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

The Lions close out a two-game road trip with a visit to Tennessee.

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8 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (8-9-6, 30 points) and Nashville SC (6-9-8, 26 points) at Geodis Park in Nashville, TN (8:30 p.m., FS1, free on Apple TV+). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season, with Nashville set to make the return trip to Orlando on Aug. 31.

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

History

The Lions are 2-2-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 4-3-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 1-0-3 on the road in the series in league play and 2-1-3 away in all competitions.

Orlando City last met Nashville SC at Geodis Park on Nov. 7, 2023 in the second game of a best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Ivan Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area hit the underside of the crossbar near the right corner and bounced in for the game’s only score.

The teams last met in the regular season on Oct. 4, 2023 with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on Duncan McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame.

Nashville visited Orlando back on April 1 of last year at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Hany Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in regular-season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Rodrigo Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-4.

These sides met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team up in the 74th minute on a counterattack. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half. The Lions, who played poorly in the opening 45, were the better team throughout the second half and Tesho Akindele’s shot off the crossbar was inches from providing a winner for Orlando.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss on the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar (in the 88th minute) and Cadiz (in the 93rd minute) turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended.

That 1-1 draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney had opened the scoring for Nashville with a header off a free kick but Orlando scored the last three. Dike took a star turn for Orlando City, scoring a brace, and Chris Mueller also scored for the Lions.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 3-1 win Saturday at New England. That was Orlando City’s first win over the Revolution at Gillette Stadium in club history. Facundo Torres’ brace put him on the MLS Team of the Matchday and gave him four goal contributions in his last five matches. Ramiro Enrique also scored, filling in for McGuire, who is away with the U.S. Olympic team. The Lions have won three straight games and four of their last five, and have a 5-4-3 road record on the season.

Tonight’s hosts are coming off a 2-1 away loss to D.C. United. Nashville is 4-3-5 at home, but has lost its last four games, but the three most recent losses have come on the road. The last home match was a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami. Mukhtar leads Nashville in goal contributions with 12 (five goals, seven assists), and has four goals and five assists against the Lions in his career. You should never bet your house on anything, but if you did, betting on Mukhtar to have a goal contribution against the Lions seems a near certainty. Meanwhile, forward Sam Surridge paces the Tennessee side with eight goals in 2024.

As it usually is, this matchup should be a tightly contested battle to the end.

“Every game has its own context, whether we have memory of, or feelings of, what happened in the prior games. In this case, with Nashville SC, we have had good experiences, and last year, we succeeded on the things that we wanted and our gameplan,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “But we always say that every game brings different challenges and different things that we need to prepare (for), because the game is dynamic, it moves, and they have changed their coach. All those things add up in preparation, but most important is that we can continue our line of improvement. That’s what we’re focusing on now.”

In addition to McGuire, Orlando City will be without Michael Halliday (knee) and Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). Nashville will be without Walker Zimmerman (Olympic duty), Julian Gaines (ankle), Anibal Godoy (lower body), Randall Leal (hip), and Lukas McNaughton (ankle), while Surridge (ankle) is listed as questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Wilder Cartagena, Cesar Araujo.

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

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Kyle Smith, Alex Freeman, David Brekalo, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn.

Nashville SC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Joe Willis.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jack Maher, Josh Bauer, Shaq Moore.

Defensive Midfielders: Sean Davis, Brian Anunga.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacob Shaffelburg, Hany Mukhtar, Alex Muyl.

Forward: Teal Bunbury.

Bench: Elliot Panicco, Brent Kallman, Taylor Washington, Dru Yearwood, Amar Sejdic, Tyler Boyd, Joseph Skinner, Isaiah Jones, Forster Ajago.

Referees

REF: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
AR1: Jeffrey Greeson.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4TH: Matt Thompson.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: Jozef Batko.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Geodis Park — Nashville, TN.

TV/Streaming: FS1, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ (free).

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

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

Enjoy the game. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/26/25

Orlando City rises in MLS power rankings, Emily Sams called up, Orlando City B faces Crown Legacy FC tonight, and more.

Published

7 hours ago

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March 26, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending the week reading and eating my way through a pork shoulder after making way too much of it in my slow cooker this weekend. It wasn’t as tender as I was shooting for, but it’ll take some time before I can take another crack at it. But enough about that, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Rises in MLS Power Rankings

The league’s latest power rankings are out and Orlando City has moved up two spots to 14th after its 4-1 victory over D.C. United. Orlando’s Designated Players are firing on all cylinders and no MLS team has scored more goals this year. The breakout of 20-year-old defender Alex Freeman, who was noted as one of the top young performers from this past weekend, is also worth recognition. The Lions have been in need of a young player to step up, and Freeman has done well so far. Orlando will be back in action on Saturday for a road match against an LA Galaxy side still searching for its first win of the season.

Emily Sams Called Up For USWNT Friendlies

Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was one of 24 players called up by United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes for the training camp prior to friendlies against Brazil next month. Forward Trinity Rodman, who hasn’t played for the U.S. since the Olympics, is back in the mix after missing time due to injury. Houston Dash defender Avery Patterson and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce are other interesting players to keep an eye on. The U.S. will take on Brazil April 5 at SoFi Stadium before a rematch on April 8 at PayPal Park.

OCB Plays Crown Legacy FC Tonight

The Young Lions are back in action tonight for a road match against Crown Legacy FC at 7 p.m. It’s OCB’s first away match of the season after a pair of solid results at Osceola Heritage Park to start the season. Orlando will take on a Crown Legacy team that’s only played one game so far this season, losing a shootout to New York City FC II after a 1-1 draw back on March 7. Following tonight’s match, OCB will get some time off before taking on Chattanooga FC in Tennessee on April 5.

Takeaway From USMNT Defeats

After losing both Concacaf Nations League matches, there is plenty of concern surrounding the United States Men’s National Team as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Fullback Joe Scally struggled in both matches, putting more of an emphasis on Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest being ready to roll next summer. Weston McKennie lost duels left and right and there are some real questions regarding where he fits in Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s system. There were bright spots as well though. Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang likely boosted their stock after solid offensive efforts, and Tanner Tessmann was effective in his time on the field. Overall, the Yanks will have to be better in this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.

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That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. Go Young Lions!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/25/25

Lions earn plaudits, Marco Pasalic up for Goal of the Week, Kylie Nadaner’s performance honored, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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March 25, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a great weekend for Orlando soccer as the two teams that were in action each picked up wins for a six-point weekend. It was done in exciting fashion too, as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride combined to score six goals between them. With a little luck, we’ll get to enjoy some similar results this coming weekend. We’ve got a lot to discuss this morning though, so let’s talk through today’s links.

Lions’ Performances Earn Plaudits

Orlando City blew D.C. United away 4-1 on Saturday, and some of the key performers from the win have been rewarded with places in the MLS Team of the Matchday. Martin Ojeda and Alex Freeman are named to the starting XI while Luis Muriel slots in on the bench to ensure the squad has a decidedly purple tint. Ojeda tallied a goal and two assists in a Man of the Match performance, Freeman did his best to match him with a goal and an assist of his own, and Muriel made his own impact by scoring the opening goal and logging a secondary assist. Here’s hoping they keep up the good work!

Marco Pasalic Up for Weekly Honors

Marco Pasalic was the only goal scorer from Saturday’s win to not be included in the MLS Team of the Matchday, but instead he finds himself nominated for the MLS Goal of the Matchday. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you which strike I’m talking about, but in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last several days, the Croatian did this to score Orlando’s fourth goal of the win.

Between the fluid buildup and the beauty of the strike itself, if this doesn’t win Goal of the Week then we live in a world without justice. Make sure you go vote!

Pride’s Kylie Nadaner Earns Recognition

The Orlando Pride beat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 on the road on Sunday, and center back Kylie Nadaner has been nominated for the NWSL Player of the Week due to her contributions in the match. Nadaner got the start at center back and helped the Pride keep a clean sheet — marking the first time the club has ever begun a season with back-to-back shutouts. While it wasn’t the Pride’s cleanest defensive performance, Nadaner and her fellow defenders mostly did a good job at preventing any truly dangerous chances, and in the end Orlando picked up three good points away from home.

U.S. Women Announce Three Matches

The United States Women’s National Team has announced three friendlies that will take place during the summer, with two occurring in June and the other in early July. The first two will be against Ireland in Colorado on June 26 and again against the Irish on June 29 in Cincinnati. The last match will be held on July 2 with an opponent and location for the game to be announced at a later date. It will be the first meeting between the U.S. and Ireland since April 2023, when the sides met in a pair of matches during the buildup to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The USWNT won both of those matches and will try to replicate the feat in a few months.

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  • Barba Banda had hateful language directed towards her during Sunday’s game, and the NWSL, Pride, and Gotham FC have all come out with strong responses.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/24/25

Lions and Pride win, USMNT falls to Canada, UEFA Nations League quarterfinals recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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March 24, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve had a very busy week, finishing my orientation and ballpark training to return to working ballgames and concerts at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs. Our Lions and Pride won while OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Beats D.C. United at Home

Orlando City defeated D.C. United 4-1 on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium in a dominating performance. Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic all scored for the Lions as they raced out to a 4-0 lead. You’ve no doubt heard this a lot since Saturday, but it was the first time in club history that all three Designated Players for Orlando scored a goal in the same match. Also, Freeman became the second-youngest player in club history to score a goal and add an assist in the same match. The youngest was Daryl Dike.

D.C. United pulled one back in stoppage time, but the Lions claimed the three points. Goalkeeper Javier Otero made his first MLS start while Pedro Gallese was away on international duty with Peru, and despite not getting a shutout, he made six saves. Orlando City will be on the road for its next match Saturday, facing the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Orlando Pride Shut Out NJ/NY Gotham FC on the Road

The Orlando Pride defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadium to get back-to-back wins to start the season. The Pride were the fortunate recipients of an own goal from Gotham defender Lilly Reale to take an early lead in the first half. Angelina’s crafty cutback drew a penalty just before halftime, and Marta converted it from the spot to extend Orlando’s lead to two goals just before halftime. The Pride held on to earn the shutout to secure their first road win of the season. The Pride return home to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday to take on San Diego Wave FC.

USMNT Falls to Canada in Nations League Third-Place Match

On Sunday, the U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 to Canada at SoFi Stadium in the third-place match in the Concacaf Nations League. It’s the second consecutive loss for the USMNT after dropping a 1-0 decision to Panama in the semifinals last week. The Yanks finish fourth in the tournament after winning the first three editions. Canada struck first before Patrick Agyemang scored the equalizer for the USMNT just before halftime. Jonathan David scored the winning goal in the second half to seal the win for Canada. The USMNT has lost consecutive matches to Canada for the first time since 1985. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just 14 months away, things don’t look good at the moment for the United States men. The next pair of matches are friendlies against Turkey on June 7 and Switzerland on June 10.

UEFA Nations League Quarterfinals Recap

There was plenty of drama Sunday in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League. France overturned a 2-0 deficit in the first leg and defeated Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 win in the second leg to advance. Spain also defeated the Netherlands 5-4 on penalties to advance after the second leg ended in a 3-3 draw and level 5-5 on aggregate. Germany blew a three-goal lead in the second leg against Italy to end the match in a 3-3 draw but won 5-4 on aggregate to move on to the semifinals. Portugal needed extra time against Denmark after being tied 3-3 on aggregate in the second leg. Francisco Trincao scored his second goal of the match, and Goncalo Ramos added another in extra time to help Portugal win 5-3 on aggregate after a 5-2 win in the second leg. The semifinals are set as Portugal faces Germany on June 4 while Spain takes on France on June 5.

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

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