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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as Orlando is Shut Out Again

Offense in 2024 is simply non-existent as the Lions again get shut out.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

John Tolkin scored on a free kick that should never have been given and Orlando City’s nonexistent attack continued to be toothless in a 1-0 loss at Red Bull Arena tonight. The Lions (4-7-5, 17 points) appear headed for an early off-season after yet another shutout loss, despite New York (8-3-5, 29 points) not producing much of an attack of its own.

“A hard night for our team offensively,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought that we did a lot of things that we planned towards the game, where we had control and our sequences were what we wanted but our last third is not being effective, so we paid the price.”

Pareja’s lineup switched back to the 4-2-3-1, featuring Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel (subbing for the suspended Robin Jansson), David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena took their places in the defensive midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire returning to the lineup up top.

Orlando City was second best throughout the first half and spent most of the opening period defending. The offense was practically non-existent and Orlando lacked any confidence going forward. At the earliest sign of pressure, the Lions played the ball back into their own half. No one seemed interested in beating the man in front of them, and the attack had zero threat.

Gallese was forced into a save early in this one. After a bad turnover by Orlando led to the game’s first corner. The ball was served into the box to Noah Eile, who was well covered but placed his header well. The Peruvian did well to get his hand to the ball in the upper corner of the goal to keep it out in the fifth minute.

Much of the rest of the half consisted of Orlando City defending and New York trying to find a way through the defense.

A soft foul call on Araujo led to a free kick in the 28th minute, giving New York a free kick from about 30 yards out. Emil Forsberg sent the set piece well over the bar.

Orlando got its lone scoring chance of the first half two minutes later. A decent buildup ended up on Angulo’s foot at the top of the box. The Colombian fizzed his shot over the crossbar and that was it for the Lions’ offense in the first 45 minutes.

An extremely generous foul call on Cartagena led to New York opening the scoring. Lewis Morgan went to ground without seemingly much (if any) contact and Drew Fischer bought what Morgan was selling, giving the Red Bulls a free kick. Jon Tolkin took the set piece and smashed a shot toward the right top corner. Gallese had set his wall up on that side, but Tolkin beat the wall with pace and the Peruvian couldn’t get over to it. It went in, making it 1-0 in the 38th minute.

That was it for the offense in the match, as neither side created much after that.

Aside from a couple of unsuccessful corners for New York, that was it for the first half.

Although the Lions had the halftime advantage in possession (52.1%-47.9%) and (83.5%-81.6%), Orlando simply consisted of 11 guys on the pitch in purple uniforms. There was no threat going forward whatsoever. New York finished the half with more shots (7-1), shots on target (2-0), and corners (3-1). The Red Bulls were never threatened or made uncomfortable in any way.

Pareja sent on Luis Muriel and Ramiro Enrique to start the second half, sacrificing McGuire and Thorhallsson.

The Lions got forward early and a Muriel cross for Enrique was punched away by Carlos Coronel at the last second. Orlando could do nothing with a couple of early second-half corners.

The Lions then wasted a couple of attacks. A good ball into the area by Muriuel found Lodeiro in the box, but the Uruguayan crossed in front to the Red Bulls defense and it was knocked away. Moments later, Muriel was sent in behind and he opted not to shoot, cutting back onto his right and losing control, but he was offside anyway. Despite the flag going up, it was the second straight game Muriel has chosen not to shoot with his left foot and failed to even get an attempt on a promising attack.

Orlando finally got a shot on target in the 57th minute. After a Santos shot through traffic was blocked out for a corner, Torres’ sent a weak shot right at Coronel. It was Coronel’s only save of the match.

A minute later, Tolkin was left alone from distance and had a go, but Gallese made the save. Frankie Amaya sent a shot well over the bar in the 63rd minute from long range and then Dante Vanzeir sent a shot wide after an Orlando turnover on the ensuing goal kick. Dennis Gjengaar sent a shot wide in the 66th minute on a New York counterattack.

Santos tried to pick out Enrique in front in the 68th minute but overshot the target, and then he was sent in behind the defense and had a shot blocked, but the flag came up anyway.

New York thought it had doubled the lead in the 71st minute when Elias Manoel put the ball in the net from distance, but Tolkin was called for holding Angulo on the play. The New York defender was injured on the play and had to come off.

Lodeiro found himself in the box with the ball in the 78th minute, but the midfielder tried to pass instead of shooting and had no teammates making a run in the area, wasting a promising attack.

Pareja sent on offensive players Jack Lynn and Martin Ojeda in the 81st minute, and the Lions held more possession late, but they couldn’t produce any final product. Angulo broke free at the corner of the box in the 83rd minute and tried to pick out a teammate at the top of the box, but he succeeded only in passing the ball to the New York defense. Angulo then won a corner in the 86th minute but was called for a soft foul and was booked for dissent.

A through ball nearly found Enrique in the 89th minute but the Argentine couldn’t catch up to it and Coronel smothered it. Orlando then sent a corner kick straight to Coronel in the 91st minute on what was effectively the team’s final chance to score in the match.

Gallese did well to tip Lewis Morgan’s shot wide on a late counterattack, and that was that. The Lions are now winless in three (0-2-1) and are falling further adrift of the playoff places in a season that appears headed to an early conclusion. It’s simply hard to imagine this team figuring its way forward in the same manner it did last season.

Although the Lions held more possession (57.4%-42.6%), passed more accurately (85.2%-75.7%), and won more corners (5-4), but weren’t threatening at all. New York finished with more shots (13-4) and shots on target (4-1) in what may be the weakest attacking effort in a season of nonexistent offense.

“We have to keep going,” Enrique said. “We’re a very united group and we know that we have to pick our heads up and continue working to find our way back. It was a very tough and hard-working game because of the way that both teams like to play. They were able to score a goal just before halftime, and I think throughout the game we didn’t have the clarity to be able to finish, or in a lot of cases to be able to shoot on goal, but we know that there’s a lot of games left and that this group is incredibly hard-working and united, and we know that we’re going to continue to work to find our way back.”

“I think it’s a point in our analysis that we’re trying to see if we can help with the structure and trying to glue the player in a situation that they can feel more precise and closer to their best level and performances,” Pareja said. “That job belongs to the coach and you know that I assume that responsibility 100%. At this point we have to keep on searching to see if what we tried in the last five games, trying to change the structure, if it’s necessary to keep doing it. We have to find some other roads to get better in that regard. We are aware. We’re very disappoitned in not being that team that can be heavy in that last third of the field. When we arrive in the box, it seems like we don’t have that punch.”

Things won’t get any easier, as Orlando City will try to turn things around at home on June 15 against LAFC after a week off for the international break.

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Orlando City

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

8 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

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Antoine Griezmann.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

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

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Anibal Godoy.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

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

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

1 day 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

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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1 day 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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