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.

It's Saba time! ⏰

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/XuepBOlxxR pic.twitter.com/ZslQT49Bvr

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2024

“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.

Jamal Thiaré pounces on the rebound to double @ATLUTD's lead. ✌️

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/XuepBOlxxR pic.twitter.com/U1909c2qFb

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2024

‘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.

Martin Ojeda with the glancing header and @OrlandoCitySC are right back in it! 👊

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/XuepBOlxxR pic.twitter.com/OTYfhRI3ZC

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2024

“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.

🐙 @pedrogallese comes up big 🧤 pic.twitter.com/lQwoevbMkA

— Orlando City SC – x (@OrlandoCitySC) October 19, 2024

“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.”

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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.

Welcome to your match thread for a Decision Day Saturday matchup between Orlando City (15-11-7, 52 points) and Atlanta United (9-14-10, 37 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (6 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the second of the two scheduled meetings between the two Eastern Conference rivals this season.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

The Lions are 4-9-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-5-3 at home. Those numbers drop to 4-10-7 and 2-6-3 in all competitions. The last time the teams met was at Mercedes-Benz Stadium back on March 17, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Saba Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 also took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and Duncan McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

They also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at then-Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, out-shooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw. It was an evenly matched game, with each team firing 11 shots and getting three on frame.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias — his first in MLS — scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel goal in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at the building then known as Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. Villalba then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

Orlando is coming off a 3-1 win at FC Cincinnati two weeks ago. The Lions have won three straight games and six of their last seven. Additionally, Orlando City is 6-0-1 in its last seven home matches in league play and 7-0-3 at the purple palace in all competitions since June 15, having overturned a poor start to the season at home to amass a 7-5-4 record at Inter&Co Stadium in MLS matches.

Atlanta United is coming off a 2-1 win at home over the New York Red Bulls in its last game Oct. 5. That win snapped a skid of 0-2-3 and kept the Five Stripes’ faint playoff hopes alive. Atlanta is 3-7-6 on the road this season but 1-0-2 in its last three away from home.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who leads Atlanta in goals (8) and is second in assists (7), as well as Daniel Rios, who has chipped in seven goals and four assists for an Atlanta team coached (in the interim) by former USL Lion Rob Valentino. Brooks Lennon is also an important part of the offense, leading Atlanta with eight assists on the year.

The Lions would clinch fourth place with a win or any dropped points by New York City FC tonight. Atlanta can still make the postseason with a win if it gets help in multiple games elsewhere. So, there’s a lot for both teams to play for.

“We know Atlanta [United] has urgency and probably more than just urgency,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “They are in their last opportunity to qualify (for the playoffs), and this is a game for us to represent a lot as well. It’s a rivalry on its own, but also just gives us an opportunity to clinch fourth place and give us that advantage. It will be taken like always, with the same responsibility.”

Orlando City will be without midfielder Wilder Cartagena (yellow card suspension), so he’ll have missed both games against Atlanta this season due to suspensions. The Lions will also be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg), but everyone else is off the team’s availability report. Atlanta will be without Edwin Mosquera (knee) and Quentin Westberg (concussion protocol). 

Match Content

• The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the match.
• Our David Rohe provided his three keys to an Orlando City victory in tonight’s match.
• Ben Miller outlined why clinching fourth place is so important for the Lions today.

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Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Felipe.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, David Brekalo, Heine Bruseth, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Pedro Amador, Derrick Williams, Stian Gregersen, Brooks Lennon.

Defensive Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz.

Attacking Midfielders: Tyler Wolff, Aleksey Miranchuk, Saba Lobjanidze.

Forward: Jamal Thiare.

Bench: Luis Abram, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Josh Cohen, Ronald Hernandez, Dax McCarty, Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Daniel Rios.

Referees

REF: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Kyle Atkins.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

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

Radio:  Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

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Enjoy the match. Go City!

We’ve almost arrived at Orlando City’s final regular-season game of 2024. The Lions will take on Atlanta United at home Saturday at 6 p.m., and while OCSC has long since secured a postseason spot, there’s still plenty to play for. Orlando is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, but that spot is not guaranteed, and the easiest way to lock it down is by beating the Five Stripes tomorrow and eliminating them from postseason contention in the process.

The lowest that the Lions can drop in the standings is fifth, which is currently occupied by New York City FC, but could go to either Charlotte FC or the New York Red Bulls, depending on how Decision Day shakes out. If NYCFC wins and Orlando loses, then the Lions will finish fifth, with NYCFC leapfrogging them into fourth place.

Obviously, OCSC wants to accrue as many points as it can and finish as high as possible in the standings, but with the changes to the playoffs that were implemented last year, the men in purple now have extra motivation to do so. The first round of the playoffs is now a best-of-three series (for some reason), with the higher seed given home field advantage that is manifested by playing the first game of the series at home, as well as the third game if one is necessary. If the first round matchup does indeed end up being against NYCFC, that home field advantage takes on added importance.

That’s because the away game(s) against New York will likely take place at either Yankee Stadium or Citi Field, unless both teams advance to the World Series, in which case the team’s matches will probably be held at Red Bull Arena, the site of the team’s last two regular-season home games. The prospect of playing one game in the shoebox-like dimensions of either baseball field is bad enough, but playing an elimination game in that setting is far from an appetizing scenario. Orlando also doesn’t have a stellar record at Red Bull Arena.

Not only do games on baseball fields make for an unappealing watch for the fans at home, but they also heavily favor the hosts, who are accustomed to playing on the smaller dimensions, and have little issue modifying their tactics to be effective. Visiting teams tend to have a hard time getting results, with New York City only having lost four times at home all year — only one game of which was decided by more than one goal. The Lions have had a particularly horrid time when it comes to playing on the baseball diamond, and you need to look no further than the 4-2 loss back in June to see how things normally go for Orlando in that particular venue.

Compare that to OCSC’s form at home, where the Lions haven’t lost since a 3-1 defeat to LAFC on June 15 —a game in which Orlando gave a very good account of itself despite the result. The Lions have picked up some good results on the road too, but those damn baseball stadiums are a different beast entirely, and the less time OCSC spends in them during the postseason, the better.

In short, it’s important that Orlando takes care of business against Atlanta. The Lions control their own destiny, and getting a solid win against a bitter rival in the last game of the regular season would help to set the tone and energize the fanbase ahead of the postseason, particularly after having some time off for the international break. More than that though, locking up fourth place would ensure the Lions spend as little time as possible in an environment that has been almost wholly unwelcoming to them and would instead see them welcome their opponents into the comfortable confines of their den. Vamos Orlando!