Orlando City
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.
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.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/13/26
Pride and OCB win, Maxime Crepeau to compete in MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, Latest MLS transfer roundup, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been very busy at work, but I look forward to watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals and final this week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Pride Shut Out Kansas City Current at Home
The Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday night, bouncing back from a tough outing at Angel City the previous week. After a scoreless first half, Marta scored the opener from long distance to give Orlando the lead. Hannah Anderson and Barbra Banda added a goal apiece as the Pride have won three out of their last four league matches. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse earned a clean sheet in her 100th appearance for the club. Orlando remains eighth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will be back in action at home Wednesday, taking on Boston Legacy at Inter&Co Stadium.
OCB Wins at FC Cincinnati 2
Orlando City B beat FC Cincinnati 2 by a 2-1 scoreline at NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, KY on Sunday. Issah Haruna’s goal gave the Young Lions the lead in the first half. In the second half, Cincinnati leveled the match, but Matthew Belgodere scored the winner on the road. That result pulls the Young Lions into third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 33 points, just one point off leaders Chattanooga FC. OCB will be away for another road test Saturday against Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium.
Orlando City Reportedly Submits Transfer Offer for Alex Moreno
Orlando City has reportedly submitted a transfer offer to sign Girona defender Alex Moreno. No agreement has been reached between the two sides, and conversations remain ongoing, according to reports. Moreno made 31 appearances for Girona last season in La Liga and recorded three assists. The 33-year-old left back remains under contract with Girona through 2027, but the club was relegated from La Liga to La Liga 2 last season. Several European clubs have also expressed interest in signing Moreno, including La Liga sides Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano.
Crepeau to Compete in MLS All-Star Skills Challenge
Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau will compete in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge at Truist Field in Charlotte on July 28, the club announced Friday. The competition will feature top players from Major League Soccer and Liga MX competing to test their soccer skills on the pitch. Five skills challenge competitions are featured, including the All-Star Goalie Wars, All-Star Crossbar Challenge, and the MLS vs. Liga MX Relay Challenge. Each competition will crown its own champion this year, switching from the traditional MLS-versus-opponent format used in previous years.
Latest MLS Transfer Roundup
According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Sporting Kansas City has emerged as a potential option to sign former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
D.C. United has reportedly acquired forward Nathan Ordaz from LAFC.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders have reportedly traded defender Cody Baker to the New England Revolution.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Silvester van der Water has signed with Cambodian Premier League side Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC.
- Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas in the show, made his professional debut for USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive over the weekend.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that the organization will examine expanding the men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament concludes.
- Senegal has fired manager Pape Thiaw following its Round of 32 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City Trades Duncan McGuire to Houston Dynamo
The Lions send the 2023 first-round pick to Houston for a pile of Garberbucks.
Orlando no longer runs on Duncan as Orlando City has traded 2023 first-round draft pick Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo. The big striker with the even bigger smile and the back flips joins the Dynamo, with the Lions receiving $600,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $400,000 in 2027 GAM, and $250,000 in 2027-2028 GAM. The return could also include up to $1.15 million in GAM add-ons if certain performance metrics are met. OCSC will retain a percentage of any sell-on by Houston.
It became clear that something was up with McGuire, as he did not dress for Orlando City’s friendly against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
“Duncan has meant a great deal to this club since the day he arrived in Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His resilience, determination, and willingness to fight through challenges both on and off the field have earned the respect of everyone throughout our organization. He has played a major role in our success over the last several years, and when the opportunity arose, we wanted to ensure it was a move that made sense for both Duncan and the club. We’re grateful for everything he has given to Orlando City and wish him and his family nothing but success in this next chapter.”
The Lions selected McGuire out of Creighton with the No. 6 overall selection in the first round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. Although he was not a Generation Adidas player, the striker had signed a pre-draft contract with the league, meaning Orlando City didn’t need to spend time agreeing to a contract. The 6-foot-1 forward quickly became a starter for the Lions during his rookie year, and put together back-to-back, double-digit goal-scoring seasons in his first two professional seasons. Now in his fourth pro year, McGuire has appeared in 85 MLS matches (45 starts) for the Lions, scoring 29 goals and adding eight assists. In all competitions, McGuire has contributed 32 goals and nine assists in 109 appearances (55 starts).
Once one of the most promising up-and-coming American strikers in any league after his 24 goals across his first two MLS campaign, Mcguire underwent surgery on both shoulders in separate procedures after the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, which have restricted his availability, affected his form, and have limited him to just five goals and three assists in his last 29 matches. He has sat behind various other strikers starting in his place the last couple of seasons, including Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, and Justin Ellis.
After his breakout rookie campaign, in which the Omaha, NE native scored 14 goals, he was courted by several teams in Europe. He signed with Blackburn Rovers in 2024, only to see the transfer rejected by the English Football League due to an administrative error by the EFL Championship club. Upon his return, the Creighton product signed his most recent contract on Aug. 22, 2024, locking him down through 2027 with a club option for 2028. That deal now belongs to the Dynamo.
McGuire’s hot start to his professional career had him climbing the U.S. Men’s National Team player pool. Gregg Berhalter called him up to the USMNT for the first time in January 2024 ahead of the team’s friendly against Slovenia. The striker made his first USMNT appearance in that match, coming off the bench to replace Brian White on Jan. 20, 2024, in a 1-0 loss. That is his only cap to date, although he had previously appeared nine times and scored one goal for the U.S. U-23 side.
The 2022 Hermann Trophy winner spent three seasons at Creighton, where he appeared in 24 games (23 starts) in his final (junior) season, logging 1,591 college minutes. McGuire scored 23 goals and added three assists in 2022.
What It Means for Orlando City
It makes sense to deal a striker making a base salary of $600,000 ($921,000 in total guaranteed compensation) if he can’t crack the starting lineup. While some of that comes down to coaching decisions and other players emerging, it didn’t help McGuire that he struggled to regain the consistent form he showed in his first two years in Orlando. In the end, this is a bit of a blow financially to the club, as the initial agreement with Blackburn was for a reported $4 million. He now departs for considerably less money, but his value understandably dropped with his production and the two shoulder surgeries.
McGuire is still just 25 years old, and sitting out after two surgeries means he has fewer miles on his legs than many players his age. He could still regain the form that saw him score 14 times in 2023 and 10 more times in 2024 and had the USMNT and European clubs paying attention. Orlando City will hope that he returns to form, because that will influence how much GAM the club eventually receives for this transaction.
A fan favorite since his arrival, McGuire will be missed, and while the Lions could perhaps have benefitted from getting a player back in return to bolster an area of need, the influx of GAM can help accomplish the same goal.
McGuire’s departure appears to solidify Justin Ellis’ position on the first team, although his play in the first half of the season likely already did that. It may also open up more minutes for Tiago. But the trade also tells us that unless a new striker is brought in, the Lions will play without a traditional target striker for the time being, allowing players who have typically either played as wingers, attacking midfielders, or false nines to have the freedom to fluidly change positions and force defenders out of their comfort zones when it comes to coverage. Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann, Ellis, Ivan Angulo, Marco Pasalic, and the team’s fullbacks will be harder to keep tabs on under such a system.
Whether it will work or if it will further stress the team’s shoddy transition defense (or both) remains to be seen.
Orlando City
Flashback Friday: July 10, 2022 vs. Inter Miami
Let’s rewind to a match against the Herons that featured the unlikeliest of heroes.
With both the United States Men’s National Team and Colombia suffering World Cup exits that were both agonizing in their own right, this summer’s tournament has lost a little luster for me. Don’t get it twisted, I’m still looking forward to the rest of the games, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t going to be a little bittersweet.
Fortunately, Orlando City will be back in action before we know it, and in the meantime we can continue our practice of looking back on Lions matches from years gone by. Last week we relived a 4-0 win over Toronto FC from July 4, 2023. This week we go a little farther into the past to July 10, 2022, and a visit from Inter Miami.
Going into the match with the Herons, OCSC was badly in need of a result. The Lions were in the midst of a summer slump and had won just one of eight matches since squeaking by Toronto FC 1-0 back on May 14. To try to turn things around, Oscar Pareja sent out a lineup of Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan; Junior Urso and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Benji Michel, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield; and Ercan Kara up top.
Orlando’s effort to try to pick up a win had to wait a little longer than originally planned, as kickoff was postponed by close to two and a half hours due to lightning in the area. Once the game eventually started, both Orlando City’s fans and players probably wished it had been delayed a little longer. The Lions came out of the starting blocks slow and were guilty of a number of bad passes and miscommunication that made it difficult to get going offensively.
The bad start nearly cost the home side early, as Pereyra played a bad back pass in the seventh minute that was snagged by Indiana Vasilev, who promptly broke toward goal. Fortunately, his shot smashed into Gallese’s face and went wide of the net to spare Mauricio’s blushes. Speaking of the Uruguayan, Miami seemed to have keyed on him as a player to stop at all costs, because whenever the Lions started to get a rhythm in the final third, the Herons promptly fouled him to break up the flow of things.
It took half an hour for the first decent chances to finally surface for Orlando City. When those opportunities arrived, it was in the form of Urso taking a pop from outside the box that got blocked on the way through, and Michel nearly getting on the end of a training ground corner kick routine, only to be let down by a bad first touch.
That was mostly everything of note in a largely quiet first half. Miami had the more dangerous chances, but there wasn’t much to separate the teams in the end. Miami had a slim lead in possession (50.6%-49.4%), and also had more shots (6-3), shots on target (1-0), and corners (3-2). Orlando City was a shade more accurate in its passing (84.5%-83.6%).
Once the second half started, Miami very nearly got an early goal once again, but Robert Taylor didn’t get good contact on a header attempt and the ball went out harmlessly for a goal kick. Vassilev had a much more dangerous effort in the 49th minute, but he put his shot over the bar and wasted a nice passage of play from the visitors.
Orlando carved out an excellent chance of its own nine minutes later. Ruan played a clever cutback for Michel, but like Taylor, he didn’t get good contact on his shot and sent it tamely right to goalkeeper Drake Callender. Torres and Urso sent shots wide and high shortly afterward, before Miami really should have scored from a 72nd-minute corner kick. Aime Mabika found himself all alone in front of goal after the initial ball was played short, but he put his header wide right.
Tesho Akindele was one of the substitutes brought on, and he flashed his fresh legs by getting on a couple of chances as the game wound towards the 90th minute. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to convert either one, and things looked sure to end in a scoreless draw. Enter an extremely unlikely hero: Jake Mulraney.
In the second of four minutes of stoppage time, the winger sent a hopeful cross into the box with just two men in purple to aim for. The ball had relatively little chance of reaching Akindele, who was bracketed by two defenders, but Damion Lowe tried to clear it and instead sliced it off the underside of the crossbar and into the Miami net making it 1-0 to the good guys.
Unsurprisingly, given the state of the game up to that point, neither team managed to muster any real chances after that, and Orlando narrowly came away with three much-needed points.
OCSC ended the game with more possession (54.7%-45.3%) and better passing accuracy (96.6%-82.9%), while Miami took more shots (10-8) and won more corners (6-2). Both sides put just one shot on target, making the final score somewhat unsurprising.
Marcus Mitchell was at the helm for Player Grades in this game, and he gave the outstanding Cesar Araujo the Man of the Match award, with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. The midfielder racked up eight tackles, drew nine fouls, and played a key pass while snuffing out a lot of Miami’s danger before it could truly develop.
Those three points didn’t exactly galvanize the Lions in the short term, as they won just one of their next six games in all competitions, not counting a friendly loss to Arsenal. Fortunately, better times lay ahead in the U.S. Open Cup.
That’ll do it for this week’s edition of Flashback Friday. We’ve only got one more of these before Orlando City returns to action on July 22, so enjoy the reminiscing while you can. Vamos Orlando!
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