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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.

Published

10 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Implode, Lose at Home

Once again, the Lions failed on many opportunities to score a second goal and puked up points at home in an embarrassing final few minutes.

Published

4 hours ago

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July 16, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

If Saturday’s 1-1 draw against bottom-feeding Montreal was embarrassing, there might not be an adjective adequate enough to describe tonight’s 2-1 home loss to New York City FC. The Lions (9-6-8, 35 points) led 1-0 late but scored an own goal and then gave up a transition game winner off their own corner kick, failing to win for the fourth straight time at Inter&Co Stadium.

NYCFC (10-8-4, 34) got a late unfortunate own goal from Kyle Smith and Alonso Martinez scored in transition off an Orlando corner kick to erase a 1-0 deficit and steal all three points. It was just the Pigeons’ second road win all season.

“The final just shows us one more time that we’re not a team that can close those games and that just gets us in such frustration at this point,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We highlight the negativity of feeling that the game just slipped from our hands again. I’m responsible for the performance of the group, and today we’re still not finishing the games, and we need to fix that.”

Pareja put Ivan Angulo back in the starting lineup, moving Martin Ojeda back up top with Luis Muriel and sending Ramiro Enrique to the bench. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of David Brekalo, Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield with wingers Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Ojeda and Muriel in the forward positions.

Inclement weather delayed the start of the match by about half an hour. Once things got going, Orlando City dominated in creating chances, but as has been the case in recent home matches, the Lions struggled to connect on the final pass or shot.

The teams traded early corners but did nothing with them. Ojeda fired the game’s first shot off of Orlando’s first corner — one of four won by Freeman in the first half — but he sent his effort well wide of goal in the fifth minute.

Angulo was active in his return to the starting lineup, nearly taking the ball from NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese in the seventh minute, but the ball skipped out of play off of his deflection.

Muriel got into the box in the 11th minute, trying a shot for the near post, but Freese made the save. Pasalic had a shot blocked high in the box in the 17th minute off an Angulo pass across the area, and three minutes later, Muriel was sent in on a lovely ball but fired his shot right at Freese. Freeman’s shot was blocked out for a corner three minutes later, as Orlando continued to pour forward.

Angulo again set up Pasalic in the 26th minute with a nifty move to get through traffic, but the Croatian’s shot was just wide of the right post. Brekalo had a soft header easily saved by Freese off a corner and Pasalic had another shot partially blocked over the next several minutes, but Orlando couldn’t quite find the last bit of quality.

That changed on another set piece in the 36th minute. Off a corner kick won by Pasalic’s deflected shot, Ojeda sent a ball into the area for Brekalo, who sent it toward goal. Jansson chested it down after being kept onside by Aiden O’Neill, and he turned and beat Freese to make it 1-0. Brekalo and Ojeda assisted on the goal, with the latter picking up a goal contribution for his eighth consecutive MLS game.

After the goal, Orlando won a few set pieces but did little with them. Pasalic had an opportunity to double the lead in the 45th minute, but he got under his left-footed blast and sent it high into The Wall. That was the last decent look of the half and Orlando took its 1-0 lead to the locker room.

At the break, NYCFC had the advantage in possession (51.9%-48.1%), but the Lions had the edge in shots (14-3), shots on target (4-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (86.5%-85.8%).

Ojeda should have doubled the lead early in the second half. With a takeaway in the box, Ojeda had the ball with only Freese to beat around the penalty spot, but he sent his right-footed effort wide of the left post in the 47th minute.

“If you see the volume of the entrances and the clear chances that we had tonight, we have to mention that and say we couldn’t finish,” Pareja said. “I think we need to be more lethal and more precise on finishing those.”

Two minutes later, Ojeda was sent in behind the defense but shot right at Freese and the flag came up.

New York City FC’s Julian Fernandez got the visitors’ first shot on target in the 53rd minute, cutting in from the right and firing. Gallese got down to make the save. Moments later, former Lion Andres Perea got in behind the defense but he was offside and hit his shot at Gallese

Freeman intercepted a pass and started the break in the 58th minute. He ended up getting the ball back after continuing his run. The young fullback faked his defender to the ground, cut inside and sent a shot fizzing over the crossbar.

The visitors should have scored in the 63rd minute. Perea got down the left side and sent in a beautiful curling entry ball for Martinez, who beat Gallese but hit the left post.

Angulo cut inside and fired from just outside the area in the 71st minute, but he sent his shot wide of the right post to spoil another promising attack with a wasteful final ball.

New York City FC began to get more of a hold of the game late, pushing more players forward and getting more opportunities. Mounsef Bakrar got down the right side in the 72nd minute but sent his shot wide of the left post.

Two minutes later, Pareja sent Smith and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson into the game for Pasalic and Angulo, sacrificing some of the team’s creativity in favor of solidity.

Orlando wasted yet another great opportunity in the 79th minute, when second-half sub Ramiro Enrique fired wide of the right post from about nine yards out in front of goal.

New York City came the other way and Bakrar headed a cross straight to Gallese in the 81st minute. Six minutes later, the game turned on a terrible mistake by the Lions.

The visitors won a corner kick on their attacking right side. The cross found Perea’s head, but Gallese got a piece of it, knocking it off the left post. Schlegel swept in to clear the ball, but he smashed it off of Smith and into the net to make it a 1-1 game in the 87th minute. It was the second straight game in which a Schlegel howler proved costly.

Atuesta found space in the 89th minute and fired with his left foot, but he sent his shot well wide of the left post. Orlando won a late corner, but instead of paying it off to regain the lead, the Lions handed New York City FC a breakaway game winner.

The Pigeons cleared and broke quickly with numbers, catching Orlando completely asleep. Thorhallsson was the only player back. He swept at the loose ball and missed, giving Martinez a breakaway. Gallese came out and made himself big, but Martinez beat him and scored the game winner in the first minute of stoppage time.

“I think we obviously were searching for the win on that corner kick. Maybe we just didn’t have the counterattack in mind there, which is obviously wrong not to be cautious on that side,” Angulo said. “We just have to work through it, analyze the game, and correct that.”

Orlando City didn’t exactly fight back. The Lions created nothing in the final three minutes of stoppage time and dropped all three points.

NYCFC finished with more possession (52.1%-47.9%) and better passing accuracy (85%-83.8%). Orlando City had the advantage in shots (25-11), shots on target (7-4), and corners (9-4).

“Difficult to find the words right now,” Angulo said. “It’s a hard game, a loss that hurts us. I think it was a game that we controlled.”

“It doesn’t come from luck, and it has to come from something that we’re not doing right,” Pareja said. “And we have to be responsible for that.”

“Obviously, we conceded their corner, and then on the other side, it was on the set piece as well, just the counter attack,” Freeman said. “So I feel like, you know, those are the things that we need to be more sharp.”

The Lions are 0-3-1 in their last four home matches and have scored just one goal in each of their last five at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando is 0-5-2 in its last seven matches against NYCFC.

Orlando City will hit the road next for an away game at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution on Saturday.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions try to snap their winless streak against their 2015 expansion rivals.

Published

15 hours ago

on

July 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (9-5-8, 35 points) and New York City FC (9-8-4, 31 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled meetings between the Lions and Pigeons this season.

Here is what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 7-10-8 in 25 meetings with NYCFC in the all-time series in MLS play and 7-10-10 including one playoff match and one U.S. Open Cup meeting (remember, games that go to penalty shootouts in knockout competitions officially count as draws). Orlando is 4-2-6 at home in regular-season games in the all-time series, 4-2-8 in all competitions at home, and 5-2-8 in matches played against NYCFC in Central Florida, which includes the MLS is Back Tournament group-stage game in 2020. Things have trended the Pigeons’ way the last few years, as the Lions are 0-4-2 in the last six meetings between the teams.

The teams last met in Orlando City’s first road game of the 2025 season, falling 2-1 at Yankee Stadium on March 8. Alonso Martinez opened the scoring in the second half, with Luis Muriel equalizing. However, just two minutes after Muriel’s goal, Hannes Wolf scored what turned out to be the game winner.

In the last meeting in Orlando, on July 20, 2024, the two 2015 expansion rivals played to a 1-1 draw. Ramiro Enrique and Wolf traded goals five minutes apart in the second half to account for all the scoring. The Lions and Pigeons met at Yankee Stadium on June 28 of last year, with New York City FC winning 4-2. An early Santiago Rodriguez goal opened the scoring and then things went horribly wrong when an obviously offside Malachi Jones collided hard with Orlando goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar. Both players left the game and both had season-ending surgery to repair broken tibias and fibulas. Javier Otero made his MLS debut in goal off the bench and the Lions allowed two goals in first-half stoppage time to let a close game get out of hand. Orlando pulled two goals back through Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Duncan McGuire, but Mounsef Bakrar sealed the game late for NYCFC.

The teams met at Citi Field — a different baseball stadium than NYCFC’s usual one — on Sept. 20, 2023. The Pigeons were rude hosts, winning 2-0 on goals by Bakrar and Talles Magno. It snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten run but the Lions clinched a playoff spot that day anyway due to other results around the league.

These teams also met in Orlando on May 17, and with the Lions poised for a 1-0 win, NYCFC eked out a late 1-1 draw with an 89th-minute Gabriel Segal goal out of nowhere. Ercan Kara scored for Orlando City early on, but the Lions were wasteful with opportunities for the rest of the match.

The teams faced off at Red Bull Arena (one of NYCFC’s many homes away from home) on Oct. 2, 2022, with the Pigeons erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit that Facundo Torres provided. The “hosts” got second-half goals from Alex Callens and Magno to complete the comeback and win, 2-1. Earlier in the year at Exploria Stadium, the Lions got a Tesho Akindele goal at the death, stunning NYCFC as Orlando City won 2-1 on Aug. 28, 2022. Junior Urso and Maxi Moralez had scored early in the first and second half, respectively, to set up Akindele’s dramatic late winner.

Orlando City had a five-game unbeaten streak in the series (1-0-4) absolutely demolished on July 25, 2021 in a 5-0 OCSC loss at Yankee Stadium. The Lions started a makeshift lineup, and it showed, as the Pigeons got goals from Jesus Medina, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Moralez, Malte Amundsen, and Valentin Castellanos. Why the makeshift lineup? That match was sandwiched between home games against Philadelphia and Atlanta, with quick turnarounds for each. The strategy was sound, as Orlando won the other two games in that nine-day span.

The teams met in Orlando on May 8, 2021 and drew 1-1. Nani smashed a golazo in the second half to put the Lions on top, but Joao Moutinho fouled Tajouri-Shradi in the box and Castellanos scored from the spot to equalize.

The last meeting of the 2020 season happened in the postseason and things got weird. Orlando City ultimately prevailed in penalties after a 1-1 postseason draw on Nov. 21, 2020. Nani put Orlando ahead from the penalty spot, only to see Maxime Chanot equalize on a set piece. Extra time couldn’t settle it, so to penalties we went, and the Lions advanced thanks to a save by defender Rodrigo Schlegel — after goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was sent off with a second yellow for coming off his line early. Benji Michel’s blast was the difference in the shootout. (Seriously, just click the above link in this paragraph and relive that madness.)

The Lions and Pigeons wrapped the 2020 season series on Oct. 14 at Exploria Stadium, playing to a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller opened the scoring but Keaton Parks equalized just before halftime. The first meeting of 2020 also took place in Central Florida in the MLS is Back Tournament on July 14, when Mueller’s brace and a late Akindele insurance goal led Orlando to a 3-1 win. Medina scored for NYCFC. That win snapped Orlando City’s 0-4-3 streak in the previous seven competitive meetings with the Pigeons. The last match in that winless streak against NYCFC was a 1-1 draw, with the Lions then dispatching NYCFC from the U.S. Open Cup in a penalty shootout on July 10, 2019. That night has been immortalized for the running of The Wall and Adam Grinwis’ heroics in goal.

The teams drew both regular-season meetings in 2019, 1-1 on April 27 at Yankee Stadium, and 2-2 on opening day at Exploria Stadium. NYCFC took all three meetings in a dismal 2018 season series. The Lions went 2-1-0 against New York City FC in 2017, including a win to christen the stadium now known as Exploria with Cyle Larin scoring the only goal in a 1-0 OCSC win. Orlando was 3-1-2 in 2015 and 2016 in the first six meetings with NYCFC.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 home draw against CF Montreal. The Lions struck first through Martin Ojeda, but a late penalty that Rodrigo Schlegel conceded allowed Prince Owusu to equalize on a night of struggles for the OCSC offense. The offense has struggled at home recently, as the Lions haven’t scored more than once in a home match in four consecutive games. May 14 was the last time City scored more than once in an MLS home match. Orlando is 0-2-1 in its last three home games but 5-3-3 at Inter&Co Stadium this season.

New York City FC is coming off a 2-0 loss Saturday in Charlotte, continuing a season of road troubles. The Pigeons are 1-5-4 away from their baseball field this season. NYCFC sits one place behind Orlando in the Eastern Conference standings, four points back but with one game in hand, so tonight’s matchup could have future playoff seeding implications should both teams reach the postseason.

The Lions must try to keep Martinez and Wolf under wraps. Both have hurt Orlando before and the duo lead tonight’s visitors in scoring. Wolf has nine goals and four assists in 2025, ranking first and second on the team in those categories, respectively. Martinez is second in goals (8). Moralez is always a dangerous provider and leads NYCFC with five assists to go along with two goals. At the other end of the pitch, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese is having a great season and backstopped the United States to the Concacaf Gold Cup final.

“New York City FC is normally a team that is aggressive going forward, with players who use width and create action,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “They try to maintain that game model, which is a characteristic of their team, and they fight for it in each game. So that is what we normally see. We have a very strong game model as well, so it should be a good match.”

Orlando City will be without Joran Gerbet (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Duncan McGuire (shoulder), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee). NYCFC will be without Malachi Jones (leg)
and Keaton Parks (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Zakaria Taifi, Colin Guske, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Gustavo Caraballo, Nico Rodriguez, Ramiro Enrique.

New York City FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Freese.

Defenders: Kevin O’Toole, Thiago Martins, Justin Haak, Strahinja Tanasijevic.

Midfielders: Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill, Maxi Moralez.

Forwards: Hannes Wolf, Alonso Martínez, Augustin Ojeda.

Bench: Tomas Romero, Nico Cavallo, Tayvon Gray, Maximo Carrizo, Jonathan Shore, Sebastiano Musu, Seymour Reid, Mounsef Bakrar, Julian Fernandez.

Referees:

Ref: Jair Marrufo.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4th: Elvis Osmanovic.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Craig Lowry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter/Bluesky: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC). We’ll also provide live updates on Bluesky Social (@TheManeLand.bsky.social).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC

Learn more about Orlando City’s opponents tonight from someone who knows them best.

Published

17 hours ago

on

July 16, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City has hit a bit of a bumpy patch this summer, but the Lions will have plenty of opportunities to get things back on the right track in July. Orlando’s next chance to return to winning ways comes later today when it will host New York City FC at Inter&Co Stadium.

A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of the always excellent Hudson River Blue. As usual, he was very helpful in bringing us up to speed on how things have been going for NYCFC, and we appreciate his assistance. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check those out over at their place!

NYCFC and Orlando are in similar positions, hovering around the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff places. What do you make of the team’s season so far?

Matthew Mangam: It’s been extremely hot and cold. NYCFC is undefeated against the Eastern Conference’s top five teams: Philadelphia, FC Cincinnati, Nashville, Columbus, and Inter Miami, but lost twice to bottom dwellers CF Montréal. New York City is tied for the third-best team at home in MLS this season, but on the road, they’ve only won once in 10 games. I think there are plenty of positives with the team, but NYCFC needs to figure out how to get results away from New York.

With 27 goals in 21 games, scoring seems to be something that’s holding NYCFC back a little bit. What do you make of the scoring numbers, and how does the team juice its offense a little more?

MM: Once attacking midfielder Santiago Rodríguez left this winter, NYCFC lost a key secondary scorer who consistently contributed goals and stepped up when striker Alonso Martínez wasn’t producing. Martínez was New York City’s leading goal scorer for most of the season, but winger Hannes Wolf notched back-to-back braces recently and leads the team with nine goals. 

But NYCFC still needs to get more out of its other wingers. Julián Fernández hasn’t scored since May 4, while Agustín Ojeda attempted his first shot on target this season last Saturday. The two have shown potential in the past, but it hasn’t been seen as much this year. 

Who are two players that Orlando City fans should have an eye on in this match?

MM: Like I said earlier, Wolf and Martínez. They’ve combined for 17 of NYCFC’s 27 goals scored this year. I’m going to add a bonus third player for fun: Mitja Ilenič. If the Slovenian fullback starts, he’ll be a threat. In Ilenič’s last start against Toronto, he notched his second goal and assist of the season in a dominant offensive performance. I think he should start over Tayvon Gray, who hasn’t been in great form recently. 

Will any players be unavailable due to injuries, suspensions, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

MM: No suspensions, but I’m confident Keaton Parks and Malachi Jones will remain out due to injury. Fernández is confirmed to be out on Wednesday. I’m not sure if it’s personal or an injury.

Lineup: Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, Justin Haak, Thiago Martins, Mitja Ilenič; Andres Perea, Maxi Moralez, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Alonso Martínez, Agustin Ojeda.

I think it’ll be a 1-1 tie.

Thank you again to Matthew for helping get us caught up on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!

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