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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

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.🇧🇷 Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.➕ Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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

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