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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Struggle on the Road

In an ugly road game, the Lions endured another controversy that went against them but ultimately accomplished little against the Fire.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In perhaps the most frustrating match of the season, Orlando City threw away a one-goal lead on the road and drew an abysmal Chicago Fire team 1-1 at Soldier Field. The Lions (4-6-5, 17 points) got an early goal by Facundo Torres but were cut open repeatedly throughout the night and ultimately gave up a soft goal to Hugo Cuypers of the Fire (2-8-6, 12 points) in the second half to split the points.

Orlando City will feel hard done by the officiating crew again after what appeared to be a clear foul on an Ivan Angulo breakaway in the penalty area late in the first half, but the Lions simply didn’t play well enough outside of that to deserve three points.

“A game that we should have won,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought we had our opportunities. I thought we had our actions to define the game. We felt that we should have won it.”

Pareja rolled with his 3-5-2 with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Robin Jansson, Wilder Cartagena, and David Brekalo. Torres and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson played the wingback positions outside a midfield of Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, and Angulo, with Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda up top.

Orlando City struggled all night to connect passes, seemingly baffled by the Chicago defense. Passes were often straight at Fire opponents, whether a no-look, one-touch effort or with plenty of time and space and a good view of the field. The striker partnership of Muriel and Ojeda was disjointed, and Ojeda struggled mightily in about every phase of the game on this night.

Still, the Lions took the lead just four minutes in. A good ball into the area by Angulo found Torres in front. The winger didn’t shoot with his first touch and he had a couple of attempts blocked by the defense just above the top of the six. Angulo had a go and his shot was blocked and it shook loose for Torres to take a swipe at. The Uruguayan made contact with the ball and it somehow squirted through the bodies in front and just inside the left post to make it 1-0.

“It was a ball that kind of fell to my right foot, and I was trying to control and finish with my right foot, but it escaped me a little bit,” Torres said. “And then there were about a thousand different situations in which we were trying to get it in, and it didn’t end up falling that way. But then it fell to my left foot in a situation where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish, but thankfully it went in. At the end of the day, it doesn’t help us too much, because we were only able to get the draw, but (I’m) happy to be able to put the ball in the back of the net.”

The hosts were dealt a blow when fullback Andrew Gutman picked up a knock and was replaced in the 12th minute by Arnaud Souquet.

Each team blew a scoring chance over the next few minutes, only to see the flag come up anyway as this match was anything but the beautiful game.

Chicago couldn’t take advantage of Araujo and Cartagena both failing to clear their lines in the 21st minute when Cuypers sent a shot just inches wide of the left post. After Orlando did little more than get a blocked Angulo shot on a pair of consecutive corner kicks, Chicago got forward again and Brian Gutierrez shot from outside the area. Lodeiro got a foot on the attempt and it made for an easy scoop for Gallese.

Angulo blazed by the entire Fire defense in the 31st minute and with two teammates to his left, only he’ll know for sure if his final ball was a terrible shot or a bad pass. It ended up serving as neither.

Orlando’s defense had shaky moments throughout the match. Tom Barlow had a free header at the near post on a corner kick in the 32nd minute but missed the target badly. Five minutes later, Souquet got in on goal but fired his shot over the net.

The defense was cut open in the 42nd minute, allowing Federico Navarro to get into the box, but Gallese was there to make a vital save.

For the second straight game, an inexplicable call denied Orlando City a penalty, and this time there wasn’t even a potential foul on the other end to offer up any way to justify it. In fact, nothing could explain it away. Angulo was played in behind the defense by Lodeiro in stoppage time and was alone on goalkeeper Chris Brady. As he rounded Brady and prepared to slot the ball into an empty net, Angulo was clipped from behind in his trailing leg by Navarro and couldn’t maintain his balance after that contact and one additional bundle from behind. It seemed like a clear and obvious denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

However, after a lengthy delay, video assistant referee Edvin Jurisevic determined that referee Malik Badawi did not make a clear and obvious error. Badawi did not go look at the play himself.

“We should have scored that one,” Pareja said. “I can’t understand why it’s not a PK. Surely if I go with all that I should say today I will be fined or something, but it’s inexcusable for the referee not to give us that PK. The guy came from behind him and pushed him. It was a clear PK.

“First and foremost, I think it was a penalty, and I said that (on the field), but at the end of the day you have to live with the decisions of the referee. Some referees would think that that was an error and go back and fix it. This referee didn’t think that there was an error, so we just continued to play, and that’s how it goes.”

The Lions instead had a corner and were called for a foul on the play.

Chicago finished the first half with the advantage in possession (51.4%-48.6%), shots (11-6), and passing accuracy (84.7%-84.6%), while the Lions had more shots on target (2-1), and corners (3-2).

The Lions looked a bit more lively in the opening minutes of the second half, but after about 15 minutes, Chicago looked in control of the match. Orlando won some set pieces early in the half but did nothing with them.

Brekalo bailed Angulo out in the 68th minute after the latter turned the ball over in his own half, leading to a transition chance. The Slovenian defender made a good play to take it away from Cuypers and end the threat.

Muriel got down the left a minute later but instead of shooting with his left foot, he tried to cut back to his right and was dispossessed. It was a costly blown chance because the Fire tied the game on its ensuing possession.

Chicago’s equalizer started at midfield and quickly cycled to the left. Brekalo came out to challenge the ball with plenty of help behind him, but both Cartagena and Thorhallsson reacted too slowly and Souquet got in behind. The substitute centered the ball to Cuypers who got across the front of Jansson and hit a weak shot toward goal that was back toward the direction from which Gallese came. The Peruvian wasn’t able to stop his motion cleanly and the ball dribbled under his outstretched arm and into the net.

The Lions were fortunate not to go behind off their own set piece in the 75th minute. Ojeda left the free kick cross too close to Brady, who punched it well out of his box. It fell kindly to a Fire teammate and the break was on. Orlando was completely disorganized, leaving two opponents wide open on the right. Chicago reacted too slowly, but eventually worked the ball to Jonathan Dean at the top of the area but the right back shot just wide.

Two minutes after that miss, Orlando should have taken the lead. Torres got down the left and put in an inch-perfect cross to Muriel at the back post. The Colombian had a free header but drove it straight at Brady for a comfortable save in the 77th minute.

In the late going, Orlando appeared content with one point on the road against one of the league’s worst teams. Chicago nearly made the Lions pay for that, creating several chances down the stretch. Gutierrez sent a curling shot from the left just wide of Gallese’s far post in the 79th minute. Fabian Herbers shanked a shot from a dangerous spot in the 85th minute and Carlos Teran’s free header was wide on the recycled ball.

Orlando’s last look at goal came in the 91st minute, when substitute Ramiro Enrique made a great play to poke the ball past his opponent and into space for him to run onto. Enrique blazed into the attacking third, cut to his right to clear himself a path to goal, and then fizzed a shot just over the bar.

That was the last decent sight of goal for either side and the game ended in a stalemate.

Chicago finished with the advantage in possession (52.2%-47.8%), shots (18-8), and corners (6-4). The Lions passed slightly more accurately (83.6%-83%), and both teams put two shots on target.

“There’s no excuses,” Torres said. “It was the responsibility of ourselves, especially given the way that we started to maintain control the ball and to play within our game, and when we weren’t doing that, that’s when Chicago was able to really grow into the game and believe in themselves. And this team takes nothing but responsibility for the result tonight.”

“Like always, we’re trying to recover, trying to get feedback from the game, and trying to prepare for the next rival,” Pareja said. “For us it’s important that we can keep our mind calm and see the things we need to get better. Obviously today we wanted the three points, but we’ll take this one. It’s what we should do and then prepare for New York.”

Orlando City has another quick turnaround with a match looming Saturday night at the New York Red Bulls.

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

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

12 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

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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Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

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2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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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