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Orlando City vs. Atletico San Luis, Leagues Cup: Final Score 1-1 as 10-man Lions Draw, Win Shootout

The Lions went down a man early but scored first, held on for a draw, and won the penalty shootout and the group.

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2 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City appeared to have an easy path to the knockout rounds entering its match against Atletico San Luis at Inter&Co Stadium in the final match of Group East 2 play in Leagues Cup. But a first-half red card while the game was still scoreless raised the degree of difficulty.

However, Ramiro Enrique’s late first-half goal and heroic defending for the final 45 minutes allowed the Lions (1-0-1, 5 points) to draw San Luis (0-1-1, 1 point) 1-1 and top the group. A 71st-minute goal by Rodrigo Dourado spoiled the clean sheet and the victory in one fell swoop, but the Lions got the last word by knocking the Liga MX side out of the competition with the draw and then winning the penalty shootout, 5-4, to claim the extra point.

“It was an excellent effort from our players,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We want to recognize that heart and that willingness to do the right things is what identifies Orlando City, especially in the period that we have shared here with the fans in these four years. We have players who give everything up, and today was no exception.”

Pareja’s lineup was virtually unchanged from the side that spanked CF Montreal 4-1 nine days ago. The only swap was Ivan Angulo replacing Nico Lodeiro after serving his suspension for a red card in last year’s competition. Pedro Gallese took his usual spot in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres with Enrique up top.

Orlando City started the match brightly, getting forward with a lot of energy and flying around the San Luis penalty area. Cartagena took the game’s first shot in the second minute, driving an attempt from distance that took a deflection but gave San Luis goalkeeper Andres Sanchez no trouble. Two minutes later, Torres won the game’s first corner and the cross found Brekalo in front, but the Slovenian headed it just wide of the left post.

In the fifth minute, Enrique did well to dispossess San Luis defender Julio Dominguez in the penalty area, turning the visitors over. Torres picked up the loose ball and fired from the right but just missed wide of the left post.

San Luis got its first shot in the 14th minute and it nearly resulted in a goal. Vitinho sent a blast from the top of the area on target and Gallese made a diving save to keep it out. The visitors did nothing with the ensuing corner and Orlando cleared the danger. That first attack allowed the Liga MX side to settle into the game.

Cartagena was called for a foul in the 19th minute about 30 yards out from his own goal on the San Luis attacking right. The visitors took the free kick short to the middle and Oscar Macias fired from long range but the shot was always going over the bar.

The game turned in San Luis’ favor in the 27th minute when a turnover in Orlando’s attacking third resulted in Vitinho getting behind the defense in transition. Smith caught up to him just outside his own penalty area and committed the foul. Although he was initially given a yellow card, a quick check of the video led referee Mario Escobar to change the call. Smith was sent off for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity and Orlando City was down to 10 men.

Juan Manuel Sanabria hit the ensuing free kick into the wall. It came back to him and he fired again. This time the shot took a deflection off an Orlando player and went out for a corner. Before it did, Gallese tried to keep it from crossing the line, taking a chunk out of the wet turf and going down hard. After receiving treatment, he was able to continue.

Rather than make a substitution in the first half, Pareja redeployed his troops, moving Cartagena to center back between Jansson and Brekalo, and pushing Angulo into a left wingback role opposite Thorhallsson on the right.

“It is very relevant for us to have players with that versatility,” Pareja said. “Wilder has had a tremendous impact in the way we bounce back from from our slow start. Today was another night where he adapted to the needs of the team and he dropped to that position where he can give us that function as a center back, but at the same time with the intelligence that the position needs to be a midfielder also.”

The Lions did a good job of holding possession for a spell after the free kick and even won a couple of set pieces from distance but couldn’t do much with them.

Jansson gifted San Luis an opportunity with a misplaced backheel pass attempt in his own half in the 45th minute. The wayward pass turned the ball over and Mateo Klimowicz fired a blast from outside the box. Gallese got down and made the save. He bobbled the ball momentarily but none of the visitors were anywhere near him, so he was able to gather it up.

The Lions struck at the death of the first half. Orlando broke in transition with a series of quick passes. Araujo sent the ball forward to Enrique in the middle, and he in turn sent Ojeda up the left side. Ojeda sent in a gorgeous cross to Torres at the back post. A bit too wide to make an attempt on goal, Torres smartly headed it down, back across the box. Enrique ran onto it and slotted it past Sanchez to give the Lions the lead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage. It was the Argentine’s sixth consecutive match with a goal across all competitions, breaking Daryl Dike’s club record of five.

Seconds later, the half was over.

Despite being a man down for a good chunk of the first half, Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (57.5%-42.5%), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (86.8%-81.8%). Both teams attempted five shots and both put two attempts on target.

Rodrigo Schlegel replaced Jansson to start the second half, as the captain was on a yellow card.

San Luis started the second half with a lot more possession, looking to pull Orlando’s defense apart. Orlando was able to get forward a few times as well, but both teams struggled to create clear chances in the opening minutes of the second period.

The first good look came the visitors’ way in the 53rd minute. A ball into the area was headed on goal by Yan Phillipe but Gallese was able to stop the powerful attempt. Six minutes later, a shot from outside the box sailed over Gallese’s crossbar.

Second-half sub Franck Boli fired just wide of the left post under pressure from Araujo on the shot.

The Lions finally got a look at goal in the 64th minute off a corner kick. Ojeda’s cross picked out Cartagena but the Peruvian’s shot fizzed just inches over the bar and onto the roof of the net.

San Luis’ relentless pressure continued. Sanabria smashed a shot toward goal in the 65the minute, but Gallese made a diving save to his right to keep it out. A minute later, Benjamin Galdames made a nice play to cut inside on the attacking left and fired from a tight angle. Gallese had his near post covered and the shot banged off the top of the crossbar.

Perhaps Gallese’s best save came in the 69th minute on an absolute cannon blast by Vitinho from the right. The Peruvian made a diving save to knock it off the post at the last second.

However, the San Luis goal that always seemed likely finally came in the 71st minute. The visitors had been working the Orlando City defense side to side relentlessly and it finally paid off with a ball into the box that Dourado was able to head past Gallese to tie the game.

San Luis won a parade of corner kicks down the stretch of the game, and Orlando defended in numbers. Dourado sent another headed attempt wide in the 75th minute.

After surviving several San Luis corner kicks, Angulo made a fantastic play to get out of a crowd of players along the right sideline with the ball, jump-starting the break. The ball ended up on the left with second-half sub Rafael Santos, who smashed a shot that deflected out for a corner. Schlegel got his head to the cross on the set piece but sent his shot wide of the left post in the 88th minute.

From there, Orlando saw out the final seconds of normal time and four minutes of stoppage time to secure the draw and clinch first place in the group.

The strong second half while up a man allowed San Luis to finish with the advantage in possession (54%-46%), shots (23-9), shots on target (6-2), corners (10-5), and passing accuracy (87.5%-85.6%).

Because Leagues Cup matches go to shootouts after draws, the teams went to the penalty spot to determine which side got the extra point, despite it having no impact on the standings. Orlando would have finished first regardless of the outcome, and San Luis could not catch second-place CF Montreal with the extra point.

Vitinho shot first for the visitors, and even though his shot hit the crossbar, it caught the underside and bounced down past the line to give San Luis the advantage after one shooter. Lodeiro answered and the teams swapped successful penalties in the second and third rounds. Sebastien Salles-Lamonge and Cristiano Piccini hit perfect penalties for San Luis, despite Gallese guessing the correct direction both times.

Duncan McGuire, who had come on for Enrique late in the second half — just hours after landing in Orlando from participating in the Olympics in France — and Wilder Cartagena scored to make it 3-3 after three rounds.

The fourth round proved to be decisive. Leo Bonatini hit his shot toward the left post, but Gallese again guessed correctly, and this time he was able to palm the shot away before it could cross the line.

“For us, a lot of the studying that we would do during the week on penalties just wasn’t there for us,” Gallese said. “We thought that they would only really have two guys that have taken for them historically, and the other ones, it wasn’t what I was able to study. It was just kind of what I felt on the direction they would go.”

“Important for us to have Pedro back in his level,” Pareja said.

Rafael Santos buried his penalty to send it to the fifth round with his team leading, 4-3. Franck Boli connected to put the pressure on Orlando’s fifth shooter, who was Thorhallsson. The Icelandic fullback ran up quickly and hit his shot hard. Second-half San Luis goalkeeper Cesar Lopez got a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out, deflecting it into the roof of the net from below, giving the Lions the win.

“For us it was important to win it in front of our fans,” Pareja said of the shootout. “For us it was important to keep this momentum. Now we’re preparing for the next one.”

The Lions will next host another Liga MX side — Cruz Azul, the second-place side in Group East 4 — on Friday at a time to be announced.

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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: 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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