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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Finally Win at Gillette Stadium

Lions erase halftime deficit with three second-half goals to pick up their first-ever win at Gillette Stadium.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It’s been a long time coming. Despite a poor start and a halftime deficit, Orlando City dominated the second half and defeated the New England Revolution 3-1 to pick up the franchise’s first win at Gillette Stadium.

Since Orlando City joined Major League Soccer in 2015, home games against the Lions (8-9-6, 30 points) have been the Revolution’s (7-13-1, 22 points) free space on their Bingo card, but that was not the case tonight, as Facundo Torres sandwiched two brilliant left-footed goals around a set-piece strike by Ramiro Enrique to more than cancel out Giacomo Vrioni’s first-half goal.

It was Orlando’s third consecutive win and its fourth in five matches, with the Lions scoring 18 times over the course of their last six games overall.

“Very excited with the three points. Very proud of the character of the team and the players that brought us back after an irregular first half,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The second half was what we wanted, and the reaction was outstanding from the players. It seems like our confidence keeps raising, and finding the net is helping us to believe that this is a team who can keep that rhythm and just get into the playoffs.”

Pareja’s lineup included only one change from the side that beat D.C. United 5-0 a week ago. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena made up the central midfield partnership behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Torres, with Enrique starting up top in place of Duncan McGuire, who is on international duty.

As is typically the case when the Lions visit Gillette Stadium, they were sloppy with the ball, weighting passes improperly and often losing the ball in their feet to ruin promising attacks. Whether it’s the trip to the Boston area, the artificial surface, something else, or a combination of all of that, the first half looked like so many other trips to play New England. Orlando City wasted multiple opportunities to take an early lead and eventually coughed up the first goal.

Ojeda took the first shot of the match just four minutes in but he hit his shot over the bar. It was an omen of things to come. Angulo tried to play in Enrique in the 11th minute with Ojeda to his left. Enrique was a few yards offside but the Colombian didn’t seem to notice when weighing his options.

Orlando was fortunate not to concede at the other ends seconds later. Smith and Jansson were turned inside out by Vrioni and he slid the ball in for Jack Panayatou, who seemed poised to score but Jansson deflected it behind for a corner.

Esmir Bajraktarevic fired a shot right at Gallese in the 13th minute and then the Lions wasted a number of attacks that could have led to an opener. The first came in the 15th minute when Enrique couldn’t get to a dangerous cross by Angulo, who was easily the best attacking player of the opening period.

Ojeda gave the ball away cheaply on a pair of good transition opportunities in the 19th and 21st minutes when the Lions had numbers in the attack but didn’t so much as get a shot attempt off. That allowed the Revs to break the scoreless deadlock.

Thorhallsson drifted too far inside away from DeJuan Jones on the initial cross, so that the heavy touch by the Revs fullback didn’t cost the hosts possession. The ball cycled around to the attacking right and a routine back-post ball from Bajraktarevic found Thorhallsson in perfect position to deal with it, but he was far too passive on the play, allowing an easy cross from Jones in front to Vrioni for a tap-in while Schlegel was caught marking no one.

“I thought in the first half we conceded a lot of freedom for New England players and that first goal is something that we need to correct,” Pareja said.

The Icelandic fullback had a chance to immediately make up for his mistake on the attacking end, making a nice move to get to the end line, but he sent his cross right at the goalkeeper as the wasteful first half continued. Moments later, it was Smith getting dispossessed in the offensive end.

Angulo did well to steal the ball and jumpstart the attack in the 34th minute and the Lions poured forward with numbers. However, Enrique got impatient while approaching the box and sent a weak, long-range shot toward goal that gave Aljaz Ivacic no trouble. Seconds later, Orlando took possession again and Araujo attempted a long-range shot that missed badly to the left of goal.

The best chance for Orlando in the opening half came in the 42nd minute. Angulo did well to lose his defender and get to the end line, sending in a cross to Thorhallsson in front, but the fullback sent his shot right at Ivacic, who made the save. Angulo got another good cross in two minutes later, but the defense was there to clear it and after a minute of injury time, the half came to an end with the Lions again looking up at a deficit on the Gillette Stadium scoreboard.

The Revs had the halftime advantage in possession (52.5%-47.5%) and corners (2-1), while the Lions fired more shots (7-2) and passed more accurately (93.3%-89.7%). Each side put two shots on target.

“In the break, we decided just to push our lines way higher and just bring more stamina for those actions and dueling, passing, landing in the box,” Pareja said. “And I saw that team that we have seen the last two games, with more chemistry, but at the same time with more passion and energy. That allowed us to dominate the game and score our goals.”

Pareja sent Rafael Santos on for the second half, withdrawing Smith, who had an ineffective first half. His first involvement was a good cross in for Enrique, who lost sight of it and couldn’t make good contact, allowing the ball to bounce harmlessly to Ivacic.

Torres equalized moments later, however. A foray into the penalty area looked to have been snuffed out by the defense, but the ball bounced back to Angulo, who sent it to Torres near the top of the area. The Uruguayan fired it just inside the left post to level the match at 1-1 in the 51st minute.

Ojeda tried to give Orlando the lead two minutes later but Ivacic did well to make the save and the flag came up anyway. Torres then sent a blast from outside the box that sent Ivacic diving to his left to save. However, seconds later, the Lions took the lead on the ensuing corner kick.

From the right corner, Ojeda sent in a back-post ball and Araujo rose to head it back in front of goal. Enrique swooped in and touched it home with center back Henry Kessler on the line, keeping the play onside. The Lions led 2-1 in the 59th minute on Enrique’s second goal of the season and his sixth career MLS goal.

“The play developed as we had been working on together,” Enrique said. “But as a forward, knowing that the ball was going to the far post, you always have to stay active in the area to be able to get onto the end of it. And it fell right in the perfect spot where I was staying moving and active. That’s just how we want to run those plays.”

Enrique had a shot at a brace four minutes later. Santos sent in a good cross and the Argentine made a diving effort at the near post but Dave Romney did well to get his head in front to nod it behind for another corner. The set piece cross came straight to Araujo, who volleyed it toward goal but hit it just over in the 62nd minute.

New England started throwing numbers forward in an effort to get back on level terms and had some longer spells of possession as a result. Panayotou sent a screamer just wide of the left post from distance in the 64th minute, although Gallese appeared to have it covered, pulling out of his dive.

A minute later, a ball got through to Vrioni at the top of the area but Jansson blocked the shot. The rebound fell for Ian Harkes, who volleyed the follow-up effort over the bar. Panayotou then danced his way past Araujo and Thorhallsson to get to the top of the area but Schlegel blocked the New England attacker’s shot in the 67th minute. After the teams exchanged unsuccessful corners, Panayotou sent a shot at Gallese in the 73rd minute.

Orlando then started to look dangerous on the counter. Substitute Luis Muriel tried to curl a shot around Ivacic from the left in the 75th minute, but the New England goalkeeper made a good diving save. The Lions then won a free kick that came to Jansson. The Swede’s header was blocked and Schlegel was subsequently booked for a tactical foul to break up the counter.

The Lions used the counterattack to put the game away in the 81st minute. After taking the ball away in the attacking half, the ball found Muriel, who dribbled toward the box. With two defenders between him and the goal, the Colombian sent a pass to Torres on the right. With his first touch, Torres sent a gorgeous, curling shot around Ivacic and inside the left post to make it 3-1.

The Uruguayan is on fire, scoring his sixth goal — to go along with four assists — in his last six matches.

From that point, Orlando City did its best to stay organized and look for more opportunities to counter. David Brekalo subbed on late to give the Lions five defenders on the back line. Jeorgio Kocevski also spelled Araujo early in stoppage time, but there weren’t any real chances for either side after Torres’ second goal.

There may have been a chance for Torres to pick up a hat trick late on an Orlando takeaway, but Kocevski’s pass for the Uruguayan near the top of the area was offline as the two players weren’t on the same page. Moments later, the game was over.

Due to Orlando staying organized with the lead, New England racked up a huge advantage in possession (73.5%-26.5%) by the end of the match. However, Orlando City finished with the edge in shots (15-8), shots on target (7-3), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (90.7%-87.9%).

“The connections were much better, sharper, the way we moved the ball,” Pareja said about the second half. “I think the way Rafa came up in that second half helped us a lot just to have more freedom, more connections, and be more dangerous there. I think that left leg that he provided us definitely changed the game, and then we found the net again with the players.”

“I’m very happy right now, especially because it was a really tough and complicated game for us,” Enrique said. “The first half cost us a bit, but thankfully in the second half we were really start playing together. And thankfully we were able to complete the comeback, and obviously I’m very happy to score tonight in the win.”

“This is the first time that the team wins here in New England, and that means a lot of respect for the players too that achieved that,” Pareja said.”
“This is the first time that the team wins here in New England, and that means a lot of respect for the players too that achieved that,” Pareja said.

The Lions have a quick turnaround with another road match coming up Wednesday at Nashville SC.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

9 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

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

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

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

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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

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