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

The Lions are back on the road up north as they look to rebound in Toronto.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (5-9-6, 21 points) and Toronto FC (7-11-3, 24 points) at BMO Field (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the second and final scheduled meeting between the Eastern Conference rivals this season.

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

History

Orlando is 8-9-3 in the evenly split all-time, regular-season series. The Lions had a four-game winning streak and an eight-match unbeaten run (6-0-2) in the series snapped back in April (more on that below). Orlando is 3-4-3 on the road in the series, however, one of those “road” wins came in the Lions’ home stadium while Toronto was living a nomadic existence during COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

The teams met in Orlando on April 27 and the Lions led most of the match on a Duncan McGuire goal. However, the Reds flipped the game on its head late, scoring twice in the final three minutes of normal time. Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu scored to lift Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The most recent meeting in Toronto came on Decision Day of last season on Oct. 21, when McGuire came off the bench and scored twice to beat Toronto 2-0. The teams met in Orlando on July 4, 2023, with Orlando City putting the Reds to the sword on Independence Day, beating the Canadian side, 4-0. Cesar Araujo, McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara scored for the Lions, and Toronto finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

Orlando City also romped 4-0 over the Reds in the previous meeting, Sept. 17, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Facundo Torres, Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions won on May 14, 2022 at BMO Field, 1-0, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith, who flicked a header from a corner kick cross inside the far post to lift the Lions to victory.

The Lions went 2-0-1 in three meetings with Toronto FC in 2021. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 17, 2021. Jozy Altidore came off the bench to score the opener but Nani equalized from the penalty spot minutes later. Benji Michel drew the penalty, which was originally ruled a foul on the Orlando winger but was overturned after video review by referee Marcos de Oliveira.

The other Toronto “home match” in the 2021 season series came on June 19 at Exploria Stadium. The Reds were dealing with pandemic restrictions in Canada that forced the team to play home games in the United States. Orlando City built a 2-0 early lead on goals by Akindele and Nani, only to see Toronto tie the match by halftime on goals by Ayo Akinola and Jonathan Osorio. Junior Urso scored late to lift the Lions to a 3-2 victory. The teams first met that year on May 22, with Orlando City claiming a 1-0 win on Akindele’s goal.

The teams did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic. Prior to the MLS stoppage for the pandemic, the teams met most recently in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2019, with the Lions grabbing a point at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw. Michel opened the scoring in the 69th minute but the Reds equalized off a scramble following a set piece in the 77th. The other matchup between the sides that season came on May 4, 2019, when the Reds walked out of Orlando with a 2-0 win on goals by Osorio and Jay Chapman.

The teams split their season series in 2018. Orlando City captured a 2-1 win at home in James O’Connor’s first home game as head coach of the Lions on July 14, 2018. Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer staked City to a 2-0 lead and Nick Hagglund ruined the shutout in the 94th minute off a Sebastian Giovinco free kick delivery. The 2018 meeting in Toronto saw the Reds get a 2-1 win at BMO Field on Ryan Telfer’s 87th-minute goal.

Toronto shredded Orlando in a 3-1 win on July 5, 2017. Altidore and Giovinco combined to score Toronto’s three goals. Carlos Rivas gave Orlando a consolation goal. In the first meeting of 2017, Orlando out-possessed, out-shot, and out-passed the hosts, and played like the better team on the night. However, the Lions could not overcome a two-goal deficit and Giovinco’s first-half brace led Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The Lions got their first victory in the series on June 25, 2016, winning 3-2 at Camping World Stadium. Kaká scored from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to win it. Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter each gave OCSC leads in the game, only to see Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow equalize until the captain’s late winner. The Reds took the second 2016 matchup in Orlando with a 2-1 victory, scoring late through Altidore. Tosaint Ricketts gave Toronto an early lead but the Lions fought back on a Larin goal. The teams also drew 0-0 on Sept. 28 of that year, with Toronto able to fend off the Lions with 10 men over the final 20 minutes of the match.

In 2015, Toronto took home all nine points in the three meetings, beating Orlando by a combined score of 11-1.

Overview

Orlando City enters on the heels of a brutal 4-2 loss at New York City FC on Saturday, with goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar leaving the match on a stretcher after a collision with Malachi Jones early in the game. Both players had surgery for broken tibias and fibulas and both are out for the season. The Lions fell behind early, collapsed in first-half stoppage time to concede twice more, then pulled two goals back before giving up a fourth at the death. It snapped a modest two-game unbeaten run and dropped Orlando to a losing record on the road (3-4-3).

The Lions have struggled to score in 2024, but have managed to find eight goals in the last three games. The problem is that Orlando City has also conceded eight times in that span, going 1-1-1 in the last three.

Toronto FC has shown tremendous improvement under John Herdman early in the season despite missing several key players with injuries. The Reds, however, have lost four straight matches and are winless in their last seven (0-5-2). Then again, NYCFC had lost three straight and hadn’t scored a goal in its previous two games until the Lions came to town Saturday, as Orlando continues to be a team that struggles against ailing teams. Toronto FC is 5-5-0 at home this season.

The Lions will have to keep tabs on Bernardeschi, as the Italian paces the Toronto attack, leading the Reds in goals (8) and assists (5). He shares the club lead in the latter category with countryman Lorenzo Insigne, who has added four goals to Toronto’s attack this season. Owusu is another scoring threat and sits second on the team in goals (6), although he has scored just once since his winning goal against Orlando City in April.

“Toronto has a game mode we know already; we faced them at home already. We saw them play against Atlanta,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Normally, they play with a defensive five. We know the challenges and the opportunities that these things can provide to us and affect the way we do things.” 

Orlando City will be without Stajduhar (lower leg), Michael Halliday (knee), and David Brekalo (international duty), while Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh) is listed as questionable. The good news is that Pedro Gallese, Wilder Cartagena, and Ramiro Enrique are off the availability report and were training with the Lions earlier this week. As of this writing, Toronto had not yet posted the club’s game notes, but as of the weekend listed Alonso Coello (thigh), Brandon Servania (knee), and Tyrese Spicer (back) as out and Matty Longstaff (knee) as questionable, although Longstaff started against Atlanta in the Reds’ 2-1 loss. In addition, Sean Johnson, Richie Laryea, and Jonathan Osorio are all away on international duty — the latter two with Canada, which reached the knockout stage.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Wilder Cartagena, Cesar Araujo.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Carlos Mercado, Rafael Santos, Alex Freeman, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn.

Toronto (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Sean Johnson.

Defenders: Raoul Petretta, Aime Mabika, Nicksoen Gomis,.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Kosi Thompson, Deybi Flores, Matty Longstaff, Federico Bernardeschi.

Forwards: Lorenzo Insigne, Prince Owusu, Derrick Etienne, Jr.

Bench: Luka Gavran, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Shane O’Neill, Kobe Franklin, Deandre Kerr, Markus Cimermancic, Sigurd Rosted, Cassius Mailula, Nathaniel Edwards.

Referees

REF: Mark Allatin.
AR1: Chris Wattam.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4TH: Filip Dujic.
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez.
AVAR: Peter Balciunas.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: BMO Field — Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Lion Links: 11/18/25

Orlando City roster update, a USMNT vs. Uruguay preview, World Cup qualifying galore, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have now finished their seasons, but that doesn’t mean things slow down around here. Off-season machinations are in full swing, the United States Men’s National Team plays later today, and World Cup qualifying is still ongoing. That means we have a lot of things to talk through today, so let’s get into the links. But first, let’s wish Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero a happy birthday.

Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions

Orlando City announced its end-of-season roster decisions on Monday afternoon. For the most part, things look as expected, as we already knew the two biggest departures in the out-of-contract duo of Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo. The most surprising bit of news was Robin Jansson’s contract option being declined, although the team is in negotiations with both he and Kyle Smith regarding their returns. Another eyebrow-raising choice was Ivan Angulo’s option year being picked up, particularly after a season in which he did not score a single league goal despite having multiple breakaway opportunities. Currently there are 22 players under contract, although some of those are clear backups, youth players, or currently injured, so the front office is going to have a lot of work to do during the off-season.

Previewing USMNT vs. Uruguay

The United States Men’s National Team will play its final game of 2025 later today, when it takes on Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It will be the 10th meeting between the two teams and the first since Uruguay’s 1-0 win knocked the USMNT out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stage. The mercurial Marcelo Bielsa manages the side and helped guide Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying earlier this fall. Uruguay will be without big names like Darwin Nunez, Federico Valverde, and Nicolas Fonseca, but the side still has plenty of star power with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, and of course, former Lion Facundo Torres. Look for Bielsa to use a 4-3-3 with an energetic press and either the fullbacks or wingers inverting.

World Cup Qualifying Results

UEFA’s World Cup qualifying continued on Monday and there were several eye-catching results. Germany dismantled Slovakia 6-0 to secure a first-place finish in Group A and the World Cup spot that comes with it. Not to be outdone, Czechia beat Gibraltar by the same score but only managed to finish second in Group L. The Netherlands beat Lithuania 4-0 to finish top of Group G and also punch a ticket to next summer’s tournament, while Orlando City’s Marco Pasalic was an unused substitute in Croatia’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Montenegro, which ensured his team finished an undefeated run through Group L.

World Cup Qualifying Preview

There’s even more qualifiers taking place today, with both UEFA and Concacaf in action and big stakes on the line. Scotland faces Denmark, and needs to win at home in order to leapfrog the Danes into first and the automatic qualifying spot, while a draw for the Danes will be enough for them to retain the top spot. Austria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a similar situation, as a draw or win will see Austria stay in first, while Bosnia and Herzegovina must win to overtake the Austrians. In Concacaf, Group C has a ton of drama with three teams still able to secure automatic qualification. Honduras is currently top with eight points and better goal differential than Haiti, which also has eight points, while Costa Rica is in third with six. Costa Rica will play Honduras, while Haiti takes on Nicaragua, and there’s any number of ways this could all shake out.

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That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Announces Roster Update Following 2025 MLS Season

The club has announced the roster decisions and contract statuses following the 2025 campaign.

Published

1 day ago

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November 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City has finally released the club’s roster status update and let us know the decisions on contract options following the 2025 campaign — the Lions’ 11th season in Major League Soccer. The biggest news had mostly already happened with the departures of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Cesar Araujo, who were both out of contract after the season. The writing had been on the wall in terms of both departures.

The most surprising news from today’s announcement is that the club declined the option year on captain Robin Jansson’s contract, but the club is in negotiations with both the veteran center back and out-of-contract defender/midfielder Kyle Smith.

Orlando City already had 14 players currently under contract for the 2026 season: forwards Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić, and Nico Rodríguez; midfielders Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson; defenders David Brekalo, Adrián Marín, Tahir Reid-Brown, Rodrigo Schlegel, Zakaria Taifi, and Thomas Williams; and goalkeeper Javier Otero.

Additionally, the Lions exercised the contract options on Iván Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, and Yutaro Tsukada; midfielders Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, and Martín Ojeda; and defender Alex Freeman. The club declined Jansson’s option year, as well as options for three players who were regulars for OCB: goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, midfielder/forward Shak Mohammed, and midfielder/forward Favian Loyola.

Smith is out of contract, along with Gallese and Araujo, but it’s not surprising that the Lions are trying to bring him back as he is a versatile depth player who can fill in at a number of spots.

Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was to be out of contract as well, but he signed a new contract five days ago that will keep him in Orlando through 2026 with an option in 2027.

What It Means for Orlando City

If Jansson isn’t re-signed, the Lions will have to go shopping for a top-notch center back. Jansson may have lost a step this season, but he was still the best and most consistent defender on Orlando City’s back line when he was in the lineup. Entering 2026 with a plan to start Schlegel and Brekalo is at best a lateral step to what the club had in 2025, which wasn’t good enough, as the Lions did not record a clean sheet after June 14. The back line wasn’t solely to blame, as Gallese and the central midfield have to shoulder some of that burden, but the critical breakdowns defensively in 2025 occurred more often than in previous seasons.

The biggest surprise to me was the club picking up Angulo’s option. The Colombian didn’t score a single goal in MLS for the first time since 2022, when he only appeared in nine games at the end of the season. It’s not as if Angulo didn’t have multiple golden opportunities to score, as he failed to finish on multiple clear-cut breakaways with only the goalkeeper back throughout the season. At more than $500,000 in annual base salary, the club can afford a defensive-minded player scoring five goals a season — as he did in both 2023 and 2024 — but cannot afford to have a left wing who can’t score a single goal, given the opportunties his speed affords him.

Tsukada and Gerbet are promising young players who are coming off serious injuries, and it’s nice to see the club make a commitment to helping them get healthy and continue their development. Atuesta’s return was made more important by Araujo’s departure, and although Cartagena signed a new deal, more depth will be needed in central midfield.

The club’s biggest off-season need right now is to replace Gallese in goal.

Post-2025 Orlando City Roster Status (Current club players in italics)

  • Iván Angulo: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • César Araújo: Out of contract
  • Eduard Atuesta: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • David Brekalo: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Gustavo Caraballo: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Wilder Cartagena: Signed new contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Alex Freeman: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • Pedro Gallese: Out of contract
  • Joran Gerbet: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club options through 2028
  • Colin Guske: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Robin Jansson: Option declined – In negotiations
  • Favian Loyola: Option declined
  • Adrián Marín: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Duncan McGuire: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Carlos Mercado: Option declined
  • Shak Mohammed: Option declined
  • Luis Muriel: Under contract through 2026
  • Martín Ojeda: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Javier Otero: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028
  • Marco Pašalić: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Tahir Reid-Brown: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Nico Rodríguez: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Rodrigo Schlegel: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Kyle Smith: Out of contract, in negotiations
  • Tyrese Spicer: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Zakaria Taifi: Under contract through 2026, club options through 2029
  • Dagur Dan Thórhallsson: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Yutaro Tsukada: Under contract through 2025, with club options in 2026 & 2027
  • Thomas Williams: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028

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Lion Links: 11/17/25

Pride fall to Gotham FC in NWSL semifinals, Lions in action abroad, USMNT defeats Paraguay, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

November 17, 2025

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Image of Anglina preparing to take a shot against Gotham FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work and covering high school basketball. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to Gotham FC in NWSL Semifinals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL semifinals Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The match was scoreless for 90 minutes, and it looked like it was heading for extra time. Jaedyn Shaw converted a last-minute free kick for the game-winning goal in stoppage time. The Pride had one last chance towards the end of the match to get a late equalizer when Oihane put her header on goal, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a clutch save to seal the win. Gotham FC will play in the NWSL Championship for the second time in three years. The Orlando Pride’s 2025 season ends just short of making a second consecutive NWSL Championship.

Lions in Action Abroad

Several Orlando City players were in action during the international break. Defender David Brekalo played a full 90 minutes, but Slovenia fell 2-0 to Kosovo in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Forward Marco Pasalic started and played 62 minutes as the Croatians defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1 in UEFA World Cup qualifying and qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Croatia will be in action again later today against Montenegro. Gustavo Caraballo came off the bench late in the second half, but Venezuela fell 2-1 to North Korea in the round of 32 in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Thomas Williams started for the U-21 U.S. Men’s National Team in its 1-1 draw against Denmark.

Fullback Tahir Reid-Brown came off the bench in the second half for the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team in a 2-1 win against Costa Rica.

USMNT Defeats Paraguay in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 2-1 Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was in action for the USMNT, coming off the bench and playing 23 minutes. Gio Reyna scored the opener in his return to the starting XI for the USMNT for the first time in 16 months to give the Yanks an early lead. Alex Arce scored the equalizer for Paraguay. In the second half, Falorin Balogun scored the winning goal to help the USMNT edge Paraguay. The Americans are unbeaten in their last four matches. The next match for the U.S. will be Tuesday against Uruguay in Tampa.

Washington Spirit Return to NWSL Championship

In the other NWSL playoff semifinal match from the weekend, the Washington Spirit returned to the NWSL Championship for the second consecutive time, securing a 2-0 win against the Portland Thorns Saturday at Audi Field. Gift Monday and Croix Bethune scored for Washington. Trinity Rodman returned to play for the first time since spraining her right MCL on Oct. 15. Before the match, multiple reports stated that Rodman had received lucrative transfer offers from European clubs as her contract expires next month. The Spirit will face Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja was in Europe over the weekend to watch Maro Pasalic play for the Croatia Men’s National Team, while also checking in with AFC Bournemouth to observe operations, share knowledge on coaching, and check out the club’s front office management as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
  • U.S. Soccer announced its 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees, featuring Kevin Crow, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Tony Sanneh, Kari Seitz, and Chris Wondolowski.
  • Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Italy 4-1, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998.
  • Nigeria fell to Congo DR 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the CAF World Cup playoff final and will miss a second straight World Cup.
  • One Knoxville SC defeated Spokane Velocity 2-0 to win the USL League One Championship.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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