nd minute. Muriel threaded the needle at the top of the penalty area to send a ball in for Ojeda. The Argentine immediately turned and shot, but Callender did well to get down and make a diving, one-handed save.

A minute later, Callender made another huge save to deny a Muriel shot from the top of the box.

Matias Rojas went for goal in the 35th minute on a free kick conceded by Schlegel near the right corner of the box. Gallese tipped the shot over the bar, and Orlando was able to clear the subsequent corner.

The last look at goal in the first half came in the 41st minute when Marcelo Weigandt jumped into the play from his right back spot. He fired from the top of the area but missed the target badly to the left.

Orlando City finished the first half with the adantage in shots (8-4), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (88.6%-88.2%). Miami had more possession (50.6%-49.4%) and shots on target (3-2).

Neither side generated much offense in the second half, and it got worse as the game progressed, as tired legs caught up to both teams after each played on the road Saturday.

Each team won an early corner in the second half but couldn’t do anything with it as the game settled into a chess match between the penalty areas. Gallese had a scary moment near the hour mark when going high to catch an entry ball from Rojas. Suarez hit the keeper while he was vulnerable and Gallese went down hard and needed the trainers to come on. After a delay, he was able to continue.

Orlando had some of the best transition chances of the second half but could not execute in and around the box. Ojeda failed to get a cross through in the 69th minute on the first of those promising attacks. Muriel started multiple attacks with his footwork, drawing a yellow card on Taylor after dispossessing the Miami winger and being pulled back by his shirt. Later, he took the ball from Sergio Busquets. It looked clean, but the referee called a foul on the Colombian and he was booked after kicking the ball away, angry about the whistle.

Miami’s best chance for a second-half goal came in the 74th minute when a ball from the visitors’ left was sent in front by second-half substitute Jordi Alba. If the pass had reached fellow sub Leonardo Campana, Miami would almost certainly have scored and probably would have won the match, however, Cartagena did well to clear the danger before it could get through.

A minute later, Muriel sent Angulo down the right channel, but the speedy wingback sent his cross straight at Callender, wasting the opportunity. Two minutes later, the Lions broke with numbers. Torres picked out Muriel, but the pass allowed the defense to recover somewhat and when the striker tried to put a move on to free up a shot, he lost control of it and the chance evaporated. Muriel then sent a shot just wide in the 79th minute.

Second-half sub Dagur Dan Thorhallsson marauded down the right flank in the 88th minute but sent his cross/shot into the outside netting.

During the six minutes of injury time, Yutaro Tsukada, one of the team’s 2024 MLS SuperDraft picks, made his MLS debut, coming on for Torres. Tsukada had the chance to play the role of the unlikely hero late, as a ball in the air fell for him in the box. He fired, but hit his shot into the ground and it missed the target on what was the last kick of the ball.

Orlando City finished with the advantage in shots (14-7) and corners (8-4), while Miami held more possession (58.7%-41.3%) and passed more accurately (90.0%-86.6%). Each team officially put three shots on target.

First-place Inter Miami didn’t have Messi, but that takes nothing away from a strong defensive performance by Orlando City. It was just the second time all season the Herons have been shut out, and tonight’s match snapped a run of five consecutive games in which Miami had scored three or more goals.

“Keeping our goals (against) at zero today was a great positive thing for us,” Pareja said. “Again, adapting players to different movements and absences of players who have been regulars…we looked good. That part is positive.”

One of the key reasons for the clean sheet was the play of Cartagena, who may have been the team’s best center back on this night.

“It was a difficult game,” Cartagena said. “Obviously to mark a player like Suarez is very difficult, very complicated, especially with the player that he is and the way that he likes to move, but I think as a group we did a great job defensively. With Rodri, with David, we were really solid and compact. Obviously, we’d love to take a win from today, but I think overall, taking that draw, we feel good about tonight.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround with a match on the other side of the continent Saturday night when they visit the San Jose Earthquakes at 10:30 p.m.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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