Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Dallas: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-1 victory over FC Dallas?
James Brown once sang, “wow, I feel good, I knew that I would,” and while I feel good (duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh) after watching that 3-1 Orlando City win over FC Dallas Saturday night, I definitely cannot say that I knew that I would.
Going into that match, Orlando City had never even scored a single solitary goal in Dallas, but the Lions came out firing and put three in the net in the first 55 minutes, and then took three points after 90 minutes to get their first-ever win in Dallas. Hey Jimmy Johnson, how ’bout them Lions?
I have my purple pen out, and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with a Western Conference opponent.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — El Pulpo will probably feel hard done by that he did not pick up another clean sheet in this match, as Dallas’ one goal came on a penalty kick and the hosts were not even threatening when that foul occurred. Gallese also made several excellent saves during this match, including one on a crazy sequence, when he came way outside of the box to try to clear a ball over the top, and he then had to scramble back into the 18 and make a diving save when Dallas tried a long-range shot into what they thought was an open net. Dallas did have a goal called back during the match, as well as another ball that went in after a foul was whistled, which cannot be held against Gallese, but they are reminders of the fine line between a great night and a tough night for any goalkeeper. On this night, Gallese was more towards the great night with five saves and confident command of the box.
D, Rafael Santos, 7.5 — Santos once again demonstrated his lethal left foot in this match, as his picture-perfect cross was headed in by Ramiro Enrique to give the Lions their first-ever goal in Dallas. The Brazilian defender led the Lions in touches (82) and was second in completed passes (53), completing those passes at an 86.9% rate. He completed five of his nine long passes and was a threat down the left side all game long. Orlando City attacked down the left side on 47% of its possessions (27% middle and 26% right made up the other two channels), and a primary reason for the left side dominance was Santos and the runs he was making up the field. Dallas countered this by attacking up its right side on 42% of its possessions, and there were some nervy moments late as the hosts did get by Santos and created some chances in his area. On this day though, Dallas did not convert any of those chances, and the overall contributions by Santos were a major reason why the Lions took all three points.
D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Orlando City captain played his normal solid and composed match in the back on Saturday night, and the Beefy Swede should have had his first MLS assist of the season on a beautiful cross in the second half that Duncan McGuire was unable to finish. Jansson had five clearances, three recoveries, two interceptions, and one tackle, and he completed 43 passes at a 97.7% rate. Through much of the game he stayed home in the center of the field so that Rodrigo Schlegel could roam a little more forward, which was successful for the Lions in helping them own the middle horizontally and vertically.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 8 — Schlegel was everywhere during this match, and a serious contender for Man of the Match. His bullet header that doubled the lead for the Lions will be what is remembered most, but he also had three tackles, two clearances, and one interception, and his partnership with Jansson was excellent in keeping FC Dallas’ pairing of Jesus Ferreira and Petar Musa off the scoresheet. I thought Schlegel was excellent throughout the match, and his right side pairing with Kyle Smith was effective in limiting Dallas’ attacks down their left channel.
D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Smith once again demonstrated his trademark Kyle-of-all-trades abilities, as after a season of primarily playing left back, he stepped in at right back with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson out and delivered a solid performance. Smith was second on the team with four clearances and had one tackle, and he also completed 87.8% of his passes on the night while going the full 90 minutes. He did get turned around on during the buildup to the Dallas goal that was called back in the 90th minute, but that goal was called back, so that will not be held against him. The Accountant delivered the results in this match, and they were favorable for Orlando City.
MF, César Araujo, 7 — No offense to Jeorgio Kocevski, but having Araujo back in the lineup made a massive difference for Orlando City. The Uruguayan midfielder helped secure the middle of the field throughout the match, completing 50 passes at a 92.6% rate as a midfield fulcrum on offense and helping to force Dallas to push the ball out wide to attack rather than attempt to come down the middle on defense. Araujo did pick up another yellow card trying to slow down a Dallas counterattack in the 67th minute. That foul may have been unnecessary with multiple defenders already behind the ball, however, he was put in a bad spot by Facundo Torres’ wayward pass and decided to take no chances with the lead on the road. On the whole, Araujo showed why the Lions are a better team when he is on the field, and he was a major reason why Orlando City picked up three points in Dallas.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7 — Sometimes I think I should just write one grade for César Wilder Cartaraujo, as there are games when the two holding midfielders play quite similarly, just on slightly different sides of the field. The FC Dallas match was close to one of those games, but I thought Cartagena was slightly better than his midfield partner, even though he only played 73 minutes. The Peruvian led the team in completed passes, with 55, completing them at a 94.8% rate, with two of them being key passes. Cartagena also had three tackles and one interception, and unlike his midfield partner, he did not pick up a(nother) yellow card. With a midweek game coming up on Wednesday, Cartagena made way for Nico Lodeiro in the 73rd minute, but he was excellent during his time on the field and was a major reason why the Lions owned the center of the field.
MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — Despite Orlando City’s focus on attacking down the left side of the field, Angulo did not really contribute to any of the three goals or other big scoring opportunities, though he did track back well on defense and gave his trademark full effort throughout his 90 minutes. Angulo completed 41 passes at an 89.1% rate and had three interceptions, two tackles, one clearance, and one block. His contributions were more on the defensive side than the offensive side against Dallas, especially with Dallas attacking down the right more often than the left. And while the Colombian winger may not have been involved in any of the goals I do think it was one of his better recent games overall.
MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — I have long been a fan of how hockey includes secondary and primary assists in assist totals, and although most of soccer doesn’t follow suit, MLS does. As such, Ojeda finished with two assists on the night in Dallas. His perfect pass to Santos led to the cross that produced Orlando City’s first goal, giving the Argentine a secondary assist, and his corner kick early in the second half was headed in by Schlegel for the second goal, providing him with a primary assist. What mattered most is that both goals were scored and Ojeda played a major role in each, and those passes, in addition to his skillful and creative play to hit a well-struck volley on goal in the first half, were three major highlights for the Lions in this match. Ojeda completed 32 passes on the night, with two key passes, and he was involved and dangerous on offense throughout his 65 minutes on the field.
MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — The hot streak continued for Torres, as he made it five goals in his last five MLS games with his well-placed finish off a through ball from Enrique to make the score 3-0 for Orlando City. Just a few minutes earlier, I will admit that I was muttering words of frustration when he had a similar breakaway opportunity on a through ball but chose to slow down to get it onto his left foot, and subsequently had his shot saved, but he took full advantage of his second chance and gave the Lions an even bigger cushion. Orlando City attacked down the left side far more often than Torres’ right side on Saturday night, but he was still able to be involved in the offense, completing 90.2% of his passes and taking 24 touches in the attacking third of the field. Torres made way for Felipe in the 81st minute in a defense-for-offense substitution, but it was another excellent match for the Uruguayan Designated Player, who is now the Orlando City record holder for career MLS goal contributions, with 50.
F, Ramiro Enrique, 8.5 (MotM) — Enrique is back in form again, and it is a wonderful thing to watch. Despite being short in stature as compared to the FC Dallas back line, it was he who opened the scoring with a header on a cross from Santos, and then later it was his tackle and steal that turned into his through ball assist to Torres for the third Orlando City goal. He also played another key pass and drew four fouls and was generally a menace all over the attacking third of the field for his entire 65-minute shift. I thought Enrique was outstanding, and despite a challenge from his fellow Argentinean Schlegel, I thought he was the Man of the Match.
Substitutes
F, Duncan McGuire (65′), 6 — On another Saturday night Big Dunc could have had multiple goals and been in contention for Man of the Match, but he was just off ever so much with his finishing touch and was unable to get any of his shots into the net. His work rate was tremendous and he put Dallas under major pressure after subbing in for Enrique, but he missed a massive chance on a ball from Jansson that was perfectly set up for him to put the game away by making it 4-0, and on two other breakaway opportunities he had a shot saved and blocked. The effort was there, the final touch just let him down during this match.
MF, Luis Muriel (65′), 6.5 — Muriel was once again excellent off the bench on Saturday night after subbing in for Ojeda, and could have had multiple assists if his teammates could have finished a little better. He was involved in three plays that McGuire didn’t finish, giving Jansson a seeing-eye pass in the 66th minute and sending McGuire behind the back line in the 71st and 97th minutes. As I was making notes on the match I was thinking about a comparison to NBA player Chris Paul, as Muriel, who was a usual starter earlier in his career, seems to have embraced a role off the bench and comes in delivering perfect passes all over the field when he does sub into the game. Muriel had two key passes and completed 92% of all of his passes, and looked dangerous every time he had the ball.
MF, Nico Lodeiro, (73’), N/A — This will not be a game that Lodeiro looks fondly upon when he reflects on the 2024 season. The headline for him will be that he gave away a penalty, and although I do believe it was a foul, I think it was harsh since the attacking player was moving away from goal in the far corner of the box, but it was a deserved penalty and it did breathe some life back into FC Dallas. He uncharacteristically only completed 75% of his passes, and did not bring his steady and positive presence off the bench as he usually has done this season.
MF, Felipe, (81’), N/A — Felipe came on as a late defensive replacement for Torres to help see the game out. He only had three touches but did complete both of his passes, and because he is Felipe and this is what he does, he also committed one foul.
That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Orlando City hosted Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium Saturday, and it was a tale of two halves. The first half was one of the most boring first halves of soccer ever, and the second half was a wild free-for-all with Orlando City coming to life. The Lions were able to earn all three points at home, defeating RSL 2-1. Here are my five takeaways from the match.
An Inevitable Goal
Orlando City put out a mostly first-choice team on short rest, while RSL rotated pretty heavily due to their schedule congestion and a Leagues Cup knockout match coming up on Tuesday.The Lions had the majority of the possession through the first 35 mintues, while RSL was able to send the ball over the top a few times early, but the visitors kept getting the timing wrong against Orlando’s high line, resulting in offside calls. That was until the 36th minute, when Dominik Marczuk managed to stay onside, blazed past Zakaria Taifi, and was all alone on the back post. It wasn’t hard to put it in from there. Orlando City had the better of the play up to that point, but it still felt like Real Salt Lake’s goal was more likely.
Possession Without Purpose
Despite holding 58% possession in the first half, Orlando City managed to get exactly zero shots on goal on zero shots total. Zero shots taken the entire first half! As I mentioned above, that was zero shots against a heavily rotated RSL squad. For a team with Antoine Griezmann, Marco Pasalic, and Griffin Dorsey in the starting lineup, that stat is unacceptable. The lack of any chances resulted in Martin Perelman bringing on Justin Ellis and Daryl Dike as offensive halftime substitutions.
Subs Make a Difference
It took less than 10 minutes for Ellis and Dike, along with fellow substitute Joran Gerbet, to make a difference. While it was ultimately Griezmann who scored the goal, it was Gerbet, Ellis, and Dike that made it happen. Gerbet picked up a loose ball Eduard Atuesta won and sent it to Ellis on the right. Ellis sent the ball into the box to Dike, who took it with his back to goal, pirouetted with the ball, and shot it. Unfortunately for Dike, Mason Stajduhar was there to block it. Unfortunately for Stajduhar, Griezmann was there for the poacher’s goal to level the score for Orlando City. Griezmann positioned himself wisely without the ball, but it was the three halftime subs that really made it happen.
Griezmann Gets Another
After equalizing, Orlando City had all the momentum and pressed for a second goal. It was Griezmann who provided the winning goal with his first brace for the Lions. If his first goal was a “right time, right place” type of goal, his second was luck and skill combined. He took a pass in the box from Tyrese Spicer and tried to back heel it to Dike. The ball bounced off the defender and right back to Griezmann, who wasted no time in putting it in the back of the net. It was a microcosm of Griezmann’s time in Orlando for me. He tried to be unselfish, but ultimately taking the shot himself was what was needed. More of this please.
Possession With Purpose
If Orlando City did almost nothing with the ball in the first half, the Lions did everything needed with the ball in the second half. They actually raised the possession to 60% by the end of the match, scored two goals, and didn’t allow a second from RSL. The defenders were able to clear most of the attacks and Maxime Crepeau cleaned up anything that got through. Orlando City was able to continue to push into the attack even after the second goal. As I said above, it was a tale of two halves, and fortunately, the second half was enough for the win.
That is what I saw in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Griezmann’s Brace Lifts Lions to Win
Antoine Griezmann scored twice in the second half to help Orlando City erase a 1-0 deficit and beat RSL at home.
Antoine Griezmann scored two second-half goals for his first Orlando City brace, leading the Lions to a 2-1 comeback win over Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium tonight. After a lethargic opening 45 minutes that saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead into the half on Dominik Marczuk’s goal, an energetic trio of halftime subs injected life into the attack for Orlando (7-11-3, 24 points).
Griezmann’s two goals pushed the Lions past Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points), but it’s fair to say Orlando City wasn’t clean enough in the first half and couldn’t turn possession into attacking threat until the introduction of second-half subs Justin Ellis, Joran Gerbet, Daryl Dike, and Tyrese Spicer.
The Lions snapped an 0-2-2 winless streak in all competitions and a 0-2-1 skid in league play with tonight’s win, moving just over the playoff line into ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a tough game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “It wasn’t easy the first half; we tried good and sometimes it happens like that, the game. I think the team in the second half was able to to play in a very difficult moment. It’s not easy and the guys did an amazing job.”
Perelman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Tiago joining Antoine Griezmann up top.
The first half consisted of long spells of Orlando possession that came to nothing against a heavily rotated RSL side, with former Lion Mason Stajduhar having to do nothing in goal, because the Lions couldn’t even manage one first-half shot attempt. The visitors were content to stay in their low block of five at the back and four midfielders, wait for the exhausted-looking hosts to misplace a pass or have a bad touch, and look for chances to hit on the counter or with balls over the top.
Griezmann looked the most in need of a rest, as several of his touches were heavy in the first half, but he was far from the only one.
There was a scary moment early in the game when Jansson collided with Marczuk on an attempted RSL switch of play. The Orlando City captain was fouled and stayed down to get treatment, eventually leaving the field under his own power. He was able to return moments later.
Orlando City won a few set pieces in the opening half but did nothing with them, while the visitors looked dangerous if they could stay onside, which they struggled to do early. When the Lions did manage to find space against RSL’s back line, the crosses were poor, ending up either out of play or in the goalkeeper’s hands.
The visitors broke through the dull affair in the 36th minute. Alexandros Katranis laid off a ball on the left flank for Sam Junqua behind him. Junqua picked up his head and spotted Marczuk’s well-timed run behind Taifi and delivered a nice cross. Marczuk met the ball in the air with his foot and knocked it past Crepeau to make it 1-0.
Crepeau kept things from getting worse just before halftime. Angulo turned the ball over on an attempted recycle of a failed set piece, igniting a Real Salt Lake counter. The ball ended up with Marczuk again on the right and this time Crepeau was able to get a hand on it to palm it out for a corner.
The Lions dealt with the set piece and the half came to an end with Orlando’s starters trailing 1-0 to an RSL B-squad that dien’t allow a single shot attempt.
At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (59.4%-40.6%) and passing accuracy (89.7-84.2%), while Real Salt Lake led in shots (3-0) and shots on target (2-0) and each team won one corner.
“It was a complicated game,” Griezmann said. “It’s never easy starting off with with a negative mark like that, but we made changes at halftime and put more more guys further up the field, and we were able to to get that goal and really kind of give ourselves some time of tranquility to create more opportunities to create those occasions to go out and get the winner.”
Looking to injuct some life into the game, or at least some fresh legs, Perelman sent Gerbet, Dike, and Ellis into the game at halftime for Otavio, Tiago, and Pasalic. It took a few minutes for the subs to settle in, but it made a difference in the Lions’ energy level.
Marczuk had the first look at goal in the second half, however, firing from distance from the right side, but it caused no trouble for Crepeau in the 50th minute.
Gerbet and Atuesta worked well together in the middle, keeping the ball better and allowing Taifi to jump into the play on the left. Taifi had a shot blocked out for a corner in the 51st minute. A minute later, Atuesta played a slick through ball for Griezmann. With Stajduhar coming off his line, the Frenchman chipped a shot over him but it went inches wide of the left post.
Orlando scored seconds after Stajduhar put the ball back into play. Atuesta won the ball to Gerbet at midfield, and he turned and found Ellis on the right. Ellis sent it in front to Dike for the shot, but it was blocked to Griezmann, who cleaned up in front, making it 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
Taifi got down the left in the 55th minute and did well to cut back a cross for Griezmann entering the box. Griezmann hit his shot immediately but it fizzed just over the bar. Three minutes later, Taifi cut inside and fired but hit the outside of the left post.
Real Salt Lake sent on Diego Luna, Saba Lobjanidze, and Morgan Guilavogui to try to counter the energy Orlando’s subs had brought into the game, and things opened up a bit. Dorsey did well to stick out a foot to deny a pass that would have put Luna in on goal in the 64th minute.
Spicer came on for Taifi in the 69th minute and injected even more energy into the match. He quickly won a set piece on the left just moments after coming on near the left corner flag. Atuesta sent his delivery on target toward the near post but it was headed behind for a corner kick. The ensuing corner bounced out to Ellis near the top of the area. The Homegrown forward used some deft footwork to work his way past two defenders before getting his shot blocked out for another corner.
Real Salt Lake broke the other way after the set piece and Luna ended up with it. He fired on target but Crepeau blocked it out of play for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the set piece delivery and Katranis tried a shot from long range that was well off target.
Orlando City took the lead moments later. Jansson sent the ball long out of the back to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international did well to get a cross in for Griezmann in the box. The first touch got away from the Frenchman but he picked up the rebound and slotted it past Stajduhar to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute.
“I think it’s a very good cross from ‘Spice’ and I was thinking to do one touch to score but I did very bad,” Griezmann said. “The defender touched the ball and the ball came to me, and yeah I saw a lot of legs and I tried to just make a pass between the legs of the defender and here is where you need to be patient just for one or two seconds. And today I was very patient in this time and this is why I scored.”
“It’s mandatory for us to enjoy Griezmann,” Perelman said. “We are lucky to be in the moment that he’s here with us. He’s one of the best players in the history of this sport. We have the privilege to see him. It’s just about enjoying him, watching him and enjoying him.”
Real Salt Lake threw bodies forward into the attack, but aside from some corner kicks, the visitors couldn’t produce much. Any time it looked like RSL might create something in the final third, Orlando was able to block crosses or head them out of danger. Orlando City also kept the ball well for spells down the stretch, taking the pressure off and allowing the Lions to see out the game.
At the final whistle, the Lions held the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (13-9), passing accuracy (88.8%-82%), and corners (5-4). Real Salt Lake put more shots on target (4-3). Ultimately, the Lions were sharp enough in the second half to make up for the slow start, although RSL helped out by being offside seven times to just once for Orlando.
“In the final zone, we were a lot more aggressive,” Griezmann said of the second half. “We were pressing more and more aggressive with our press, and it was a really good way to to get the win tonight.”
“The players were wanting to give us that control of the game against a team who sat back a little bit,” Perelman said. “I think the guys did a huge effort. Fortunately we could come back, win, because we really need it, and now we need to rest and think (about) the next one.”
“Just so happy to have the win at home,” Gerbet said. “It’s been like a gritty one, but a necessary one, an important one towards like the end of the season to get some momentum, because we’re going to start to go away as well, so we need to start to gain momentum, and I think that was a great way to do it.”
The Lions now get an honest-to-goodness normal work week. Their next match will be a week from tonight at Minnesota United.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to finish their long homestand with a bounce-back performance against RSL.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night showdown between Orlando City (6-11-3, 21 points) and Real Salt Lake (8-7-4, 28 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first and only scheduled meeting between the two teams from opposing conferences and the first time they’ve met since 2023 in Utah.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 2-2-3 in seven previous MLS meetings with RSL, including a 1-0-2 mark at home. However, Orlando City is 0-2-1 in their last three games against tonight’s visitors.
The last time the teams met, it was a forgettable result for Orlando City fans. But if you do remember, it’s not for good reasons, because it was a 4-0 beatdown that Real Salt Lake laid on the Lions on July 8, 2023. Cristian Arango, Justen Glad, Jefferson Savarino, and Anderson Julio did the damage.
During the most recent matchup in Orlando, most of us had no idea what COVID-19 was yet. The Lions and Real Salt Lake met on opening day of the 2020 MLS season, playing to a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium on Feb. 29. Despite it being a Leap Day, no one wanted to leap onto the scoresheet.
Orlando City lost the previous meeting, a 2-1 Real Salt Lake win in Utah on April 13, 2019. Nani scored Orlando’s only goal that day, but it came late in the match after Sam Johnson and Demir Kreilach had staked RSL to a 2-0 lead.
The May 6, 2018 meeting in Orlando was a wild 3-1 win for the Lions in which RSL missed multiple good scoring chances, hitting the woodwork and forcing Joe Bendik into some big saves. Dom Dwyer, Lamine Sané, and Yoshimar Yotún provided Orlando’s offense to offset Corey Baird’s early strike.
When the teams met in 2017 at Rio Tinto, Will Johnson provided all the offense against his old club in a 1-0 Orlando City victory. Johnson’s tally in the 17th minute was all Orlando City needed to take the first win of the series after two draws the previous two seasons.
In 2016, the teams played a memorable opening day match in which the Lions roared back with a frantic rally, as Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter pulled City level in a 2-2 draw at the Citrus Bowl. Joao Plata scored both RSL goals — one from the penalty spot — and RSL led 2-0 despite going down a man for 25 minutes, prior to Chris Penso evening things out by sending off Darwin Ceren.
Orlando drew 1-1 on the road in 2015 while down to 10 men after Kaká was sent off at the end of the first half. The captain opened the scoring. Sebastian Jaime found the equalizer in the 28th.
Match Overview
Orlando City enters on a poor run of form in a congested fixture schedule. The Lions lost 2-1 at home against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, making it four games without a win in all competitions (0-2-2) and they haven’t won in MLS play in their last three (0-2-1). While the defense is leaking just one or two goals per game of late, the offense has been less tidy in finishing chances, which could be attributed to some players, including Antoine Griezmann, not getting much rest during this stretch of seven games in 22 days. Orlando is a pedestrian 4-4-2 at home this season and is winless in its last two home matches (0-1-1).
Real Salt Lake sits eighth in the Western Conference after going 0-3-3 in its last six league matches, including a 4-3 home loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday. But, oddly enough, that stretch of matches sandwiches a 2-0-1 run in Leagues Cup, and RSL advanced to the knockout rounds, where it will play Club Leon on Tuesday, so we may see some rotation, assuming the Utah-based club is going all in on trying to win Leagues Cup or at least one of the three coveted Concacaf Champions Cup spots. Tonight’s match will be RSL’s first on the road since Aug. 1, where the team is 1-5-3 in 2026 in league play.
Sergi Solans leads tonight’s opponents in goals (9) and goal contributions (12), with Diego Luna leading in assists (6) while adding five goals for 11 total goal contributions. The departure of Zavier Gozo and his six goals and five assists is a tough break for RSL, because beyond those three, 10 goals are spread across eight different players.
The Lions must rediscover their scoring boots for this game, as the Orlando defense pitches precious few shutouts, and if RSL plays its starters, either Solans, Luna, or both could do some damage on the other end.
The Lions will be without Braian Ojeda (foot), Martin Ojeda (thigh), and Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Adrian Marin (thigh) is questionable, so left back may be an adventure, with Zakaria Taifi, Ivan Angulo, and David Brekalo as the leading candidates to play there, and all of them are right-footed. Real Salt Lake will be without Zach Booth (hamstring), Griffin Dillon (foot), Emeka Eneli (knee), Glad (adductor), and Ariath Piol (Achilles).
Match Content
- The most recent episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- David Rohe gave his three keys to an Orlando City victory in tonight’s match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Tiago, Antoine Griezmann.
Bench: Javier Otero, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.
Real Salt Lake (5-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.
Defenders: Alexandros Katranis, Sam Junqua, Juan Arias, Kobi Henry, Domink Marczuk.
Midfielders: Aiden Hezarkhan, Luca Moisa, Pablo Ruiz, Lineker Rodrigues.
Forward: Victor Olatunji.
Bench: Rafael Cabral, Juan Sanabria, Philip Quinton, Lukas Engel, Noel Caliskan, Colin Guske, Morgan Guilavogui, Saba Lobjanidze, Diego Luna.
Referees
REF: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Brian Dunn.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Five Takeaways
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Griezmann’s Brace Lifts Lions to Win
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis, Leagues Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Club Leon, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Halftime Lead in Loss
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoBarbra Banda Continues to Make Offers Scoreboard Can’t Refuse
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride Sign Norwegian Forward Sanne Lekven
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis: Five Takeaways
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 8/12/26
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-2 (5-3) as Lions Blow Late Lead, Win Shootout
-
Photo Galleries2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Club León, Leagues Cup: Photo Gallery