Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 4-3 as Lions See Three-Game Winning Streak Snapped
Orlando City dug a deep hole and tried to climb out of it twice without quite succeeding in a high-scoring road loss.
Two teams that rarely concede gave up a combined seven goals as the Columbus Crew swept the season series against Orlando City with a 4-3 win at Lower.com Field. The Lions (12-11-7, 43 points) were their own worst enemies in this match. They handed the defending MLS champion Crew (16-5-8, 56 points) great scoring chances before improbably making a game of it and then ultimately capitulating a fourth and decisive goal through sheer miscommunication in their own end.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Orlando and prevented a chance to clinch a fourth consecutive playoff spot.
Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez, and Aziel Jackson scored for the hosts. Down 3-0, Ramiro Enrique’s second-half goal spoiled the Crew’s bid for a third straight shutout, and Luis Muriel added a penalty to make things interesting. But rather than scoring an equalizer, Orlando made a mistake with a giveaway that handed the Crew a fourth goal to ice the game. Muriel added a second goal in the final minute of stoppage time, but there were not heroics at the death this time.
“Very intense match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “I have to give credit to our players that showed all the time our heart and our willingness to bounce back from adversity that the game put us on, since we couldn’t finalize our chances, especially in the first half. Second half we could have tied the game as well.”
Pareja’s starting lineup saw a couple of changes. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese lined up behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Rookie Jeorgio Kocevski started in place of the suspended Cesar Araujo next to Wilder Cartagena in central midfield behind the usual attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres. Duncan McGuire started instead of Enrique.
The opening 15 minutes were played at a frantic pace, with both teams getting into scoring poition and finding the woodwork. The Crew worked an early ball into the box in the second minute to Jackson but Schlegel blocked his shot. Moments later, a ball pinged around the box and ended up with a soft shot by Jackson that Gallese was able to keep out but the flag came up for offside anyway.
Orlando tried playing over the top a lot early, and in the sixth minute, a great ball over the top found Torres, but his first touch let him down. Two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of opening the scoring. A ball into the area from the left fell to Thorhallsson, who fired off the left post. The rebound came to Torres, who fired a shot that squirted under Patrick Schulte, who spilled it but held it on the line and kept the ball from crossing. McGuire then tried to chip Schulte in the ninth minute off an Orlando takeaway in the attacking half but his shot stayed high and sailed just over the bar.
Mohamed Farsi got down the right behind the defense in the 11th minute as Thorhallsson kept him onside. The Icelandic fullback did well to recover and knock the centering pass behind for a corner. However, the Lions completely ignored Max Arfsten on the set piece. He got a free header as a result but it hit the left upright and rebounded out for a goal kick.
It was Orlando’s turn to get a chance in the 13th minute. McGuire fired a shot inside the box that deflected off a defender for a corner kick. The set piece found Schlegel, who nodded it toward goal but it again hit the left post and stayed out.
“When we proposed to be dense and to be organized, as we did in the first half, we had clear assumptions in behind of them that we couldn’t finalize and change the story of the game,” Pareja said.
Ojeda won a free kick in the 24th minute and the Lions nearly made it pay off. Torres got onto the end of the Argentine’s service but it took a high bounce. He was able to knock a half-volley chance on goal but it hit Schulte in the chest. The ball caromed to McGuire, whose shot hit the outstretched arm of Malte Amundsen and deflected over the bar. The play was reviewed and it was a handball on Amundsen, but Torres was half a yard offside on the delivery of the free kick.
The hosts scored a gift goal in the 30th minute to open the scoring. Tracking back into his own end, Ojeda took a pass from the defense and tried a no-look pass to his right for Santos. Instead, he passed the ball straight to Farsi and the ball was quickly sent forward to Rossi, who touched it to his right and fired a shot that deflected off Jansson’s leg and took the worst possible angle for Orlando.
Gallese had already committed to the original trajectory of the shot and the Peruvian had no chance of keeping it from sneaking just inside the left post to make it 1-0. The goal ended Orlando’s shutout streak at 300 minutes and was Rossi’s third against the Lions this season.
After taking the lead, the Crew held most of the possession and took the air out of the ball. Orlando didn’t get a single shot attempt off after falling behind for the final 15 minutes of the half, plus five minutes of stoppage time.
The Lions’ best opportunity to pull one back came off a quick takeaway and a brilliant pass by Ojeda to send Angulo down the left with numbers in the attack. The chance evaporated when the Colombian took a heavy touch and lost it to the defense in the 40th minute.
Columbus went fishing for a penalty in the 44th minute off a good stop in the box by Schlegel. Alexandru Matan went down easily and, rather than winning a penalty, received a yellow card for simulation. Schlegel had a terrific first half, putting out several fires when the Crew got forward.
Arfsten had the last look at goal in the half, cutting in from the left and trying to curl a shot inside the right post. He left the shot well wide and the hosts took their 1-0 lead into the break.
Columbus held the halftime advantage in possession (66.3%-33.6%), shots (5-4), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (90.6%-84.8%). Each team put one shot on target. After Torres was ruled offside, his second shot off Schulte didn’t count.
The Lions made no halftime subs but the Crew brought on MLS MVP candidate Hernandez. Orlando’s first foray up the field ended with a Thorhallsson cross from the end line right at Schulte.
The Crew put the game to bed early in the second half on the counter. Schlegel cheated high to try to win the ball back but didn’t. Columbus broke with numbers and Thorhallsson tried to cut a pass to Jackson out but he didn’t make good contact and it fell favorably for the Crew attacker, who sent it wide into the space Dagur vacated on the defensive right to Arfsten. His cross was in to a wide-open Ramirez, as Santos was too slow to pick out a man to mark and Gallese could do nothing with the point-blank header in the 51st minute.
The Crew then had a shooting gallery for a few minutes, with Jackson missing wide in the 55th minute and Hernandez fizzing one over the bar in the 59th, just after Pareja sent on substitutes Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, and Ramiro Enrique. Ojeda, McGuire, and Kocevski were sacrificed.
Muriel fired a left-footed shot toward goal in the 63rd minute, snapping a lengthy drought. The shot deflected out for a corner off a defender. However, the Lions elected to play the corner short and got nothing out of the set piece.
Hernandez seemingly put the game out of reach in the 71st minute, blazing past Schlegel and blasting a one-time shot from Arfsten’s cross past Gallese to make it 3-0.
Orlando pulled the goal back quickly. Muriel made a fantastic pass to send Angulo in behind down the right, but the speedy winger fired his shot off the right post. The rebound came straight to Enrique, who blasted it into the empty net to make it 3-1.
Three minutes later, a good cross in from Torres on the left nearly found Angulo, but he was shoved from behind by Yaw Yeboah as the ball arrived. The referee awarded a penalty immediately. Muriel waited Schulte out and sent a soft shot into the net after the goalkeeper dove to his right. The Lions were suddenly within 3-2 in the 78th minute.
Just two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of tying the game. Enrique stole the ball off the Crew defense and took it into the right side of the penalty area, looking for trailing runners. He sent the ball to Lodeiro just to the right of goal and the midfielder shot. The attempt deflected off a knee in front and skipped just wide of the far post. Orlando played the corner short but couldn’t create anything off the set piece.
With time winding down, the Lions ended up costing themselves again. Felipe, who had come on moments earlier for Cartagena, tried to lay off a pass for Thorhallsson while under pressure from behind. There was an obvious miscommunication between the two, as Thorhallsson probably didn’t expect the soft return ball. Hernandez picked up the ball and fed Jackson, who fired home the Crew’s fourth goal in the 85th minute.
“Their fourth goal hurt us, especially with that short field and turning it over right there,” Muriel said. “But with the momentum that we had, with the inertia that we had, we really felt like we were in a position to equalize before that.”
Orlando City got into the box again moments later. Enrique got in against two defenders and cut back, looking for a shooting lane. He probably took too many touches and allowed a third defender to arrive before he turned and shot, but the effort was blocked in front. Felipe followed on the rebound but his shot was blocked as well and he was called for a foul on the follow-through.
Columbus nearly scored a fifth in the 89th when Herrera got in behind into the box, but Gallese made a big save.
Down two goals, it didn’t seem to matter that there were seven minutes of stoppage time added, but it did affect the final score. Although the Lions struggled to keep the ball and create in injury time, Muriel added a late goal with a shot from outside the area. The Colombian fired a curler that bounced in front of Schulte, who misjudged it. The goalkeeper got a touch but couldn’t keep it out and Orlando was back within a goal at 4-3 with about a minute remaining.
“Obviously happy for my goals, but we were really looking to tie it up or win the game tonight,” Muriel said.
Time ultimately ran out on Orlando City and the final whistle blew on a wild match in Columbus.
The Crew finished the match with the edge in possession (63.7%-36.3%), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (88.8%-83.7%). Orlando City attempted more shots (13-12), and both teams put five shots on target.
Ultimately, the hole the Lions dug themselves was too deep to climb out of against the defending champs, but nearly climbed out of it anyway.
“It was a very complicated game against a really tough rival,” Muriel said. “I think they put us on the back foot and put us on the counter really quickly with with a lot of their pressure. But moving past that, looking at the end of the second half, we really showed that we’re a team that really likes to fight and wants to fight to be at the top of this league. I think we learned, especially in those last 15 or 20 minutes, the type of team that we can be and the strength that we can show together, especially against one of the best teams in the league. We were at the point where we were about to equalize from three goals down and put ourselves in a position to win the game.”
“In the second half, we chose to push much more and regardless of the spaces that we left in behind,” Pareja said. “We conceded two goals, but also we scored three. It’s that thing of the game that we have to balance. Today they scored one more than us and they take the result. But we had a good game. I thought that we were very competitive and we could have been leading (at) the half easily with the chances that we had.”
The Lions will be back on the road a week from tonight at FC Dallas, looking to bounce back.
Orlando City
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
Barbra Banda sits atop Orlando’s 2026 goal contribution leaderboard, but Justin Ellis and several other attackers are closing quickly as the season comes to a conclusion.
October is here, and while in most recent years that meant Orlando City and the Pride working to lock in a good playoff seed and actual playoff games for Orlando City B (OCB), that is not the case this year.
OCB went ahead and dressed up as a pumpkin well in advance of Halloween, failing to make the playoffs after a strong early start to their season. The Pride need, I don’t know, just about everything to go their way (you can create scenarios at this link; it is possible but exceedingly unlikely) in order to make the playoffs, and Orlando City is in a tight battle to qualify, with playoffstatus.com giving it just a 34% chance of making it this year.
October could indeed live up to its scary billing if the Pride do not get their miracle and the Lions falter and drop below the line. Not since 2019 have all three Orlando teams missed their respective playoffs during the same year, and the Lions are realistically the City Beautiful’s only hope for postseason soccer.
I generally prefer optimism to pessimism, so with that in mind, I wanted to look at something more on the glass-half-full side this week, with that glass being half full of goals. Goalkeepers and defenders can have fun too, but their fun is often more like that of an actuary or accountant — clinical and black and white. Goals are expressive and explosive and full of color (in this case, a heavy helping of purple) and joy. I like thinking happy thoughts while I write.
The three Orlando teams have scored more than 150 goals this season across all competitions, and the chart below details the makeup of all three teams and where those goals came from, using data from fbref.com for Orlando City and the Pride and from the MLS NEXT Pro website for OCB:
| Team | Players Used | Goal Scorers | Goal Contributors* | Leading Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando City | 33 | 17 | 20 | Martín Ojeda – 15 |
| Orlando City B | 37 | 15 | 22 | Issah Haruna – 14 |
| Orlando Pride | 26 | 10 | 17 | Barbra Banda – 21 |
| All Three Clubs | 83 | 38 | 55 |
*Goal contributors are the players that scored or provided the primary assist on the goal
More than 80 players have appeared in at least one game for an Orlando team thus far, with 13 players appearing for both Orlando City and OCB. Seven players are goalkeepers, and if you remove them from the players used count, that leaves 76 field players, of which 54 (goalkeeper Juan Rojas had an assist for OCB) contributed to at least one goal (71%, not bad).
Barbra Banda, Martín Ojeda, and Issah Haruna are the leaders for their respective teams thus far. OCB’s season is over, so Haruna — and his seven goals and seven assists — is locked in as the leading contributor for OCB. Ojeda has been in the lead for nearly the entire season for Orlando City, but Antoine Griezmann started playing after the World Cup break and has been rapidly cooking up escar-goal contributions ever since. As for the Pride, it was Agatha Barbra all along, and as our Sean Rollins noted earlier this week, it has not even been close.
I mentioned earlier that 13 players have played for both men’s teams this season, and even though Ojeda leads the Lions and Haruna led the Young Lions, neither are the leading contributor on the men’s side of the club. In fact, neither are the leader or the player in second place, as it is Justin Ellis who sits in first place and Harvey Sarajian who trails him on the men’s side.
Both players have delivered goals for the senior Lions and Young Lions this season, and if you throw in the two goals from his recent stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Ellis has crested 20 goal contributions in 2026. Those do not count for the graph below, even though the first was in Inter.co Stadium and the second came from an assist from Alex Freeman, both of which feel very much like they should count as Orlando goal contributions. Alas, Freeman is “Forever A Lion” but not currently on the Lions, but the following 10 players are and coincidentally they are both the top 10 and only 10 with at least 10 goal contributions thus far this season:
| Player | Goal Contributions | Goal Contributions per 90 (GC/90) | GC 90/Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbra Banda | 21 | 1.05 | 1 |
| Justin Ellis | 19 | 0.80 | 5 |
| Harvey Sarajian | 15 | 0.85 | 4 |
| Martín Ojeda | 15 | 0.68 | 7 |
| Issah Haruna | 14 | 0.66 | 8 |
| Antoine Griezmann | 13 | 0.96 | 2 |
| Gustavo Caraballo | 12 | 0.73 | 6 |
| Tyrese Spicer | 12 | 0.93 | 3 |
| Iván Angulo | 10 | 0.32 | 18 |
| Pedro Leão | 10 | 0.44 | 12 |
Banda jumps out as the leader and the only Pride player in the top 10, Haley McCutcheon (a defensive midfielder!) is second on the team and 11th overall with eight goal contributions, and Jacquie Ovalle is third on the Pride and tied for 13th overall with six. The Pride have once again really been a one-woman band(a), as evidenced by how the low numbers are for their second- and third-leading goal contributors.
Back on the men’s side, Daryl Dike only has three goal contributions, so he is down at 23rd in those rankings, but his 0.58 goal contributions per 90 minutes has him ninth on the per-90 chart. Tiago, who may become a lot more important now that Tyrese Spicer is likely out for the season with a Jones fracture, is the other player not in the top 10 for actual goal contributions but in there per 90 minutes, as he sits 10th at 0.51.
It is not surprising that the two players with the highest pedigree rank in the top two on the per-90-minutes chart. Both Banda and Griezmann have been as advertised all season, and if both had been available all season, each team would likely be higher in the standings.
The Pride have three games remaining (though their next one is not until Oct. 18 due to an international window) and Orlando City has seven, so there is still ample time for movement on this top 10 chart. Perhaps McCutcheon goes McClutcheon and bags a few more braces, or Ovalle or Ally Lemos (fourth on the Pride, also as a defensive midfielder) go on a late heater and catch Pedro Leão. More likely, however, is that no other Pride player makes a leap and Banda just adds to her totals, and we see if Ellis, with four more games left to play than the Zambian, can catch her for the number one spot.
Ojeda has a chance to follow his 31 goal contribution season in 2025 with a 20+ season in 2026, and if any of those goal contributions come from goals, he will pass Facundo Torres and take sole possession as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Orlando City’s season resumes Saturday against Columbus, and hopefully the Lions will return from the international break locked and loaded for the stretch run. Whether the goal contributions come from a top 10 performer or someone well off the list is irrelevant. All that matters is that the Lions can score at least one more than their opponents.
And if they can do that a few more times, that will contribute to extending their playoff run to a seventh consecutive year.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points at home against the Columbus Crew?
Orlando City is back in action Saturday taking on the Columbus Crew at Inter.com Stadium. Every point matters as the Lions chase a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Orlando City is above the Crew in the standings, but the Lions lost to Columbus last month in the U.S. Open Cup and drew in the previous league matchup earlier this season. Hopefully, Orlando City can get a different result this go around. What must the Lions do to get a victory over the Columbus Crew this weekend?
Defend in the Den
The Columbus Crew scored two goals to knock Orlando City out of the U.S. Open Cup back in September thanks to goals from Brais Mendez and Josef Martinez. Mendez scored the winning goal, but it was the Martinez goal that irked me the most. One would hope that it was a backup goalkeeper and back line that gave up those two goals, but it wasn’t. Maxime Crepeau started in goal with a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Zakaria Taifi. At this point, Taifi is the only backup. The defense needs to do better this go-round.
There’s a chance Orlando will have Griffin Dorsey back in for Taifi, which would be good. Brekalo will also be back from international duty. Additionally, the Lions are coming off a small break as opposed to playing their third match in eight days as they were in September. With that in mind, perhaps they will be better rested both physically and mentally.
Let’s Go Wilder
I’m going to suggest that Martin Perelman do something I don’t think he will do: start Wilder Cartagena. I know that Perelman is an all gas, no brakes kind of coach, but the last time these two teams met, he started Joran Gerbet along with Eduard Atuesta. Neither of the two are midfield destroyer types that the Lions need to shield the back line.
Cartagena brings a more defensive mind and attitude to the pitch without sacrificing too much going the other way. As I mentioned above, the defense needs all the help it can get, and I think Wilder can provide that in a way that neither Gerbet nor Atuesta are able to do.
Designated Player Powers Activate!
It’s no secret that Martin Ojeda was Orlando City’s best attacker prior to his injury. It’s also no surprise that Antoine Griezmann has taken the league by storm and made the Orlando City attack better in all respects. What we’ve yet to see is these two truly combine to devastate an opponent’s defense. We’ve heard they work well in training, and they looked good together in the friendlies prior to the season restarting post-World Cup, but I want to see it all come together against the Crew.
Columbus has given up 43 goals so far this season. That is way better than Orlando City’s 64, but the Crew are not impossible to break down. If Griezmann and Ojeda can combine for at least two goals, Orlando City will have a much greater chance to win. If Justin Ellis’ knock from the USMNT match Tuesday night isn’t hindering him, then the attack will be that much more dangerous. Patrick Schulte is a pretty good MLS keeper, so the Lions will need to finish the chances they get.
That is what I will be looking for on Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/8/26
Orlando City prepares to host the Columbus Crew, Dan Lock joins Orlando City’s academy, Justin Ellis impresses with USMNT, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? October has been going well so far for me, although I wish we got some fall weather instead of the afternoon showers that have made an umbrella a necessity as of late. It at least beats the usual oppressive heat I’m used to here in Florida. But enough about the weather, let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for Columbus Crew
Orlando City will be back in action on Saturday against the Columbus Crew in its first match since the international break. This game will be a rematch of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal between the two in Ohio, where the Crew won 2-1. Hopefully playing at home gives the Lions an edge this time around as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. Forward Harvey Sarajian spoke on the team’s excitement to get back on the field following the international break as it prepares to face the Crew yet again.
Dan Lock Hired for Orlando City’s Academy
Orlando City named Dan Lock as its academy head of methodology and coaching for him to oversee efforts to improve the pathway for academy players to develop. He joins Orlando after over a decade in youth soccer development, including time with the Columbus Crew as their academy director and leadership roles in the academies of Charlotte FC and the Seattle Sounders. Lock has also been a coach educator for U.S. Soccer and MLS NEXT.
Justin Ellis Impresses With USMNT
Multiple MLS players stood out at the United States Men’s National Team’s series of friendlies, including Orlando City forward Justin Ellis. The 19-year-old scored in the opening match against Peru and then again to beat Canada. Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall also did well as the youth movement is in full swing with the USMNT to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. The only downside to Ellis’ international break was a knock picked up during the win over Canada, but hopefully it doesn’t take too long for him to recover from the contusion.
USWNT Will Face Tough Test from Spain
The United States Women’s National Team will take on Spain on Saturday in the first of two friendlies between the top two teams according to FIFA’s rankings. Spain has talent across all of its roster, but the offense in particular should challenge a USWNT defense that will be without key players like Naomi Girma, Emily Sonnett, and central midfielder Sam Coffey. The U.S. has put an effort into developing a solid player pool to provide depth when needed at times like these, so it will be interesting to see how Head Coach Emma Hayes aims to keep Spain’s attack in check.
Free Kicks
- The USMNT will play against Haiti on Nov. 14 and 17 in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. The first leg will take place at a neutral location and the second will be at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
- Despite winning all four of its games over this past international window, the USMNT remained 16th in the latest FIFA rankings.
- Mikel Arteta signed a new contract with Arsenal that will last through 2030. He’s been with Arsenal since December of 2019 and led Arsenal to a league title last season.
- Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega announced that he will go up against Gianni Infantino and run for the FIFA presidency.
- David Silva is coming out of retirement at 40 years old to join Supreme Sha Tin in Hong Kong.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Three Keys to Victory
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