Orlando City Signs Striker Duncan McGuire through 2027

Duncan McGuire is officially staying at Orlando City. The club and McGuire agreed to a new contract through 2027 with a club option for an additional year in 2028. What seemed impossible just a few months ago is now a reality as the Lions were able to convince the big striker to stay in MLS.

“We are incredibly happy to have signed Duncan to a new contract and for his desire to stay here with us in Orlando,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “Since he’s arrived here, he’s been a vital piece of our team and he will continue to be for the foreseeable future. We’re excited to see what more Duncan can accomplish, as he helps us push for more championships and as he fights for a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The 23-year-old native of Omaha, NE, was a first-round pick (No. 6 overall) by Orlando City out of Creighton in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He had a brilliant rookie campaign in Major League Soccer, earning looks from teams oversees. He had a deal in place with Blackburn Rovers and even traveled to England for his medical but the roof caved in when an administrative error by the EFL Championship club caused the transfer to be rejected by the English Football League. After an unsuccessful appeal, McGuire returned to Orlando.

McGuire has made 48 MLS regular-season appearances in his short professional career (34 starts), scoring 20 goals to go along with five assists. He has also made three MLS Cup playoff appearances (all starts). Across all competitions, McGuire has logged 63 appearances as a Lion (42 starts), scoring 23 goals and adding five assists. His play with Orlando put him on the national team radar and McGuire was selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, where he made four appearances (two starts) for a U.S. side that got out of the group and made the first knockout round.

McGuire spent three years at Creighton, leaving after his junior season. He had a breakout year during his junior campaign, playing in 24 games (23 starts) and recording 1,591 minutes. He scored 23 goals and recorded three assists. All of these were personal highs in college. Following the 2022 season, McGuire was named Second Team All-America by the United Soccer Coaches Association and won the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best player.

“I’m really happy to get this deal done and know that I can call Orlando home for the next three years,” McGuire said in the club’s release. “It’s a great place to be, and I’m excited to see what the future holds here. It means a lot that the club has shown trust and faith in me, and that goes a long way. I hope I can repay the favor by continuing to do what I’ve been doing the past year, for both the team and the fans.”

What It Means for Orlando City

Signing McGuire no doubt brings a huge sigh of relief to many Orlando City fans. The team’s best pure scorer, McGuire has been the team’s only offense at times when the team’s Designated Players were struggling to finish. He should pair nicely with a rejuvenated Ramiro Enrique to provide the Lions with a couple of center forwards who can finish. It would have been difficult to imagine how the team would have been able to cope offensively without re-signing McGuire, because Luis Muriel has thus far failed to reach the lofty expectations expected of a Serie A scorer on a DP salary. That was mitigated when Enrique reached a torrid stretch of form while McGuire was away on Olympic duty.

By convincing McGuire to stick around, the club has to be viewed as pulling off one of the top midseason striker signings in the league. Orlando gets to keep a productive young player who could rewrite the club’s scoring records by the time this new contract expires.