Orlando City
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.
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.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
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