On a night when original captain Kaká was the first player inducted into the club’s Legends Terrace, Orlando City ran roughshod over D.C. United in a 5-0 beatdown before an announced crowd of 22,561 at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions (7-9-6, 27 points) got goals from five different players and kept D.C. United (4-11-8, 20 points) off the board to earn their first clean sheet since a 1-0 win at San Jose on May 18.

Martin Ojeda, Robin Jansson, Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ramiro Enrique all got on the scoresheet, with three of those goals coming before United center back Lucas Bartlett was sent off for denying Angulo a goal-scoring opportunity late in the first half. Orlando crept above the playoff line with the victory and won consecutive games for the first time in 2024, sweeping the season series from D.C.

“I thought it was another good night for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We tried to get more consistency in these games, and we need it, not just because of the points but the confidence we need in the team.”

Pareja rolled with the same lineup that started in Toronto on Wednesday, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena continued their central midfield partnership behind an attacking line of Angulo, Ojeda, and Torres, with Duncan McGuire — who was officially named to the 2024 U.S. Men’s National Olympic Team earlier in the day — up top.

D.C. came out as the more aggressive team, pressing high and winning the ball in the attacking half, but when United had the ball, it struggled to break through the Orlando defense. The Lions looked to spring the counter whenever possible and had success with it throughout the opening 45 minutes, building a big lead.

Thorhallsson did well to read D.C.’s movement and stole the ball in his own half, igniting the break in the eighth minute. He found Torres, who cut inside past a couple of defenders and fired a shot that was blocked. D.C. fullback Aaron Herrera was shaken up on the play. Although he was able to continue, he had to sub off before halftime. There was also a whiff of handball on the play but none was given and there didn’t appear to be a check.

Angulo gave D.C.’s three-man back line fits all night. In the 12th minute, he got down the left channel and tried to turn the corner but the ball was knocked away for an Orlando corner kick. The initial ball on the set piece was cleared out but knocked back in front, where Schlegel touched it home but he was well offside on the play.

The next few attacks went to waste due to a heavy left-footed cross by Smith and a good, right-footed, back-post cross from Smith without a teammate in that area.

The Lions took the lead in the 19th minute through Ojeda’s strike. Torres released Thorhallsson down the right flank and the Icelandic fullback was able to fight off the contact of Christopher McVey to get in behind. Tyler Miller came over to square up to Thorhallsson, who cut back and picked out Ojeda on the left. Ojeda did the rest, smashing it into the back of the net to make it 1-0. For the Argentine, it was goals in back-to-back games and his third of the 2024 season.

Martin Ojeda with a beautiful first time finish! 🔥@OrlandoCitySC take the lead!

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/CbsssfGwMR pic.twitter.com/bIEh1zT5MX

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2024

Angulo won another corner in the 23rd, as the Lions had trouble clearing the first defender with crosses at times. No matter, because the set piece turned into a goal. The ball was knocked out of the area and Torres retrieved it, feeding Cartagena down the right flank. The Peruvian sent in a perfect cross and Jansson met it in the air, heading it past Miller to make it 2-0 with his first goal of the year.

.@OrlandoCitySC make it 2️⃣ goals in four minutes!

Robin Jansson with a bullet header! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/C8Liltjy5m

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2024

Another great ball from Cartagena sent Torres down the right moments later. However, a heavy touch allowed the defense to knock it behind for another corner. Ojeda’s service was flicked on by McGuire at the near post, but right at Miller, who was able to hold onto it in the 26th minute.

Ojeda again tried to pick out McGuire in the 29th minute but the pass had a lot of pace on it and the striker couldn’t keep his flicked shot on frame. Herrera then subbed off for Jacob Murrell a minute later.

Orlando spring another counter just after the restart, and Cartagena was sent down the right but he sent either a shot or a cross right at Miller.

D.C.’s closest opportunity at a goal came on a cross that was knocked high in the air, as Gallese and Smith collided along with a D.C. attacker. Jansson cleared the ball off the line as it landed. After a few minutes of treatment, Gallese was able to continue.

Orlando kept coming, winning a couple of set pieces, but the Lions couldn’t pay them off. Ojeda was waiting at the back post wide open in the 41st minute on the right, but Torres couldn’t get his chip pass over Miller, who caught it.

The Lions scored a few seconds later anyway.

Ojeda pulled Miller out to the left and dropped it off to Angulo, who smashed it in to make it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. It was Angulo’s third of the year.

It's THREE! 😱@OrlandoCitySC are running rampant! pic.twitter.com/hZuWGHLWlk

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2024

Angulo slipped behind the defense early in stoppage time and he was taken down inches outside the box by Bartlett. It was a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity and Bartlett was sent off. For some reason, Araujo took the free kick and couldn’t get it over the wall.

Smith sent a layoff from Angulo well over the bar in the fifth minute of the eight minutes of injury time (that ended up being nine). Ojeda smashed a shot just over the bar in the final seconds and that was the end of the half.

Orlando City had the halftime advantage in possession (50.2%-49.8%), shots (11-4), shots on goal (4-1), corners (5-1), and passing accuracy (80.9%-75.2%).

“They don’t like to keep the ball in the back line much. They like to pump it forward to (forward Christiand) Benteke,” McGuire said. “We knew they were going to press high and get second balls off him, and that was going to leave spaces in behind in the counterattack. I think we definitely had our opportunities and took them well with getting three goals in the first half.”

“It was an outstanding first half, probably the best we have played during the year,” Pareja said. “It seems that our players are getting more confidence and we’re getting more close to what we were.”

The Lions started the second half looking to keep the ball more and D.C. tried to stay compact to keep the score from getting worse. The first chance of the second period came on a cross from Ojeda to McGuire, who fought off a defender and sent a header toward the right post. He couldn’t get much on it and Miller scrambled over to touch it out for a corner in the 48th minute.

Torres then took a layoff from Angulo in the 52nd minute to start a flurry of chances. After Torres’ shot was blocked, Cartagena went for goal from long distance and Miller had to dive to make the save. McGuire got to the rebound first but was at a tight angle and fizzed a shot just off target.

The game settled down for a while after that chance, but business picked back up.

Smith had a shot blocked at the top of the area in the 63rd minute. Second-half sub Luis Muriel got onto a pass from Angulo in front but had his shot blocked out for a corner in the 73rd minute. Miller made a great save to keep Schlegel’s header out and Jansson couldn’t make good contact with a teasing aerial rebound just in front of the goal line.

Orlando got its fourth goal in transition in the 74th minute. Angulo sent the ball left, releasing McGuire down the flank. When the big striker got into the box, he sent a perfect cross through the area to the right post for Torres to tuck home with his right foot, making it 4-0 on his sixth goal of the season.

Facundo Torres gets on the scoresheet!@OrlandoCitySC add another to their tally. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BoJvXWO4jX

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2024

“The confidence is obviously growing,” McGuire said of the team’s offensive outburst over the last several matches. “I think in the practices we’ve gotten a lot of the sequences and the attacking phases have started to come to us a lot more, and we’ve started to get more creative and (are) attacking with more urgency. And I think that’s shown in the past few games, and definitely tonight. It’s starting to come together for us.”

The second-half hydration break took place after the goal and Pareja sent Ramiro Enrique, Nico Lodeiro, and David Brekalo on for Ojeda, McGuire, and Jansson.

Enrique made it 5-0 in the 85th minute on a corner kick. Lodeiro sent in a dangerous cross that was flicked on by substitute fullback Alex Freeman. Enrique’s head was the next thing to make contact with the ball and he powered it past Miller for his first goal of the season.

The goals just keep on coming for @OrlandoCitySC!

Ramiro Enrique makes it 5️⃣. pic.twitter.com/y21cW7VE1W

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 7, 2024

Cartagena sent a shot from distance right at Miller in the 88th minute, and seconds later, D.C. nearly spoiled the shutout. Gabriel Pirani cut across the top of the area and tried to cut back a shot from the right inside the left post but it trickled wide.

The game ended without any further incidents and the Lions had their biggest win since June 22, 2021, when Orlando City beat San Jose by the same 5-0 scoreline.

The Lions finished with a lopsided statistical advantage, finishing with the edge in possession (61.8%-38.2%), shots (24-5), shots on target (10-1), corners (11-1), and passing accuracy (90.2%-80.7%).

Orlando was dominant even before the red card to Bartlett, but the outcome was never in doubt once that happened. It seemed only a matter of how many goals the Lions could score.

“Second half, obviously to play with one man more, we dominated the game territorially and spaces,” Pareja said. “But I think overall it showed us that we look much more like us now.”

The Orlando offense, which had been stagnant for more than half of the season, has now scored 15 goals in the Lions’ last five games.

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The Lions head north to face the New England Revolution next Saturday at Gillette Stadium — a place they’ve never won.

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City and D.C. United at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the second of the two scheduled MLS matches this season between the Lions (6-9-6, 24 points) and the Black and Red (4-10-8, 20 points).

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

History

The Lions are 7-9-2 against D.C. in the all-time league series since the club joined MLS, and 7-9-3 in all competitions. Orlando is 4-4-1 in MLS home games against D.C. Oscar Pareja is 6-6-2 in his managerial career against United.

The Black and Red had managed four consecutive results in the series (3-0-1) prior to the Lions’ visit to Audi Field on April 13. United went ahead twice in the match on goals by Christian Benteke and Gabriel Pirani and led the game late. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson equalized in the first half on a great cross from Ivan Angulo, and David Brekalo scored down the stretch to make it 2-2. Duncan McGuire’s well-timed breakaway goal in stoppage time lifted Orlando to a 3-2 road win.

The last meeting in Orlando took place on April 22, 2023, with D.C. scoring twice in the second half to snap a 1-1 deadlock and win, 3-1. Taxiarchis Fountas, Donovan Pines, and Benteke scored for D.C. to more than offset McGuire’s strike.

These teams squared off just a few weeks before that in D.C., splitting the points in a 1-1 draw at Audi Field on March 11. McGuire scored his first MLS goal but Chis Durkin leveled things late in a match that was sandwiched between Orlando City’s two legs of Concacaf Champions League play against Tigres UANL.

D.C. swept the season series in 2022, despite being a terrible team that “won” the league’s Wooden Spoon by no small margin. The meeting in D.C. that year took place July 31 and saw Orlando City dominate the first half but miss multiple glorious chances to put the game away early. The Lions were wasteful and took only a 1-0 lead into stoppage time, thanks to Junior Urso’s first-half goal, only to fall 2-1 on stoppage-time strikes by Durkin and Fountas.

The teams also met on Independence Day at Exploria Stadium, with D.C. putting together a performance out of nowhere in a 5-3 road win. Fountas netted his first MLS hat trick and Kimarni Smith and Nigel Robertha added their first goals of the season. Facundo Torres, Ercan Kara, and Alexandre Pato scored for Orlando, threatening to bring the Lions back, but Orlando could never get on level terms.

The teams met twice in 2021, including Oct. 2 at Exploria Stadium. Daryl Dike scored deep in stoppage to lift the Lions to a 2-1 home victory. Robin Jansson scored a first-half goal off a corner kick scramble to offset an early Julian Gressel strike. The first match of 2021 took place on May 16 in D.C., with the Lions winning 1-0 on an early Mauricio Pereyra goal. That win snapped United’s 3-0-1 streak in the series in league play and 3-0-2 in all competitions dating back to City’s previously most recent win over D.C. back in 2017.

The teams did not meet in what was an odd 2020 season.

D.C. United swept the season series in 2019, winning 1-0 at Audi Field back on June 26, 2019. Wayne Rooney’s wondergoal from his own half of the pitch caught Brian Rowe napping. The Lions fell 2-1 at home on March 31, 2019, with set pieces ruining the night for Orlando. You might recall the controversy that surrounded the winning goal, with then-coach James O’Connor visibly upset after the match. Steve Birnbaum scored the first on a set piece and Rooney scored the second on a free kick that he took from wherever the hell he wanted rather than where the foul occurred. Frederic Brillant bulldozed Rowe on the play as the ball sailed into the net.

D.C. was 1-0-2 in three total meetings (two in league play) in 2018. Orlando swept the two league meetings in 2017, the teams split two lopsided games in 2016 — with each team winning at home — and the Black and Red went 2-1-0 in the first three meetings back in 2015.

Match Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 2-1 road win Wednesday at Toronto FC. The Lions fell behind in the fifth minute but rallied on a Martin Ojeda header and an own goal by Nicksoen Gomis forced by Facundo Torres put Orlando ahead by halftime. No one scored in the second period and Orlando grabbed the three points. The Lions return home where they are a disastrous 2-5-3 on the season so far, although they won their most recent match at Inter&Co Stadium against the Chicago Fire on June 22.

D.C. jumped out to a three-match unbeaten start to the season under Head Coach Troy Lesesne and lost only once in its first six games of 2024 before hosting Orlando City in April. Since then, the team has sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and enters on the heels of a hard-fought, 3-2 midweek home loss to FC Cincinnati — the club’s 10th consecutive match without a win (0-7-3). The Black and Red are just 1-4-5 away from Audi Field this season.

The Lions will need to be aware of where Benteke is at all times. The former Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Aston Villa man leads D.C. in goals (14) and is in the thick of the MLS Golden Boot race. That pursuit was put on pause in the loss to Cincinnati, as Benteke was suspended for that match, meaning he’ll be fully rested for tonight. Benteke’s size and strength make him difficult to defend in the air, so Orlando City will need to pull out all the stops to make him uncomfortable. The Congo native has put up 62 shots on the season and 29 of them have been on frame. He’s also chipped in a pair of assists.

Behind Benteke, no D.C. player has more than two goals. Five different players have scored twice and six more have added one goal, so it’s difficult to say who the team’s secondary threat is. However, the Lions must pay attention to Mateusz Klich, who has a team-high seven assists to go with his two goals, and Aaron Herrera, who has six helpers to go with his pair of strikes.

“(Benteke) has that quality. We’ll prepare the best that we can,” Pareja said ahead of the match. “First is to recognize what are the strengths that [D.C. United] have and this is one of them. We’re just trying to be sharp, be conscious, be informed about what those things are that we need to move and how we can avoid that too. It’s not just that final phase of that play, marking him, but probably preventing them getting there to him too and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Lions will be without Michael Halliday (knee) and Mason Stajduhar (lower leg), while Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh) is listed as questionable. None of Orlando’s internationals are on the availability report anymore, so presumably Brekalo is available, although it’s possible he may start the match on the bench after returning from the 2024 Euros. As of this writing, D.C.’s availability report was…well, unavailable. However, entering Wednesday, the team reported several players out: Conner Antley (knee), Steven Birnbaum (hip), Russell Canouse (not due to injury), Kristian Fletcher (ankle), Jackson Hopkins (back), and Garrison Tubbs (head).

Match Content

• Our most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our match preview, key matchups, and predictions for the game.

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Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

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

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

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

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Rafael Santos, David Brekalo, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Ramiro Enrique, Jack Lynn, Luis Muriel.

D.C. United (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Tyler Miller.

Defenders: Christopher McVey, Lucas Bartlett, Garrison Tubbs.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Pedro Santos, Martin Rodriguez, Gabriel Pirani, Matti Peltola, Aaron Herrera.

Forward: Christian Benteke, Theodore Ku-Dipietro.

Bench: Alex Bono, Jabob Murrell, Jeremy Garay, Matai Akinmboni, Hayden Sargis, Jared Stroud.

Referees

REF: Lukasz Szpala.
AR1: Logan Brown.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Elton Garcia.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

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).

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Enjoy the match. Go City!

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July as we shift gears and get ready for a weekend filled with Orlando soccer. For those of you that took today off as well to parlay the holiday into a four-day weekend, know that I envy you but do wish you a relaxing next few days. Let’s get this Friday started with today’s links!

Orlando City Picks Up Momentum in Midweek Win

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Orlando City so far, but the Lions are riding high after a crucial win on the road against Toronto FC. Designated Player Martin Ojeda bagged his third goal of the season and the defense overcame an early disaster to secure victory. Last year, July was the start of a stretch that included 11 wins in the final 15 games of the season. While there seems to be a few more wrinkles to iron out before a similar finish can be expected, Wednesday’s win is a step in the right direction. The next step will be getting a win Saturday against a D.C. United side that is winless in its past 10 games.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Showdown in Kansas City

In arguably the most anticipated match of the NWSL season so far, the Orlando Pride will take on the Kansas City Current Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are undefeated through 15 games and tied at the top of the table in both points and goal difference. The Current lead the league with 39 goals, while the Pride’s 11 conceded goals are the fewest in the league. While the NWSL Shield implications are obvious in this one, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team isn’t letting the attention on this match distract from preparations. He also talked about how the Pride will need to do well in transition against Kansas City and about Anna Moorhouse’s performance in goal this season.

African Players Excelling in the NWSL

One of the biggest storylines of the recent NWSL off-season was the addition of many talented African players to the league, and they’ve made an incredible impact so far this season. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda and Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga have been major reasons why their teams are undefeated this season, and they’re tied for the NWSL Golden Boot lead on 11 goals each. Chawinga currently has the tiebreaker with one more assist, but Banda has played in four fewer games.

Elsewhere, Bay FC forwards Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala have been helping the club turn its season around before they depart for the Olympics. Princess Marfo has also played a part in Bay FC’s rise up the table, and Houston Dash defender Michelle Alozie was also noted as one of the top African women’s soccer players in the world.

Euro 2024 Quarterfinals Kick Off Today

Only eight teams remain in this year’s Euros and today’s action features the kind of matchups that make this tournament so much fun to watch. The quarterfinals start with a heavyweight bout between Spain and Germany, arguably the two best teams of the tournament up to this point. The match also features some of the game’s youngest stars, as the Spanish trio of Pedri, Nico Williams, and 16-year-old phenom Lamine Yasal goes up against Germany’s Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

The later game will be between France and Portugal, with plenty of attention on Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo. Neither star, nor their respective teams, have been playing at their best this tournament, which makes today’s match an opportunity for either side to find its rhythm before the semifinals.

Free Kicks

• The Current will be without forward Alex Pfeiffer for the rest of the 2024 season after suffering an ACL injury.

You’ll be back stronger than before ❤️

We have placed forward @AlexPfeiff17 on the season-ending injury list after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus. pic.twitter.com/0xrjNS8TgH

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) July 4, 2024

• D.C. United made a pair of moves, adding Austrian defender David Schnegg from SK Sturm Graz and signing free agent striker Dominique Badji.
• Tab Ramos dove into what should change with the USMNT before the 2026 World Cup. I definitely suggest checking out his take on the past few years, as it’s a bit fairer than the usual reactionary blame game following a tournament exit.
• Manchester United extended Erik Ten Hag’s contract through June of 2026 after triggering the one-year option.
• Newcastle United named Paul Mitchell as its next sporting director to replace Dan Ashworth. Mitchell has previously been with other English clubs like Tottenham and Southampton, as well as previously serving as Monaco’s sporting director.

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That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!