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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-1 road victory at New England?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

There is probably a more eloquent Dickensian reference out there I could use about how this match was a tale of two cities halves. The Lions looked poor initially but started to find their footing toward the end of the first half and then came out and really lived up to our great expectations and smashed New England in the second half. A final score of 3-1 means that Orlando City finally won for the first time ever at New England and has now won three games in a row and four of its last five.

The Lions have a short turnaround with a game at Nashville coming on Wednesday, but for now, let’s bask in the glow of another high-scoring win and get to work on the report card. I have my purple pen out, and I am ready to issue those grades, so here we go.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Peruvian international did not have a lot to do during this match, as New England did not really threaten his goal often. The Revolution only had three shots on target all game long, and the one goal they scored was from point-blank range after a defensive breakdown. I think Gallese perhaps could have collected the initial ball over the top from Esmir Bajraktarevic, but that would have been a risky play and he likely did not assume that his defenders would all ball watch and let runners go unmarked right in the middle of the box. Gallese made one save and completed seven passes on the night, but it was a mostly unremarkable game for him.

D, Kyle Smith, 5 — After two consecutive solid games starting in the back four, Smith looked almost subdued in the game Saturday night, completing a lot of short passes but not really accounting (see what I did there?) for any — for lack of a better term — oomph in Orlando City’s attack. He completed 30 passes at an 88.2% rate, but aside from one ball to Iván Angulo towards the left side of the box, there really was not a lot that was memorable about his play in the first half. In fact, he did not record a single defensive statistic, and I was not surprised that Rafael Santos was on the field in place of Smith when the second half started. This did apparently surprise Apple TV’s broadcasters, since they did not realize he was out for a few minutes, but Smith had not put on a Santos disguise, and he had indeed gone off after 45 minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — New England has an excellent striker in Giacomo Vrioni, but he really did not do a lot to threaten the center of Orlando City’s defense, to the point that neither Jansson nor Rodrigo Schlegel had a tackle. Now, the obvious counter to this is that, you know, Vrioni scored a goal (aside from that whole gunshot thing, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?), but I thought Jansson helped limit Vrioni to really only be a target and not someone that the Revolution played through. On the play that led to the goal, Jansson was marking Jack Panayotou, so I do not think he takes much culpability in that goal, even thought it happened right in front of him. As I mentioned, the Beefy Swede did not have a tackle but he led the team with four clearances and one blocked shot, and he completed 36 passes at a 90% completion rate. It was a quiet night for Jansson after his Man-of-the-Match-level performance last week against D.C. United, but I do not think the captain will mind since the Lions picked up another three points.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — I thought Schlegel was excellent for most of the game, except for the three seconds from 22:44 to 22:47. During that time, he followed the ball instead of his man, and Vrioni slipped unmarked into the center of the box and smashed a shot home to give the Revolution the lead. Ugh. However, during the rest of the game, I thought Schlegel was really good, especially around the marking of Vrioni, and he showed why even with the return of David Brekalo from the Euros that Orlando City has not made a change to the pairing of Jansson and Schlegel in the middle. Rodrigo was third on the team with 51 completed passes, compiling a 98.1% completion rate (that’s 51/52, everyone), and he even advanced forward and got two shots off, though neither were on target. He also had two clearances and blocked one shot, and led the team with 11 accurate long balls on 14 attempts.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — I know Thorhallsson is listed as the starting right back, but I really think that D for defender should be a DD for Dagur Dan, because to call him just a defender or just a right back does not really satisfy what he brings to Orlando City. He is a Dagur Dan, and just like Tigger, he is the only one. On Saturday night, he was once again all over the field making plays, and although he did not contribute to any of the goals it was not for lack of trying, as in the first half he got himself into a great scoring position for a cross from Angulo that he just could not place properly to get by Aljaž Ivačič, and he was constantly probing and making runs off the right side of the box and helping to cause worry along the left side of the Revolution’s defense. He also completed 39 passes at an 88.9% completion rate, with one key pass among those passes, and he had one tackle and one clearance defensively. I have to ding him some early defensive mistakes. He was beaten early in the match by Panayotou but Jansson was able to intervene in the 11th minute. He was in position, but still got beat over the top on the cross into the box that led to New England’s only goal. Despite the early defensive errors, I thought on the whole his performance was solid on the evening.

MF, César Araujo, 7 — The Uruguayan defensive midfielder had another typical game, generally short on flash but long on making a difference in the middle of the field. Cesar was second on the team in passes completed (54), tackles (3), and shot-creating actions (3), with one of those shot-creating actions being the assist for the second goal when his header back into the middle of the box was knocked in by Ramiro Enrique in the 58th minute. The midfield pairing of Araujo and Wilder Cartagena has been excellent during the recent three-game winning streak. I do not think it is a coincidence that as soon as Cartagena returned from the Copa America tournament, the team got hot. Araujo and Cartagena know how to play with and off of one another, which showed Saturday night. I think it is instructive to look at this heatmap from whoscored.com in between the grades for Araujo and Cartagena, because you can see just how well they balanced each other with their play during the match.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7.5 — Saturday night’s performance was another outstanding showing from the Peruvian midfielder, as he was once again all over the field making plays and bossing the game with midfield partner Araujo. Wilder led the team with 60 completed passes at a 93.8% completion rate, and he also led the team with 16 completed passes in the attacking third, five tackles, two fouls suffered, and one (friendly) face slap of Facundo Torres, after Torres scored his second goal. I will be tracking friendly, and unfriendly, face slaps for the rest of the season, do not worry. I thought Cartagena dictated the game with his play in the center of the field, and though he did not play a major role in any of Orlando City’s three goals, he was the best two-way player on the field, and was definitely a candidate for the Man of the Match.

MF, Iván Angulo, 7.5 — During the first part of Saturday’s match it seemed like everyone wearing Orlando City colors was sluggish except one player, and that player was Angulo. As he seems to do every game, Angulo looked like he was perpetually playing on turbo mode, making runs up the sideline and getting around defenders to create opportunities. Orlando City was profligate in front of the net for most of those, but eventually his hard work paid off, as it was his driving run into the box and pass to Torres that led to the latter’s tying goal in the 51st minute. Angulo led the team in progressive carries (7), shot-creating actions (6), and key passes (4), and he completed 31 passes at an 81.7% rate. He chipped in a tackle and an interception defensively before coming off for Brekalo in the 84th minute in a defense-for-offense substitution, but the Colombian winger had well earned a few minutes of rest after another strong effort.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6 — The Lions went with the same attacking midfield group that had been starting during the last few matches, but on Saturday night Ojeda just did not seem to have the same juice as he had brought during those other recent wins. As usual, this was not due to lack of effort, but something just was off from the Argentinean midfielder. Despite playing nearly 70 minutes, he only completed 27 passes, though he did complete them at a 96.4% rate, and he only crossed the ball four times all match, unusually low for him, completing two. He did play the corner that led to Enrique’s goal, and that was a well-placed corner kick to Araujo’s head that then came right back into the middle for the tap-in (one of Ojeda’s two key passes), but on the whole I thought it was just a muted performance by Ojeda on the night.

MF, Facundo Torres, 8 (MotM)— Facu is so hot right now, not unlike how Hansel was during Zoolander. Since the official first day of summer, Torres has five goals in five matches, and he has now moved into a tie with Nani for third all-time on the Orlando City goal-contribution list (career goals + assists = 44). On Saturday night he started slowly, but as the first half came to a close he started to pick up. Then, in the second half, he was excellent. Hmm, sounds a lot like how Orlando City’s overall game flow was, too. Coincidence? No. Facu’s two goals were absolutely perfectly hit curling balls from the right side of the box that went exactly where every soccer coach tells you to shoot — low and hard to the far corner. Torres also put a third shot on target that was saved well by Ivačič, so he put all three of his shots on frame. The Uruguayan winger completed 44 passes at a 91.7% rate with two key passes. He also compiled a dribble, a tackle, and an interception. As he goes, so will this offense, and I think there is very little that we as fans love more than to see Facu over by the corner flag with his pretend phone up doing the Selfie Celebration with his teammates.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 7 — The one change in the starting lineup from the last two matches was Enrique in for Duncan McGuire, and that was most definitely not a like-for-like swap. Enrique is not as adept at holdup play and winning long balls to create possession for the offense, but what he does bring, which showed on Saturday night, was an extra burst of quickness and shiftiness to get something on the ball and create plays. This manifested in the first goal, when Angulo slipped a pass to a cutting Ramiro who then played it back, and it eventually made its way across the box to Torres. Enrique then made the dashing run on the second goal to beat everyone to Araujo’s header back across the box, tapping it into the net for his second goal in the last two games. Enrique had no key passes or defensive stats, only had 23 touches, and only completed seven passes on the night (87.5% rate), but he still contributed majorly to Orlando City coming from behind to take the lead before he made way for Luis Muriel in the 69th minute.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 6 — Santos checked in after halftime and provided a spark that had not been there in the first half from the left back position. The raw stats show that Smith completed more passes and at a higher percentage, and that neither left back made many plays defensively, but Santos definitely looked more composed and threatening on the ball during the second half than what the Lions got from that position during the first half. His hustle to get to a ball that he nearly lost after a heavy touch led to the third goal for Orlando City, and while his passing accuracy (87%) was among the lowest on the team, the danger he brought to the field with his play during the second half definitely contributed to the second half comeback.

F, Luis Muriel (69′), 6.5 — The Colombian Designated Player had one of his best games as a Lion on Saturday night, which is both good news and bad news for Orlando City. I am writing grades specifically for this match, but it is hard not to also take a step back and consider that the fact that an appearance off the bench with one assist against a bottom of the conference team is one of the best games for Muriel this season does raise some questions. That said, I thought Muriel looked dangerous in this match and made the right decision with the ball on most of his possessions — in particular, his perfect pass to Torres for an assist on the third goal that effectively iced the game for Orlando City. He unselfishly played the ball with the outside of his foot to a sprinting Torres, and the weight of the pass allowed Facu to curl that ball in without ever breaking stride. That was the first Muriel-to-Torres combination for a goal, and I, for one, would enjoy seeing many more of those this season. I recommend they do this again on Wednesday. Muriel put his only shot attempt on target, forcing a save, had one key pass, and won an aerial duel.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (69′), 6 — I think the role of supersub off the bench fits Nico well, and he turned in another strong performance in his 21 minutes Saturday night. The Uruguayan took over for Ojeda and completed 14 passes at a 93.3% rate, including hustling to win a loose ball that he then played to Muriel that then went on to Torres for the backbreaking third goal from Orlando City in the 81st minute. Lodeiro was active throughout his minutes on the field, also making one tackle and intercepting one pass.

D, David Brekalo, (84’), N/A — The Slovenian international came on for Angulo shortly after the Lions took a two-goal lead, moving the team to a five-man back line and playing as the right center back in between the Nordic duo of Jansson and Thorhallsson. Brekalo made one interception and completed four of his five passes, including one long ball, but he did not contribute enough in his short outing to earn a grade this week.

MF, Jeorgio Kocevski (90 +2′), N/A — Jeorgio subbed in for Araujo during stoppage time to help close out the game. He was able to get four touches of the ball and complete two passes, but he was not on the field long enough to earn a grade this week.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with Toronto FC.

Published

20 hours ago

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October 15, 2026

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Image of Ivan Angulo racing up the field with the ball against Toronto.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City traveled to Canada for an important Eastern Conference match against Toronto FC. The Lions kept the offensive production from last match going but were also their typical porous selves on defense, drawing 3-3 with Toronto. It was another wild back-and-forth match for the Lions. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Soccer Pitch or Hockey Rink?

I lost count of how many times players slipped on the pitch Wednesday night. There were definitely more Orlando City players sliding around than Toronto players. If Harvey Sarajian had not slipped in the box, he may have been able to beat the keeper to the ball and put a shot on goal. Martin Ojeda fell when he slowed down to receive a pass on a counterattack, giving the ball back to Toronto. There were a dozen more in just the first 20 minutes of the match. It wasn’t just in the offensive half either. Defenders were unintentionally going to ground as well.

What’s a Right Back?

Theoretically, Ivan Angulo started at right back. Of course, he ranged up and down the pitch working into the attack. If Toronto countered, it was Eduard Atuesta that covered the position. Atuesta has difficulty on defense in the midfield on occasion, and is most definitely not a fullback. It was Atuesta that had to defend Lewis Morgan when he came into the box on an early cross by Toronto. I’m certain you can guess how effective he was, given Morgan easily headed the ball into the right side of the goal to give Toronto the first-half lead. Angulo also contributed a boneheaded play that gave Toronto its second goal. He tried a back pass that Niklas Dorsch pounced on. Theo Corbeanu eventually scored to give the Reds their second lead of the match. Finally, Angulo was too passive in the 90th minute at the back post, so when a rebound from Djordje Mihailovic’s shot deflected that way, Matheus Pereira stepped past Angulo and tied the game late.

A Hand(ball) Up, A Record Broken

I assume that Toronto felt bad for Orlando City in the first half. The Lions held a massive advantage in possession but had barely sniffed a shot on goal. In the 45th minute, Pereira stuck his arm out on a bouncing cross and the ball hit it, giving Orlando City a penalty. Ojeda stepped up, hesitated, and then buried the ball in the bottom left corner past Luka Gavran. The goal was Ojeda’s 48th for Orlando City making him the club’s all-time leading scorer across all competitions, surpassing the previous mark of 47 goals that had been held by Facundo Torres.

Griezmann Pounces

Antoine Griezmann is a very smart soccer player. As such, he conserves his energy and puts himself in good positions to make impactful plays. He did so again when Orlando City needed it the most. Ojeda put a free kick into the box in the second half that the defense deflected to Orlando’s attacking right, where it eventually ended up where Iago could head it over to a wide-open and onside Griezmann, who calmly equalized for Orlando City. Griezmann now has goal contributions in nine consecutive MLS matches.

Cardiac Cats Giveth and Taketh

Following Griezmann’s goal, the Cardiac Cats showed up, scoring a third goal to give the Orlando City the lead for the first time in the match. Angulo took a pass from Griezmann and then sent it back toward the Frenchman in the box, Griezmann dummied the ball, which ended up with Daryl Dike, who finally got another goal for Orlando City. It’s been a while coming for the big man, and the timing was perfect. Unfortunately, the Cardiac Cats stayed on the field and gave up the equalizer in the 89th minute. Some draws feel good, but this one feels like a lost opportunity on the road.

Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s draw with Toronto FC. The Lions play again Saturday at home against D.C. United in the third of three matches in an eight-day span. Let us know your thoughts about the Toronto match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 10/15/26

Orlando City concedes late in draw with Toronto FC, Justin Ellis earns praise, U.S. Soccer announces Crest Cup for women’s soccer, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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October 15, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis celebrating a goal against Real Salt Lake.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How are you feeling after last night’s Orlando City game? I don’t think my thoughts have ever been as mixed, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles at times when supporting the Cardiac Cats. It could’ve gone worse though, and being able to watch Antoine Griezmann work his magic is always a treat. Today marks nine years since Kaká’s final game with Orlando City, and I’ve loved being able to see world class players like him, Griezmann, Nani, and more over the years in Orlando. Let’s get to the links.

Lions Blow Lead Late in Dramatic Draw

Orlando City went on the road to Canada and played to a 3-3 draw against Toronto FC in a rollercoaster of a match. The Lions clawed their way back to equalize twice and managed to take the lead late in the match, but couldn’t close things out despite another solid performance by goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau behind a leaky defense. Make sure to check out our match recap of what was an exciting, yet frustrating, match that at least featured a couple of great Orlando goals.

Justin Ellis Earns Praise During Breakout Season

The Athletic‘s Tom Bogert ranked his top 22 MLS players under the age of 22 and Orlando City forward Justin Ellis ranked eighth on his list. The 19-year-old has 10 assists and a goal to his name this season, thriving in the attack with an intriguing combination of creativity, strength, and positioning. He’s also already scored for the United States Men’s National Team, doing so in Orlando last month against Peru. Bogert predictably has Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan at the top of his list and Julian Hall in second. We’ll see if Ellis lands a bit higher than eighth when the annual MLS 22 Under 22 list is unveiled later this year.

U.S. Soccer Announces Crest Cup

A new club tournament is coming to women’s soccer. U.S. Soccer announced the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup for women’s soccer teams across the country to compete against each other in a single-elimination format. Official details such as when this will take place and which teams will be allowed to participate haven’t been unveiled at this point, but it does seem like it will at least include teams from both the NWSL and USL Super League. The winner of the Crest Cup will receive $1.1 million and qualify for the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Toothpaste jokes aside regarding the name, I’m excited for a tournament that puts a spotlight on more women’s soccer teams.

Takeaways From USWNT Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team may not have beaten Spain in either of its two friendlies against the European powerhouse, but it at least finished strong by rallying to a 2-2 draw in the second meeting. Not many of the problems the USWNT faced were unexpected either. Naomi Girma’s absence was felt on defense, neither Claudia Dickey nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce emerged as the clear starter in goal, and the midfield looked suboptimal against the best team in the world. Head Coach Emma Hayes has multiple decisions to make before the Women’s World Cup next summer, with the USWNT’s next match coming on Nov. 27 against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The UEFA Champions League returned this week and there were plenty of good games across Europe. In one of the bigger matchups of this round, Paris Saint-Germain went to England and beat Manchester City 4-2 to move to the top of the table. Elsewhere, Real Madrid mounted a late comeback to beat AS Roma 4-3 in Italy, Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick in Liverpool’s 6-3 win over LAK Linz, and Bodo/Glimt won 1-0 in Norway against Borussia Dortmund. The teams will play again on Tuesday and Wednesday, with PSG going up against Barcelona and Bayern Munich hosting Arsenal as two of the heavyweight showdowns.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to Orlando Pride newlyweds Rafaelle and Hailie Mace on tying the knot!

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 3-3 as Road Defense Again an Issue for OCSC

The Lions came from behind twice and eventually led late but conceded even later to drop two vital points north of the border.

Published

1 day ago

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October 14, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann playing the ball against Toronto FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City improbably came back from a pair of deficits to take a late 3-2 lead against Toronto FC tonight. But the porous defense again showed up at an inopportune time, allowing the hosts to pull a goal back and force a 3-3 draw at BMO field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All three Toronto goals were either scored on Orlando’s defensive right or originated with a turnover there as the Lions again were without Griffin Dorsey, creating issues for Orlando (11-13-5, 38 points) and joy for Toronto (7-10-12, 33 points).

Ivan Angulo and Eduard Atuesta swapped roles back and forth all night as City played its positionless, fluid style, and it was a defensive catastrophe again, with Orlando now conceding 11 goals in its last three away matches. Atuesta failed to mark the only man near him on the first goal, Angulo did the same on the third, and Angulo’s defensive third turnover started the counter that led to the second.

On the other end, Martin Ojeda scored from the spot, Antoine Griezmann equalized the game at 2-2 late, and Daryl Dike scored what looked like a game-winner in a substitute appearance. But Matheus Pereira’s late goal let two valuable points slip out of Orlando’s hands. Lewis Morgan and Theo Corbeanu also scored for the Reds.

“I think at the end of the day, we conceded goals that cost us too much,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Unforced mistakes, maybe. We need to improve there.”

Perelman’s lineup had to be adjusted as Robin Jansson picked up a knock and Justin Ellis picked up an illness late in the week. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau started behind a back line of Vinicius Nogueira, Iago, David Brekalo, and Angulo. Defensive midfielders Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, and Atuesta joined Harvey Sarajian in the midfield behind attackers Martin Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann.

Orlando started brightly but couldn’t create anything despite having some good forays into the attacking third. Angulo won a corner when his cross was blocked behind in the second minute. The hosts knocked down the cross, which fell to Nogueira, but he hit his shot poorly and it was well off target.

After overcooking a couple of long balls that would have seen Nogueira and Sarajian get down the left flank, Orlando reverted to its usual, sloppy road self.

The first warning sign came in the eighth minute, when Cartagena’s turnover led to a Josh Sargent break. Sargent faked a right-footed shot, stepped left past a sliding Cartagena and Iago, and fizzed a shot just wide of the left post.

Griezmann nearly put Sarajian in a minute later. Sarajian raced to get past Richie Laryea and beat the defender to the outside, but Laryea got a toe on the ball just before Sarajian could get onto it, knocking it into space in front of goal with Luka Gavran out of position, but no one in a gold jersey was near it and Toronto cleared the danger.

Daniel Salloi flicked a header past Crepeau and into the net in the 14th minute, but he was a couple of steps offside. Two minutes later, Nogueira gave Corbeanu far too much space. The Toronto winger cut inside from the right side and fired a shot that Crepeau parried wide for a corner. Orlando managed to clear and tried to counter, but Ojeda slipped on the turf and the transition chance evaporated.

Morgan found himself in far too much space in the Orlando box in the 19th minute but didn’t make good contact on his shot, sending a soft one to Crepeau. Morgan made up for it eight minutes later by opening the scoring. Griezmann got dispossessed in traffic in his defensive third and the ball was knocked out to Corbeanu on the right flank. Nogueira couldn’t block the cross in and Atuesta seemed oblivious to the only player anywhere near him as Morgan nodded it inside the right post to make it 1-0 in the 27th minute.

Orlando seemed to have no real idea how to work the ball through Toronto’s defensive shape, often passing backward through traffic after breaking a line of pressure. The Lions won a set piece late in the half and again the hosts knocked it down. Iago got to it first at the top of the six on the right side but sent his spinning shot attempt high over the goal from close range.

The Lions took the ball away in the attacking third a minute later and Griezmann picked out Ojeda in the box, but the Argentine either tried to flick it on goal or to find Angulo on the right. Either way, he muffed the opportunity, sending it out of play wide of the right post.

With Orlando struggling to create, the hosts helped the Lions out as the end of the half approached. A harmless ball into the box from the left took a high bounce and hit Matheus Pereira on the arm. The referee spotted it and pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty.

Ojeda’s shot didn’t fool Gavran but he placed it so well that it slipped inside the right post to make it 1-1 just seconds into stoppage time.

The goal was his 48th across all competitions, which made Ojeda the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, passing Facundo Torres.

Despite Orlando seemingly not having a clear vision of how to attack Toronto, the halftime stats were mostly even. The Lions had more possession (58.6%-41.4%) but much of that was just passing back and forth around the back, then losing possession when approaching the final third. Orlando City also held the advantage in passing accuracy (86.3%-76.1%), while Toronto put more shots on frame (3-1). Both teams attempted five shots and earned one corner in the opening period.

Seconds after the restart, Toronto got a gift of its own, but it didn’t pay off. Otavio cleanly cut in front of Sargent to knock the ball away, but referee Armando Villarreal called a foul after Sargent’s momentum carried him over top of the Brazilian midfielder. Alonso Coello’s shot deflected wide, turning into a corner. Iago cleared the corner cross but Toronto recycled it back into the area, where Sargent got his head to it but it skipped off the side and went out of play for a goal kick.

Toronto restored its lead two minutes later anyway. Angulo gave the ball away in his own third with a soft pass intended for Iago to give the hosts a quick counterattack. Niklas Dorsch easily got to the wayward pass first and got in behind Iago, but Crepeau made a huge save on the initial shot. The ball caromed toward the right post. Nogueira was slower to react than Corbeanu, who slipped it under the Brazilian’s foot and in to make it 2-1 in the 49th minute.

Just moments after the goal, Angulo failed to control a ball under pressure and gave up an unnecessary corner, but the Lions fended it off. He gave the ball away again in the 58th minute in his own end and Toronto broke quickly, sending it out to the right to Cobreanu. The winger had two runners in the area and both were open, but he overcooked his cross, which sailed beyond his teammates and out for a goal kick.

While his “fullback” work was suspect all night, Angulo was good in the attacking half. He made an incisive run into the box through several Toronto defenders in the 60th minute, but his shot was partially blocked and bounced harmlessly to Gavran.

Orlando escaped in the 66th minute when Benjamín Kuscevic fired off the right post and Coello missed the target on the rebound. Coello then got booked for a hard challenge on Otavio, providing a stoppage for Dike to enter the match for Sarajian.

Orlando won a few corner kicks in quick succession moments later, but although the ball pinged around dangerously a few times, they couldn’t pay them off. The best chance came on the third of those, with Griezmann picking out Iago near the penalty spot. The Brazilian turned and tried to head his shot on target but missed badly wide to the right on a difficult attempt.

Kuscevic picked up a yellow card moments later for pulling back Dike in space, setting up a free kick from distance. The ensuing set piece shouldn’t have worked but somehow it did. Ojeda’s long-range free kick delivery was low and Sargent should have had an easy clearance, but it came off the side of his foot and skipped to the right side of the area, where Iago headed it back the other way. Griezmann was wide open on the left and fired his shot past Gavran to make it 2-2 in the 77th minute.

Griezmann extended his streak to nine games with a goal contribution and scored his 10th MLS goal in just 13 games.

Toronto quickly got back on the front foot, winning a corner at the other end. Crepeau made a vital save on Kuscevic’s header on the set play as Nogueira couldn’t prevent the shot, which went through traffic and ended up in the goalkeeper’s midsection, with the Canadian doing well not to spill it. Two minutes later, the Lions took the lead.

Griezmann orchestrated the goal by sending it wide to Angulo on the left. Angulo sent in a return pass that Griezmann allowed to go through his legs to Dike behind him. The big striker smashed his shot inside the right post to put Orlando up 3-2 in the 83rd minute.

“I think, you know, we have a whole bunch of smart players on the team, and I kind of always tell myself that no matter what, when the ball’s on the side, I’m going to be in the box,” Dike said. “And you know, some clever play from Grizi, and then, yeah, a good little finish. I’m happy about it.”

With Zakaria Taifi on the bench and available substitution slots remaining, it’s curious that a defense-for-offense swap wasn’t made after Dike’s goal, giving Orlando fresh legs and a more natural right back on the pitch, especially with Angulo playing long minutes on short rest, but it was a contributing factor in the outcome, especially considering Taifi subbed on for Atuesta after Toronto equalized.

Just when it looked like the Lions might get a rare 2026 road win, things fell apart. Substitute Djordje Mihailovic was left in too much space on the right, just outside the area. He smashed a shot toward goal as three defenders tried to converge, and the ball appeared to take a slight deflection toward the right. Crepeau dove at full stretch and palmed it away, but Pereira stepped past an inattentive Angulo on the back side and put the rebound into an empty net to tie the game at 3-3 in the 90th minute.

In fact, the Reds nearly scored a winner before Taifi entered the match. Angulo couldn’t stay with Derrick Etienne Jr. in the second minute of stoppage time and he sent a dangerous cross toward the top of the six. Crepeau dove off his line and got a hand to it but couldn’t control it. Mihailovic arrived first and tried to chip the Canadian goalkeeper, but he sent the effort wide of the left post.

Taifi finally came on for Atuesta two minutes later, pushing Angulo into the midfield.

“Everybody knows we are missing some players, and then we try to find solutions,” Perelman said. “We have players like Ivan (Angulo), like Edu (Atuesta), who are very generous, and they fight. They give everything on the field. I think they did a good job, and then of course we conceded some goals. As well we score, and we tie. That’s it. We can’t go back. So now we look forward. This is still long. Only a couple of games missing, but it’s a long season. We know how to go through it. We know where we come from. We know where we’re going. That’s it.”

The rest of stoppage time was largely uneventful with each team failing to capitalize on a long-range free kick, but Kuscevic put a scare into the Lions with a shot from inside the box that he sent wide to the left in the seventh added minute.

At full time, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (55.7%-44.3%) and passing accuracy (85.2%-75.5%), but Toronto attempted more shots (16-15) and put far more on target (8-3). Each team won five corners in the game.

“It was a point. It’s not what we wanted, because we came here to win,” Perelman said. “Things to improve, like always. But at the same time, great effort from the players, personality to play here. I think the effort was there, the performance as well, and that’s it. That’s a point on the road. Now we continue in our journey until the end.”

“A little bit frustrating, because I think we did well to put ourselves in a good position,” Dike added. “And, of course, you’re never going to be happy when you don’t win. Good point away from home, but of course we want to win, so it’s frustrating to lose two points in the manner that we did.”

It’s another quick turnaround for the Lions, who welcome D.C. United to Orlando on Saturday.

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