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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 4-2 as Lions Lose Stajduhar to Injury in Road Loss

It was yet another night to forget at Yankee Stadium for the Lions as a terrible first half made the mountain too steep to climb.

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9 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City lost Mason Stajduhar to injury and ultimately lost the game 4-2 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. The Lions (5-9-6, 21 points) never play well on the baseball diamond, but it was egregiously bad on this night as they turned the ball over in dangerous areas, failed to cover defensively, got out-hustled often, and mounted almost no threat whatsoever in the first half of a thorough beat down at the hands of the Pigeons (10-8-2, 32 points), who had scored only one goal all month and hadn’t won a game in June. The second half was better, but ultimately it was not enough to get a result.

Santiago Rodriguez, Hannes Wolf, and Augustin Ojeda put the hosts up at halftime and NYCFC got a late insurance goal from Mounsef Bakrar when the Lions tried to make things interesting in the final minutes. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Duncan McGuire pulled the Lions within a goal in stoppage time, but couldn’t fashion a final chance before the game was put to bed.

Stajduhar had to leave on a stretcher early in the game after a horrible collision that could have been prevented by an offside flag on an easy call, but assistant referees today are asked to let an attack play out, just in case. In this case, it hurt two players and changed the game.

“A game with two different halves,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “It was unacceptable the way we played in the first half and just me taking that responsibility first for the way we came (out), especially in those first 30 minutes. Second half, much better. I thought it was the team that we want to see. The reaction was very good from our players. We could have tied the game, and then on that last play they scored the fourth goal.”

Pareja switched back to a 4-2-3-1 and replaced Luis Muriel in the lineup with Martin Ojeda. Stajduhar started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Nico Lodeiro started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Facundo Torres with McGuire up top.

The Lions created a great chance almost immediately. Angulo took the ball away at midfield and sent it left for Martin Ojeda. The Argentine sent in a cross that ended up finding its way back to Angulo inside the box, but the Colombian fired his shot right at goalkeeper Matt Freese for an easy save.

It’s impossible to say where the game may have gone from there had Angulo been any kind of clinical on the shot, but it may have lifted Orlando and weighed heavily on an NYCFC team that hadn’t scored in its last two games. Instead, the hosts came into the game largely on Orlando mistakes in possession and coverage failures.

Before the New York City onslaught started, Martin Ojeda found himself with the ball outside the area in the 11th minute. The Designated Player telegraphed his impatient shot attempt, so it was not surprising to see it blocked.

The first warning sign came in the 13th minute when Orlando turned the ball over on an obviously telegraphed pass and ignited the break. Martinez broke in behind and Stajduhar made the save to keep it scoreless. Stajduhar made an even bigger save two minutes later when Martinez blazed past an inattentive Jansson and fired.

Orlando paid no heed to the warning signs, as once again the Lions turned the ball over just after Stajduhar’s big stop. New York City struck in the 15th minute as Lodeiro was caught in possession by Alonso Martinez and turned it over. The ball moved from the left to the middle to Rodriguez, and since no one closed him down, he smashed a shot from distance just inside the left post to make it 1-0.

“I think we conceded that goal and it knocks us out, which is not acceptable,” Thorhallsson said. “It’s up to us, the team, to help each other to bounce back, and I felt like we were just knocked out completely the first half. It’s something we need to work out and find out why it happens because it’s not acceptable.”

Disaster struck in the 17th minute when a ball was played forward for Malachi Jones, who was a good couple of yards offside. The flag stayed down, as is the current practice, and Jones and Stajduhar collided just outside the box with their legs coming together. Both players were injured in the crash and then the flag came up. Stajduhar was in obvious distress immediately and spent several minutes lying on the pitch with the trainers working on him before he was stretchered off. Javier Otero was forced into his MLS debut in a less-than-ideal situation — on the road and on the small Yankee Stadium pitch. Jones was also injured and was replaced by Augustin Ojeda.

Thorhallsson was close to the play when the injury to Stajduhar happened.

“The ball came in behind me, and then I see Mason run out,” he said. “I think he kicks the ball and the other guy comes, and I just hear a loud, basically like a click. He’s screaming and I didn’t know what it was. And then I look at his leg, and his leg was dangling, and I just looked away and basically just wanted to go, so I went to the stands, and just stood there with my eyes closed.”

The injury was preventable, said Pareja.

“They need to get better at this ruling of just allowing (play to continue) when the offside is very obvious,” Pareja said. “I think they need to flag the play. This is a very unnecessary play just to let it go, and we can avoid a lot of injuries. Today is a demonstration that we can do better.”

Lodeiro conceded a dangerous free kick near the left corner of the box in the 37th minute when he was called for a handball, but Rodriquez fizzed his shot over the crossbar.

Schlegel made a good play in the 41st minute to keep the deficit at one. He did well to clear a dangerous cross from the left side.

Martin Ojeda sent a back-post cross for Torres in the 45th minute that went just over the Uruguayan’s head. The fourth official showed 13 minutes of stoppage time, owing to the lengthy delay for Stajduhar’s injury. That turned out to be the difference between having a shot in the second half and being blown out.

Schlegel did well again to snuff out a dangerous attack and win a goal kick in the second minute of injury time.

Two minutes later, the Pigeons doubled their lead on a preventable goal. Angulo did well to track back and beat Tayvon Gray to the ball on a forward ball from Thiago Martins. Angulo tried to shepherd the ball out but made a mess of it. Gray tapped the ball into the middle and Wolf was the first to it, hitting a shot that deflected inside the far post off Jansson. Otero had no shot at stopping it, and NYCFC led 2-0.

“There was a bunch of plays in the first half that we did not recognize ourselves, especially in the moments that we needed to defend much better than that and make better decisions,” Pareja said. “It was disappointing for ourselves. And this is me taking that responsibility first.”

Orlando survived a couple more turnovers and finally found an attacking movement, sending Santos down the left flank. However, despite having tons of space and time, the Brazilian defender sent his cross straight to the goalkeeper with teammates breaking to the top of the six.

The defense was nowhere to be seen on New York City’s third goal. Martins played a simple through ball and no one was anywhere close to Gray, who simply crossed it through the area to a wide-open Augustin Ojeda to tap in late in stoppage time.

“The first half, we just committed those mistakes that just put us in a very, very difficult position,” Pareja said.

Thorhallsson made a good play to track back and prevent a fourth goal and then the halftime whistle mercifully ended the Lions’ misery.

The halftime statistics were indicative of the performance. NYCFC had the advantage in possession (57%-43%), shots (10-2), shots on target (5-1), corners (1-0), and passing accuracy (88.8%-82.6%). A team that hadn’t produced much in the way of scoring chances all month long had zero trouble accepting the many Orlando turnovers and cutting through a passive City defense that looked like it was still asleep at the team hotel.

“The first half we just didn’t show up,” Thorhallsson said. “We were losing first balls, losing second balls, getting easy goals (against).”

Lodeiro came off at halftime for rookie Jeorgio Kocevski after a poor night for the Uruguayan veteran.

To Orlando’s credit, the Lions kept battling, despite the long odds. Torres took the first shot of the second half after receiving it with his back to goal and spinning, but his effort bounced weakly wide of the net.

A minute later, Otero nearly had a collision of his own when he came out to knock the ball away from an obviously offside Martinez. Martin Ojeda then blasted a shot on target off a Torres pass sent him down the left channel. The shot had a lot of pace but was at the perfect height for Freese to get a hand on it and he made the save.

McGuire set up Angulo in the 59th minute but the Colombian hit the post and the flag came up for the striker being offside on the long ball anyway. Two minutes later, Torres cut into the middle but slipped while shooting and sent it right at Freese. Orlando then won its first corner of the game but Araujo got well under the service on his header.

Second-half sub Luis Muriel had a go from distance in the 71st minute but got well under his shot and sent it high over the bar. A minute later, the Lions finally spoiled the shutout.

Kocevski started the play in the middle, spraying the ball left for Martin Ojeda, who found himself in space. Ojeda sent his cross toward the penalty spot and Thorhallsson got his head to it. Although he didn’t get much pace on the shot, the Icelandic fullback placed it perfectly inside the left post to make it 3-1 in the 72nd minute.

Muriel again found himself in space in the 74th minute, and once again he skied his shot way over the bar from outside the box.

NYCFC finally broke up the Orlando attack and had one of its own in the 76th minute, but Martinez sent a weak header wide of the left post.

Torres had a good opportunity to close the gap to one goal a minute later. Left in space, the winger smashed a shot that might have changed things had he not sent it too close to Freese. The goalkeeper made the save.

The teams exchanged unsuccessful corners down the stretch and Ojeda sent a good, right-footed effort that was again too close to Freese in the 89th minute.

Only three minutes of stoppage time were added at the end, and Orlando used the first of those to make things interesting for a few seconds. Thorhallsson cut into the box and appeared to make one pass too many with an opportunity to shoot. The ball ended up at the back post and Wolf tried to knock it back to Freese, who couldn’t pick it up and struggled with his clearance. Muriel knocked it back into the keeper and it bounced to McGuire, who poked it in to make it 3-2 in the 91st minute.

The last gasp chance for the Lions turned into NYCFC’s fourth goal. With only seconds remaining, Thorhallsson had a chance to send the ball forward but opted to try to work it short to Kocevski. The turnover ended up with second-half sub Bakrar, who was easily able to blow past Araujo and curl in a perfect back-post shot that Otero couldn’t reach, making it 4-2 with the last kick of the game.

“I felt like we came out really strong and scored two goals,” Thorhallsson said about the second half. “And then it’s on me that I lose the ball on the fourth goal when we’re trying to go forward, and I take full responsibility for that.”

NYCFC finished with the edge in possession (54.3%-45.7%), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (85.6%-81.9%). Orlando City ended up with more shots (15-14) and shots on target (8-6). In the end, the Lions were simply too poor in the first half to keep the game within reach, and despite a good second-half showing, it was all for nothing in the end, with more dropped points in a tight battle for the bottom playoff places.

“It’s about finding the balance like we have done before, and we know how to do it,” Thorhallsson said about the team’s leaky defense at a time when the offense has scored eight goals in three games. “I feel like the balance isn’t quite there and that’s something that we need to look at. It’s good that we started scoring, but now we need to find the solution for not conceding so many goals.”

The Lions go from a normal week to a short turnaround as they’ll travel to Canada for a Wednesday night clash with Toronto FC.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Relies on Starters More Than Any Other MLS Team

An analysis of Óscar Pareja’s early lineup choices and substitution patterns and how that compares to the 2024 season.

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10 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Legendary swordsman Inigo Montoya, a man who is not lefthanded, once opened a conversation by asking the Dread Pirate Roberts if, by any chance, he had six fingers on his right hand. Nobody will need to prepare to die by the end of this column, but I will ask a similar question: I don’t mean to pry, but did you by any chance happen to realize that we are already more than one-sixth of the way through the MLS regular season? Six fingers, one-sixth of the season…close enough. Let’s go.

Time flies when you are having fun, and somehow Orlando City has already played 540 minutes of MLS soccer this season. I consider 500 minutes played to be a cutoff amount when looking at player and lineup performance, and with the conclusion of the most recent game in Los Angeles, the team has now surpassed that 500-minute threshold.

In looking at the opening 540 minutes, I was surprised to see how much continuity I found in the minutes played, considering how many injuries the Lions have had to work around during these first six games. In just the first six games, Orlando City has already had full games missed due to injury by César Araujo (1), David Brekalo (2), Robin Jansson (2), Duncan McGuire (3) and Nico Rodriguez (5). Brekalo and Pedro Gallese both missed a game for international duty as well. McGuire was not expected back during the first set of games, but all of those other players, with the possible exception of Rodriguez, were expected to contribute during the early part of the season.

These absences led to games where the substitutes list was full of players who will play big minutes for Orlando City B this year, but not players who Óscar Pareja was likely to turn to off the bench unless the game was out of hand or he was absolutely desperate. According to Opta’s tracking through the opening six games, Orlando City ranks last in MLS in the average minutes played by its substitutes, as the average amount of time per appearance for the players off the bench for the Lions is only 12 minutes. For context, 16 teams have an average amount of time per substitute appearance of 20 minutes or greater, and Inter Miami and Toronto are tied with a league-leading 27 minutes per substitute appearance.

The interesting thing about those two teams, Miami and Toronto, is that Miami leads the league in points per match with 2.6 and Toronto is second from the bottom with a scant 0.33 points per match. I think a lot of this data will even out over time, as right now there are several teams, including Miami, that are playing in multiple competitions and trying to keep players fresh for all of their matches.

When it comes to Orlando City, however, that is not the case, and thus far there has just been the standard one game per week on six consecutive Saturdays. The players are rested for each game. The issue has just been that Pareja has not had the depth and variety of players he thought he would have to bring off the bench to protect a lead or chase a deficit.

We often joke in articles or on The Mane Land PawedCast about how “Óscar gonna Óscar,” and once he finds a lineup he likes, he sticks with it. Even with all the injuries he has somehow managed to do this again this season, as you can see from the chart below. I started tracking lineup data last season, and even though the 2025 season is only six games old and there have been so many absences from key players this season, it was striking to see that the 11-man lineup that has played the most minutes together this season already outranks all but two lineups from the entire 2024 MLS season (including the five playoff games!):

Now, it is a little unfair to the one 2025 lineup on the above chart that it has such a negative goal differential per 90 minutes, because if it is only the 10 field players, with goalkeeper excluded, then that lineup has played 215 minutes together and has a +0.84 goal differential per 90 minutes. That group is +4 with Javier Otero in net in 74 minutes together, and removing the goalkeepers from the calculation turns that negative goal differential into a positive.

What that also tells us, however, is that when it comes to the 10 field players, Pareja has played the same unit in the field for 40% (215/540) of the team’s minutes already. Granted it is early in the season, but after six MLS games last season, the lineup that had played together the most had played a grand total of 74 minutes together (14% of all minutes). The top five most used lineups in last season’s opening six MLS games combined to play 302 minutes, or 56% of all minutes, and in 2025 it is 402 minutes, or 80%. My math, and everyone else’s math, says that is a much higher percentage and indicates that the team is focused on continuity early.

That continuity thus far this season has paid dividends, with the Lions earning 10 points from the first six games, twice as nice as last season’s five points after the first six games. Last year, the team was balancing midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games in addition to injuries and an international break during the opening weeks of the MLS season, so there were some good reasons for the lineup rotation and the slow start. This year’s squad will have to navigate two upcoming cup tournaments in the coming months, and so we likely will see a lot of new lineup configurations or more rotation once the U.S. Open Cup starts in May and then again when Leagues Cup starts in July.

Thus far though, Pareja has been able to stick with his starters deep into matches, and has only given playing time to 20 players, which is tied for third fewest across all of MLS. Fan bases often clamor for the coach to “play the kids,” but while Pareja has had young and inexperienced players on the senior roster for every game, he really has only given significant minutes to Alex Freeman from the group of players that could be referred to as “the kids.” Gustavo Caraballo has played nine minutes, which is incredible for a 16-year-old (15-year-old Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia is the only player younger than Caraballo to have played this season, and he has also played only nine minutes), and new signing Nico Rodriguez (20 years old) has played 11 minutes, but the next three youngest players to play are all at least 22 and were with the senior club last season (Otero and Ramiro Enrique) or came to the club after four seasons of college soccer (23-year-old, but nearly 24-year-old, Joran Gerbet).

The team’s record thus far shows that Pareja has been right to limit the minutes to the small group of players he trusts, and with one game per week for the next six weeks it will be interesting to see if the early trend of starters playing long minutes and only a few players getting all the minutes off the bench continues. The next match is on the road against Philadelphia, which so rudely came into Orlando and defeated the Lions 4-2 in the season opener, and my expectation is that while we likely will not see any players make their season debut in this game, I do think we will see a different starting lineup than the season opener and probably a different one than the game last weekend against the Galaxy.

No matter who the Lions go with, I am sure they will want to avenge the season-opening loss and bring three points back home to Orlando.

As we wish.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Philly?

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11 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City is on the road yet again, this time heading to Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park Saturday night. The Lions will look to get a second road win in a row after the smash-and-grab victory against the LA Galaxy. Things don’t get any easier with the Union sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, but a win would catapult Orlando City above Philadelphia in the standings. Here’s what Orlando City needs to do to earn all three points against the Philadelphia Union.

Tie up Tai

Tai Baribo leads the way-too-early-to-call Golden Boot race with six goals in five matches. The Union striker has taken 13 shots, putting eight on target and the aforementioned six in the back of the net. He scored a brace in the season opener against Orlando to bag a third of those goals. It’s a pretty easy call to say stopping the league leader in goals is an important part of shutting down the Philadelphia attack.

It will be up to Cesar Araujo and whichever center back pairing we get to shut Baribo down. Of course, he’s not the only one the Lions need to worry about since the Union also have striker Mikael Uhre, and midfielders Daniel Gazdag and Jovan Lukic providing goals and assists. The point is that Philadelphia is second only to the Lions in offensive production with 13 goals compared to Orlando City’s 15 goals.

Formation Change

In the last match against the LA Galaxy, the Lions struggled to get things going with Luis Muriel up top, Ojeda at the No. 10 spot and Ivan Angulo on the left. Once Duncan McGuire came on, Muriel shifted back, Ojeda went wide, and Angulo subbed off. That really opened up the attack and allowed the Lions to get the two goals needed to secure the victory.

Perhaps Oscar Pareja could start things off like that against Philadelphia. Angulo hasn’t been great the last few matches, and perhaps some time on the bench will get his head straight. McGuire is still early in his return from injury, but Ramiro Enrique can start up top with Big Dunc coming in later as he has the last few matches. I think making this change could help Orlando City get an early goal on the road.

Vengeance is Thine

When the two teams met on opening day, the Union dropped four goals on Orlando City in Inter&Co Stadium. You would think it a completely dominating performance, but the Lions actually had more shots, more shots on target, and more possession than the Union. Philadelphia simply put each of its four shots on target past Pedro Gallese. That type of luck is unlikely to happen again.

Since that time, the Orlando City defense has stiffened — at least a little bit — and the team has been more difficult to break down. I’m not saying the defense is as stalwart as last season, but it has improved. Orlando City needs to use that four-goal drubbing at the hands of the Union to galvanize the defense to enact revenge with a multi-goal victory of its own.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/3/25

Martin Ojeda in the MLS MVP mix early, Orlando Pride players won’t play for Zambia this window, Tierna Davidson out for the NWSL season, and more.

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15 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been going well for you as we gear up for a busy Saturday filled to the brim with soccer to enjoy. Despite my blender’s protests, I’ve finally figured out how to make frozen coconut mojitos and plan on having those get me through the rest of the week. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy 28th birthday to Orlando City legend Rodrigo Schlegel!

Martin Ojeda’s MVP Credentials

Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda placed second in Sacha Kljestan’s MLS MVP power rankings this week. With four goals and three assists so far this season, Ojeda leads the league in goal contributions and is a major reason why the Lions have scored a league-high 15 goals. It’s great to see the 26-year-old take the reins of the offense after Facundo Torres’ departure. Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez tops Kljestan’s rankings, despite only having a goal in five games this season. Tai Baribo, Evander, and Lionel Messi round out the top five in what could be an interesting MVP race this year.

Pride Players Won’t Join Zambia For International Duty

Zambia will be without four NWSL players when it takes part in the Yongchuan International Tournament in China this month. Along with Bay FC forward Rachael Kundananji, Orlando Pride trio Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were withdrawn from international duty, with the Football Association of Zambia stating it was due to additional travel measures by the current U.S. administration. FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga expects the quartet to be available for future matches and both Banda and Kundananji played in friendlies in Zambia in February. Restrictions like this may limit the appeal of the NWSL to foreign players in the future.

Fan Banned For Hateful Language Towards Banda

NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that the fan who directed hateful language towards Banda has been banned following an investigation that included interviewing witnesses and reviewing security footage. The incident took place at the Pride’s match against Gotham on March 23 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The fan was found to be in violation of the NWSL Code of Conduct and their season ticket was revoked as well. Gotham also encouraged fans to report inappropriate behavior through the team’s encrypted text message service to inform the stadium’s incident management team.

USWNT Defender Tierna Davidson Out for the NWSL Season

American center back Tierna Davidson will miss the remainder of the 2025 NWSL season after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the club’s draw against the Houston Dash. It’s tough news for her, Gotham, and the United States Women’s National Team, as she captains the NWSL club and featured heavily in the Olympics last year. Davidson sustained an ACL injury in her right knee back in 2022, which contributed to her missing out on the 2023 World Cup. Gisele Thompson replaced Davidson for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies with Brazil, and Pride defender Emily Sams will likely receive more playing time as the team prepares for the 2027 World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City received $100,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for former academy goalkeeper Zack Campagnolo’s Homegrown Player rights. The Lions will receive another $100,000 in GAM if conditions are met, and they retain a sell-on percentage if Campagnolo is transferred.
  • San Diego FC added Milan Iloski on loan from FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark through July of this year. Iloski is a San Diego native and won the USL Golden Boot for Orange County SC in 2022.
  • New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his free kick against the New York Red Bulls.
  • El Farolito SC, which is named after a burrito chain and bar local to San Francisco, has reached the third round of the U.S. Open Cup for the second straight year. The National Premier Soccer League side took down Monterey Bay FC to reach this point of the tournament.
  • Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to book its ticket to the Copa del Rey final, where it will face rival Real Madrid on April 26.

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

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