Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew
Find out everything you need to know about the Columbus Crew, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

We have a quick turnaround this week as Orlando City played one of its two remaining midweek matches on Wednesday, and came away with a comfortable 2-0 win over Charlotte FC. If the Lions want to keep the good vibes going on Saturday, they’ll need to beat one of the toughest teams in the league and do so on the road, as they travel up to Ohio to face the defending champion Columbus Crew.
A showdown with Columbus means I spoke to Caleb Denorme, one of the writers over at the always excellent Massive Report. Caleb was very helpful in getting us up to speed on this year’s edition of the Crew, and we appreciate his help.
Columbus has the best defense in the league by a comfortable margin. What’s made the back line so good this year?
Caleb Denorme: I think it’s a combination of finally learning the system and the development of the players at the position. Steven Moreira and Rudy Camacho are already experienced
defenders that you can throw into any starting roster in MLS. It took time for them to
adapt to Nancy’s system, but it is evident now that they have taken it in stride. The
development side is something that needs to be talked about too. Both Max Arfsten and
Mo Farsi are products of MLS NEXT Pro and have become no-contest starters at both
wingback spots. Yevhen Cheberko has improved as well, fighting for time with Malte
Amundsen, who was one of the Crew’s best players last season. So, the combination of
having time to learn Nancy’s system and giving these young players time to develop has
been massive.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Crew also has one of the best attacks in MLS. Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi get a ton of the headlines, but who are some other guys that help make the attack what it is?
CD: Obviously Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi are the spearhead of the attack. Hernandez
is going to do his thing regardless, and Rossi has really proved a lot of Columbus fans
wrong after he had a slow start when he first arrived. A lot of praise has to go to the
wingbacks as well. The rotation of Farsi, Arfsten, DeJuan Jones, Yaw Yeboah, and
Marcelo Herrera have added a new dimension to the attack that did not exist before. The
ability of each wingback to whip accurate crosses in to Hernandez and Rossi and cut in
when necessary is a dangerous asset to have. They also cause the opposing defense to be
stretched, which creates more room for the attackers inside. If there is one thing opposing
teams do not want, it’s Cucho Hernandez having more space inside the box.
Despite playing a metric ton of games this year, Columbus’ form has shown no signs of dipping due to fatigue and match load. Is there any concern that the packed schedule will eventually take its toll, or does Wilfried Nancy seem to have struck the perfect balance of navigating the busy calendar?
CD: The Crew have been the one team in recent memory who went far in the Concacaf
Champions Cup and did not crash and burn in league play. I think most of the praise has
to be put on the Columbus front office and Nancy himself. Issa Tall (and Tim
Bezbatchenko) did a phenomenal job constructing this roster. The Crew’s roster is the
perfect balance of spending for DPs, investing in young talent and getting high
performance out of MLS veterans. There is not a distinct position group that comes to
mind as “weak” when you think of Columbus, and that is thanks to the front office. On
the other hand, Nancy has done his job as well. Getting the right team in place is one
thing, but it takes a talented coach to take those players and get them to perform
consistently. Nancy has found the balance where he can plug a player in, and they
perform up to the task almost every single time. It’s a masterclass combination of
coaching and front office moves.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?
CD: The only player listed on the injury report is Evan Bush, who has missed a large part of
the season with a broken arm.
As long as nothing happens midweek (knock on wood) against Toronto FC, expect a strong Columbus lineup against Orlando. Those decisions will depend on what lineup Nancy goes with against Toronto. If it’s a rotated lineup midweek, the Black & Gold will roll out the starters at the weekend. I think Patrick Schulte will be between the posts, with Moreira, Camacho and Amundsen at the center back spots. I’d say Arfsten and Farsi will start out wide, with Sean Zawadzki and Darlington Nagbe in the middle. Front three will most likely be headed by Hernandez, Rossi and Christian Ramirez. Be on the lookout for what happens midweek though, because that will determine what the Crew go with on Saturday. (Editor’s note: The Crew rotated somewhat at Toronto and will likely play their strongest lineup.)
Score prediction not provided.
Thank you to Caleb for the excellent insight on Columbus. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City
Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?
Stop Gil/Campana
New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.
I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.
Streak vs. Streak
Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.
Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.
No More Nil
Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.
Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/8/25
Orlando City steamrolls the Tampa Bay Rowdies in I-4 Derby, Orlando Pride aim to bounce back, U.S. Open Cup results, and more.

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s not often we get to celebrate an Orlando City victory in the middle of the week these days, but hopefully it’s a habit we get used to. The Lions took care of business in my neck of the woods, and it’s given some nice optimism to finish this week strongly. Let’s dive into the big win and more in today’s links!
Orlando City Trounces Tampa Bay Rowdies
Take a bow, Gustavo Caraballo! The 16-year-old was the star of the show in Orlando City’s dominant 5-0 U.S. Open Cup win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scoring twice to jumpstart Orlando’s attack and making history along the way. There’s plenty of scoring to enjoy, so be sure to check out our full recap!
Hopefully this game was a nice shot in the arm for Orlando’s offense and something to build on in league play. It’s always nice to take down the Rowdies and the Lions are now the last Floridian team standing in the tournament. They’ll host Nashville SC in the round of 16 later this month in what should be a good game in the City Beautiful.
Orlando Pride Aim to Bounce Back in North Carolina
After a 1-0 loss on the road to the Portland Thorns, the Orlando Pride will look to return to their winning ways when they face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. It’s going to be another tough environment for the Pride to play in, although the Courage have lost two of their three home games so far this season. Pride defender Emily Sams spoke on the team’s mentality heading into this match and how the team can raise its level after a disappointing loss in Portland.
U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Wraps Up
MLS teams mostly cruised in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32, but it was still an exciting round of soccer filled with drama. In a vintage “cupset,” the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Orlando native Beto Ydrach. Indy Eleven nearly took down the Philadelphia Union, but the MLS side converted all five kicks in the penalty shootout to advance after a 1-1 draw.
The New England Revolution escaped Pawtucket with a 2-1 road win against Rhode Island FC, with 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira scoring a late winner. Minnesota United squeezed past Louisville City 1-0, the Chicago Fire put Detroit City to the sword in a 4-0 win, and FC Dallas won 3-1 against USL League One side AV Alta FC.
UEFA Champions League Final Set
Paris Saint-Germain did everything it needed to and more at home against Arsenal, winning 2-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Great saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi propelled PSG to victory, with Bukayo Saka providing Arsenal’s only goal of the two-leg series. PSG will take on Inter Milan in the final on May 31 and it should be an interesting matchup at Allianz Arena to close out the tournament. Will PSG lift its first Champions League trophy only a year after Kylian Mbappe left the club, or will Inter come out on top after finishing as runner-up in 2023? I can’t wait to find out.
Free Kicks
- Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team star Mallory Swanson and her husband Dansby Swanson, as the couple announced that they’re expecting their first child!
- Racing Louisville announced that goalkeeper Katie Lund and midfielder Maddie Pokorny will both miss the remainder of the season due to hip injuries. Jordyn Bloomer, who had five saves in Friday’s win over the Houston Dash, will serve as the team’s goalkeeper in Lund’s stead.
- The Columbus Crew signed Daniel Gazdag to a contract extension through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well.
- Arsene Wenger proposed a change to the offside rule so that attacking players are onside so long as any part of their body is lined up with the last defender. We’ll see if anything comes of this, but it could lead to more goals in the future.
- Here’s what to watch for in the second legs of the Europa League semifinals. Manchester United will host Athletic Club with a three-goal lead in aggregate, while Tottenham will aim to defend its two-goal advantage in Norway against a Bodo/Glimt side that has key players returning from suspension.
- Tottenham will be without James Maddison, who is out for the rest of the season after a knee injury sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 5-0 as Lions Roar Past Rowdies
The Lions destroyed their I-4 Derby rivals at Al Lang Stadium, advancing to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

The Lions found their scoring boots tonight at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and spent much of the 90 minutes applying those boots to the backsides of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Gustavo Caraballo’s brace led Orlando City, with Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson each adding a goal in a comprehensive road victory.
On the other end, Orlando allowed the host Rowdies very little, keeping the team’s sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, although this one was backstopped by Javier Otero rather than Pedro Gallese, who sat on the substitutes’ bench.
“I think scoring today was so healthy for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after his team’s five-goal outburst. “The first objective was trying to keep the pace that we had defensively on being solid, but at the same time, and just move on to that team that is scoring again. So we’re happy in that part, and in between the boxes, we played a good game. We saw the youngsters playing, some of the other players that were not regularly in the lineup, so it was very complete.”
Pareja’s lineup was heavily rotated from the side that played Saturday in Chicago, with Otero starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Nico Rodriguez, Martin Ojeda, and Caraballo, with Enrique up top.
It took Orlando City a while to get going, but once the Lions saw the ball in the net once, they looked dangerous for the remainder of the opening half.
Not much happened early for either side, other than some rough challenges by the Rowdies that were (eventually) punished by a single booking, but one in the opening moments to knock Freeman down while trying to get forward in transition would normally draw a yellow card.
Orlando’s first shot came in the ninth minute off a corner kick. The ball fell for Caraballo in the box and his shot hit a defender on the ground. Orlando players appealed for a handball, and it appeared the defender moved his hand on the ground up into the ball’s path, but referee Natalie Simon saw nothing wrong with it.
In the 13th minute, on what was probably the third bookable offense of the game by Tampa Bay, Simon finally showed a yellow card to Daniel Crisostomo for a hard challenge on Ojeda. Moments later, Araujo got his foot stomped on after releasing a pass but no card was given on a nasty challenge.
Enrique got into a good spot in the box in the 23rd minute and fired a shot that defender Forrest Lasso did well to block out for a corner kick. Lasso then cleared the ensuing set piece entry ball. Manuel Arteaga tried to catch Otero off his line from midfield after the clearance but the young goalkeeper wasn’t in danger of being beaten even if the attempt hadn’t been well off target.
Enrique’s flicked effort in the 26th minute was blocked by the defense, and an Ojeda attempt from a tight angle on the left in the 29th minute was well saved by goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi.
Tampa Bay got a rare shot in the 33rd minute from outside the area, but Schlegel blocked it at the top of the box. The ball sailed high into the air and served as catching practice for Otero.
Orlando City broke through a minute later. Ojeda took a good entry ball from Santos down the left and sent a low pass through the box. Caraballo got onto it and blasted it just under the bar to make it 1-0. It was the 16-year-old’s first goal with the first team, and he became the youngest player to score a first-team goal in a competitive match for Orlando City.
“It means a lot. I was able to rise to the opportunity that the coaching staff and my team gave me, and I was able to score in front of all the friends that came a long way to see us play and see us getting that very much important win to send us off to the next round,” Caraballo said.
“Congratulations to Gustavo, to the coaches in the academy, to the program that we have,” Pareja said. “I think that they have done a tremendous job on developing these kids and putting him in the first team for us is a privilege. And not just that, but to see those performances in a kid that is so young, still.”
Caraballo doubled the lead two minutes later. A takeaway in the attacking third ended up on Thorhallsson’s foot. The Icelandic midfielder cut across the box left to right. Just when it seemed he would fire a shot toward goal, he sent a diagonal pass to his right for Caraballo to run onto. The young midfielder slotted his shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute.
“I saw that there was space, that the left back wasn’t there, and if I attacked that space, I would be able to get the ball,” Caraballo said. “Thankfully, Dagur was able to see me and (it was) just a normal finish that we practice every day. And I’m just glad I was able to finish it.”
The Rowdies tried to pull one back in the 40th minute. Otero went up to catch a cross from his left and was barrelled over by Arteaga. Otero spilled the ball into his own net, but the whistle had gone for the obvious foul. A minute later, the Rowdies appealed for a penalty when a player went down in the box under contact, but Simon again wasn’t buying it.
Enrique made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Araujo sent a beautiful ball over the top that fell perfectly for Santos’ well-timed run. The Brazilian fullback slid a centering pass in front at the top of the six and Enrique flicked it through Campisi and in for the Lions’ third.
The last look of the first half was another good one for Orlando. Santos was sent down the left by Thorhallsson and was in a good position to shoot. The fullback sent a cannon shot over the bar from the left in stoppage time.
The Lions took their three-goal lead into the break. Orlando held the halftime advantage in possession (57.9%-42.1%), shots (9-3), shots on target (4-0), and corners (4-1).
“We needed to be patient just to open the first goal, or to get that first goal, and we scored in the right time, I think,” Pareja said of the team’s final 15 minutes of the half — between the hydration break and halftime. “I think in that moment we pushed the pedal and the other two goals came. But if there is one thing I said about what changed, it was that we moved the ball faster, and the dynamic that the boys had to connect that helped us just to land in the box with more numbers and with more options to score.”
With the three-goal lead, Pareja withdrew Ojeda and Freeman from the lineup before the restart, sending on Duncan McGuire and Colin Guske.
The second half, perhaps as a result of Orlando’s subs and a couple by the Rowdies, was disjointed just after the restart. Tampa Bay was able to stay on the ball a bit more.
Still, the first good look of the second half came in the 57th minute and was created by the Lions. Caraballo fizzed a good cross into the box that found Enrique. The Argentine sent a flicked header on goal, but Campisi made a good save.
The Lions added a fourth two minutes later anyway. McGuire headed down a ball from the back to Rodriguez on the right. The Colombian sent a good return ball over the top for McGuire, who used his strength to hold off his defender before blasting his first goal of the season past Campisi to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute. The pass was Rodriguez’s first assist as a Lion.
“Duncan has been in that long recovery process that he had on his shoulder, and just seeing him now getting his rhythm and his best version and scoring is so healthy for our team,” Pareja said. “And Ramiro similar, too.”
Tampa Bay started to create some half-chances past the hour mark, shortly after both teams had made more substitutions. Orlando withdrew Araujo and Schlegel, replacing them with Zakaria Taifi and David Brekalo.
The first decent look of the half for the Rowdies came in the 67th minute. Woobens Pacius received the ball at the top right corner of the Orlando box and made a good turn, firing a shot for the near post. Otero had the post covered and made a comfortable save.
After the second-half hydration break, the Rowdies put a couple of decent shots on goal but couldn’t beat Otero. The first of those came in the 78th minute from Alexander Rodriguez from the top of the box on the right. The shot had a lot of power on it, but Otero fought it off. A minute later, Smith and Santos were caught up the field, allowing Ollie Bassett to sneak in down the right. He took a pass and blasted a shot that Otero saved.
The Lions had a golden opportunity to add a fifth goal in the 86th minute. Colin Guske intercepted a pass near the top of his own penalty area and dribbled forward in transition. He did well to pick out Enrique making a run slightly right of center. The Argentine carried the ball into the box with McGuire on his left all alone. Enrique slowed and cut back to his left, firing a shot wide of the left post.
Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the 90th minute, getting onto a pass from late substitute Ivan Angulo in the semicircle just outside Tampa Bay’s penalty area and blasting a shot just inside the left post to make it 5-0. It gave Thorhallsson a goal to go with his earlier assist.
After just one minute of stoppage time, Simon blew the full-time whistle on a dominant win over a struggling USL Championship side. The first 30 minutes were tightly contested, but the rest of the match was owned by Orlando City.
In the end, Orlando held the advantage in possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (15-7), shots on target (7-3), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (91.8%-89.4%).
“We’re really excited now to put our mind into the next one against New England at home, but today it was a game that we needed,” Pareja said.
The Lions improved to 8-0-0 in all competitions against Tampa Bay.
Orlando City moves on to the Round of 16 to host Nashville SC with a date and time to be announced, but the window for that round is May 20 and 21. The Lions return to action at home Saturday against the New England Revolution.
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