Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Fall at Home in Regular-Season Finale

The Lions fell behind by two goals, pulled one back, and had a late equalizer overturned after video review on Decision Day.

Published

2 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City / Mark Thor

Orlando City conceded two early goals and couldn’t finish its opportunities in a disappointing 2-1 loss to Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium on Decision Day. The Lions (15-12-7, 52 points) allowed Atlanta (10-14-10, 40 points) to do something it hadn’t done all season — score twice in the game’s first 16 minutes — and Orlando’s disjointed attack couldn’t overcome the deficit. It kind of did, but after Martin Ojeda pulled one goal back the Lions had a late, would-be tying goal from Duncan McGuire overturned by the referee after video review.

Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare put the visitors ahead early and the Five Stripes held on to sweep the season series and squeaked into the postseason’s play-in game due to results elsewhere. Orlando City clinched fourth place despite the loss, thanks to New York City FC’s loss to Montreal.

“I thought we played well, and we had some moments of distractions,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “Not that we got outplayed by Atlanta, but we got distractions on a couple plays, especially at the start of the halves and we need to correct that. It cannot happen in the playoffs. In between those moments, I thought the boys played well. We have had more sharpness on our finishing than tonight, but I thought the heart of the team was there tonight.”

Pareja’s starting lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo started in central midfield with Felipe, who filled in for the suspended Wilder Cartagena, behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ramiro Enrique.

The warning signs about Orlando’s sharpness appeared four minutes in when a ball found Enrique with his back to goal in the middle near the top of the area. Despite having Angulo, Torres, and Ojeda behind him or to the attacking right, he played a blind ball to the other side, where he had no teammates. Atlanta broke quickly in transition but the defense was able to recover and block a cross attempt to end the threat.

The Lions created a good opportunity in the fifth minute when a good ball from Torres sent Ojeda down the left flank. Ojeda sent in a dangerous cross to the back post that was just inches over the head of the leaping Enrique. The bouncing ball found its way to Araujo, who fired a shot on target that Brad Guzan saved, but he couldn’t control the rebound, which ricocheted to Ojeda on the left. The Argentine fired but got under the ball, sending it high over the goal and into the seats.

Two minutes later, the visitors too the lead. During a prolonged spell of Atlanta possession that the Lions couldn’t break up, Lobjanidze took a pass and played a give-and-go with Pedro Amador, who backheeled it through the Orlando back line. Both Schlegel and Felipe were caught watching on the play as Lobjanidze slotted it inside the far post to make it 1-0 in the seventh minute.

“The first (goal), I thought it was a collective distraction,” Pareja said of his defense. “And I have to admit that Atlanta did a good job on trying to move the ball in and find that space that they found there. We have to be better on those in that moment.”

Ojeda came within inches of pulling the goal back in the 11th minute. From outside the area, the Argentine smashed a shot that fizzed inches wide of the left post and into the outside netting. Three minutes later, the Lions got forward on the counter and Torres had his legs taken out from under him trying to cut inside on his left foot. There was no call or dangerous free kick awarded, and the ball ended up getting picked up further away from goal by Ojeda. The midfielder unleashed a hard shot on target but it was right at Guzan.

Atlanta doubled its lead in the 16th minute. On a scramble play in the box, Santos dangerously knocked the ball out of the air toward his own goal, giving up a corner. The service on the ensuing set piece pinged around the box and found its way off Gallese in front. Thiare was the first to the loose ball as Santos stood watching and stabbed it in to make it 2-0.

‘We didn’t clear the ball on the set piece, and by the way I see a handball too there,” Pareja said. “It was difficult to see but it was. I reviewed it already. But it’s a beautiful game. It just doesn’t stop. We have to move on.”

The Lions came close again in the 21st minute. Araujo won a free kick near the right corner and Ojeda sent a near post ball to Enrique, who flicked it on goal. Guzan was there to make the save. Ojeda went for goal on a free kick from 30 yards out in the 39th minute but his effort curled just outside the right post with Guzan scrambling.

Three minutes later, Ojeda pulled one back. A cross from Thorhallsson on the right got through the bodies in front and went out the other side. Santos gathered it and sent it back into the area, where Ojeda flicked a headed shot just inside the back post past Guzan to make it 2-1 in the 42nd minute.

“I think, more than anything, that play was just knowing my teammates, knowing that especially when Rafa has the ball, he likes to hit it in really, really strong, into those center areas, and it’ll cause a lot of ricochets,” Ojeda said. “I saw the center back was far away from that first post, so I kind of ran to that area, just like I always do, just like I always try and get into those spaces. And when he looked up and he saw me, and he hit it, you know, I just tried to convert it. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn’t, but really just trying to take advantage of that opportunity and that space as I always intend to do. And thankfully, he played a great ball, and it found me, and I was able to get it into the goal.”

Ojeda had a couple of chances to equalize in stoppage time but both unfortunately fell onto his weaker right foot. The first happened in the third minute of added time. Orlando pinged the ball around the attacking penalty area but couldn’t direct anything on target. The ball eventually found Torres on the right, and the Uruguayan slid the ball into the center to Ojeda. The shot came with Ojeda’s first touch, but he floated the right-footed effort softly to Guzan.

The last chance for Ojeda came a minute later. Taking the ball down the right, he sent either a pass or shot with his right foot that again floated straight to Guzan.

Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (62.3%-37.7%), shot (12-7), shots on goal (6-3), and passing accuracy (86.6%-77.8%). Each team earned one corner in the opening period.

Atlanta had a golden opportunity to restore its two-goal advantage just seconds after the restart. With the Lions unable to corral a loose ball, Atlanta’s Lobjanidze picked it up in the box and was fouled by Thorhallsson. Referee Rubiel Vazquez pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty. Aleksey Miranchuk stepped up to the spot and sent a shot to Gallese’s right but the Peruvian international made a diving save to keep the score 2-1.

“Pedro has had that responsibility to bring himself back to his level, and when he saved that PK today, I thought about that,” Pareja said. “I said, ‘Well, good moment. It’s what we need now.’ Those saves that he used to do, that keep us alive in games, that are hard, and I’m glad for him.”

The chances were less frequent in the second half, with Atlanta looking to stay organized and look for chances to counter. The next decent Orlando look came in the 53rd minute when Angulo teed up a shot on the left near the top of the area, but he hit his shot poorly and missed badly outside the right post.

The Lions won several set pieces in the attacking third, but couldn’t pay them off. Likewise, the crosses didn’t find their targets when some of the bigger targets were in the box, but they seemed to be spot on for smaller guys, including a great ball from Santos for Thorhallsson in the 64th minute. The Icelandic fullback couldn’t beat his defender in the air, allowing Atlanta to clear.

Santos had a go from the top of the box in the 72nd minute, and he blasted his shot, but it fizzed just over the crossbar.

Pareja poured offensive subs into the game in the second half to try to find an equalizer, including McGuire, Luis Muriel, and Nico Lodeiro. The latter went for goal from a set piece in the 84th minute, but his near-post effort couldn’t beat Guzan.

McGuire thought he’d equalized in the 89th minute when Angulo sent a good cross in front that pinged off of a couple of bodies. The big forward smashed a shot over Guzan and just under the bar to send the sellout crowd of 25,046 into a frenzy. However, before the restart, there was a lengthy delay while the video assistant referee reviewed the play. Vazquez went to the monitor to see it for himself, and he disallowed the goal for a handball on McGuire.

The ball hit off the Orlando forward before he fired it home, but live it appeared to hit off his stomach. The replay showed McGuire’s arms straight down at his sides, and the ball may have simultaneously hit his arm and torso, but the way the rule is worded, a handball for an attacking player has a much lower bar for a call. Despite McGuire doing nothing wrong and maintaining as compact a silhouette as possible, he was penalized for it and the game remained 2-1.

“I believe I was talking with (Atlanta’s) Dax McCarty about it, not the referee,” a frustrated-looking McGuire said. “If it hits your hand and you score immediately after, no matter what, it’s called back. I don’t know where else I’m supposed to put my arm, besides next to my side, but that’s all I’m going to say.”

“The officials reviewed it and they saw a handball there,” Pareja said when asked what the match officials told him. “By the ruling, they are correct if it was a handball. I thought it was a very special moment for us and our fans, and the frustration today in not allowing that goal is big, but that is what happened.”

The Lions put the ball into the box a couple more times in stoppage time but couldn’t create a chance from it. The match ended with Atlanta squeaking into the postseason by the slimmest margin and Orlando falling at home for the first time since June 15. The Lions had multiple streaks snapped, including: a three-game winning streak, a seven-game unbeaten run at home (6-0-1) in MLS play, and a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (7-0-3).

Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (66.5%-33.5%), shots (20-7), shots on target (8-4), and passing accuracy (86.6%-65.7%). Each team finished the game with its one first-half corner kick.

“This loss hurts just as they all do,” Ojeda said. “But at the same time, we’re in a good spot right now. At the start of the season, we had about four or five months where we were in a really bad zone, where results weren’t going our way, bounces in the game weren’t going our way. And it was a tough stretch, and it really hurt us. But now, looking where we are right now, we’re in a beautiful moment. We finished fourth. We’re in a good spot in terms of how the team is playing.”

“Obviously we wanted to lock in fourth place with a win tonight and end the season on a win. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here,” McGuire said. “But, you know, with other results in the league, thankfully we got fourth, and now we get to host in the playoffs, which is a huge from how we started the season. So, I’m definitely proud of the boys. And, you know, obviously it’s hard to smile tonight after we lose, but you know, we all look forward, and the positives are we still have hosting the playoff.”

“I congratulate this group of players,” Pareja said of finishing in the top four of the Eastern Conference. “Once again they brought us here. They finalized fourth in the conference and that’s not an easy task. And we like better just to take that positive side.”

The Lions limp into the postseason on the heels of this result, where they will need to be much better in a first-round series against a defensively strong Charlotte FC side. The game schedule will be announced soon.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

7 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

Published

10 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending