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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 0-0 (1-3) as Lions’ Offense a No-Show in North Carolina

Orlando City was substandard offensively in every way on the road in Charlotte, falling in the Lions’ worst penalty performance ever.

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6 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City played tentatively and tense in Game 2 against Charlotte FC, creating next to nothing offensively except a late goal that was controversially flagged for an offside in the buildup, playing to a 0-0 road draw at Bank of America Stadium. The hosts then blew the Lions away 3-1 in a subpar penalty shootout, tying the series at 1-1 and sending it back to Orlando for a deciding Game 3 on Nov. 9.

A usually reliable shootout team produced only one goal on four shots from the spot as the Lions coughed up their lead in the series and all the good vibes from Sunday’s dominant performance. Nico Lodeiro and Duncan McGuire left their penalties too close to Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, and Robin Jansson missed the net badly on his attempt, making him zero for his last two attempts.

All of that could have been avoided had the assistant referee kept his flag down on a controversial call in stoppage time when it appeared Facundo Torres had broken the scoreless deadlock. The play was too close to overturn on review, ultimately sending the match to the penalty spot after a scoreless 90 minutes of normal time and more than 10 added minutes.

“We wanted to be more offensive and create more situations to score, but these games in playoffs are like that,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “It’s tight and the tension of the game was (there) all the time for both teams. “

Pareja’s starting lineup for Game 2 was a carbon copy of Game 1, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Torres, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

The Lions played the first half as if they were trying to protect a 2-0 aggregate rather than winning a second game in a best-of-three series. Orlando turned down chances to get forward, refused to attempt to switch the play quickly, and then started turning the ball over repeatedly to give the hosts opportunities to get forward. Meanwhile, Charlotte started the game as the more physical and aggressive team, racking up several fouls, and escaping punishment for kicking a ball away to prevent one Orlando restart and physically carrying it away from a free kick spot later in the half to prevent another.

The first shot attempt of note came in the ninth minute when Liel Abada fired wide from the top of the area in transition. Charlotte had a decent spell of attacking possession around the quarter hour mark, with Thorhallsson and Jansson doing well to clear crosses into the area.

The first dangerous opportunity came off a Charlotte corner in the 17th minute. Orlando cleared the initial service, but the ball pinged around in the area on the recycle, with Brandt Bronico sending it into traffic. Adilson Malanda’s shot was deflected and fell to Kerwin Vargas, who sent his attempt over the bar, ending the threat.

Abada sent a shot on goal that Gallese saved in the 23rd minute after Cartagena expected a whistle for an obvious handball on Bronico and didn’t get one. The Orlando midfielder let up, allowing the hosts to get forward and create a chance. Schlegel did well to clear a follow-up shot, although it appeared Gallese had it handled.

Orlando didn’t mount any kind of offense in the half, but nearly did so in the 30th minute when Ojeda sent a cross into the box, but none of his teammates were there. Ten minutes later, Ojeda tried to pick, out Enrique in transition. The striker went down under pressure from Tim Ream from behind but there was no foul given.

Gallese made a good save to deny a blast from Vargas in the 43rd minute, and that was the last good look for either side in the half.

At halftime, Orlando City had the edge in possession (60.4%-39.6%) and passing accuracy (89.3%-83%), but accomplished nothing over the opening 45 minutes. As the only side interested in trying to score a goal, Charlotte had more shots (7-0), shots on target (2-0), and corners (2-0).

“They’re playing at home on their field. Obviously we all know that they have the urgency that this is a must-win game, and we knew they were going to come out aggressive,” Pareja said. “The fact is we sustained that pressure but we couldn’t hurt them when we had the ball. I think it’s probably what we missed today. But the game plan was the same. It’s just that the games are not the same.”

Charlotte quickly got a look at goal after the restart when Santos whiffed on an easy-looking ball at his feet and Vargas picked it up and fired. Gallese got down to make the stop in the 46th minute. Three minutes later, it was Torres’ turn to cough up the ball. The Uruguayan left a soft pass attempt too close to Vargas, who quickly found Patrick Agyemang. The Charlotte striker sent his header right at Gallese.

Ojeda sent in a cross in the 52nd minute that he left too close to Kahlina for an easy catch.

A minute later, Charlotte won a corner. Ashley Westwood got his head to the back-post cross but could only get a piece of it, heading it softly wide.

Pareja sent McGuire on for an ineffective Enrique in the 56th minute to get the offense going, but Charlotte quickly won a corner and Andrew Privett headed it softly wide. Vargas knocked heads with Privett when the two arrived at the ball at the same time, and they continued after treatment.

The Lions finally attempted a shot in the 65th minute. Thorhallsson cut inside and had a go, but his effort was deflected behind by the defense for an Orlando corner. Despite generating no offense all night, the Lions played the corner short, quickly passed it backward near midfield, and then sent in a lazy lob of an entry ball for Kahlina to catch.

Agyemang nearly got in behind two minutes later. Jansson did well to make a vital sliding challenge in the box to knock it out for a corner. Nothing came from that or another corner moments later, sandwiched around an unsuccessful Orlando corner at the other end.

Another corner kick was cleared outside the area in the 74th minute, falling for Nathan Byrne, who blasted his shot into the stands.

The Lions got their only shot on target of the night in the 83rd minute. Left with time and space just outside the area, Angulo sent in a shot, but it didn’t have a lot on it and sailed right at Kahlina.

A couple more wasted Charlotte corners and the game headed into an indicated nine minutes of stoppage time that ended up being a bit longer than that.

Torres looked to have finally broken the ice in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A good ball from Luis Muriel sent Lodeiro down the left. Lodeiro found Torres in the middle and the Uruguayan blasted the shot into the net, but the flag came up after the ball went in. The replay showed Lodeiro was about even with the last defender. His arm, which is not a part of the body that an attacker can score with, may have been beyond the closest defender, but Ream’s foot may have been keeping him on.

It was one of those plays that probably would have stood regardless of how it was called on the field, so it was fortunate for Charlotte that the flag came up.

“We have seen it already multiple times. Don’t understand why, knowing the ruling, why the team was flagged up without (it) just being so obvious,” Pareja said of the play. “And after we reviewed it, I have to say that I didn’t see it clear that it was an offside. Nothing that I say now is going to change that.”

That was the final attack and the game went to penalties.

Orlando City held the advantage in possession (55.3%-44.7%) and passing accuracy (86.7%-83.2%), while Charlotte had more shots (13-2), shots on target (3-1), and corners (11-3).

“I think they did a really good job of really sitting and waiting and staying compact together and trying to hit us on the counterattack, which they did very well,” Schlegel said. “You know, they’re a really strong team and a really physical team, so when they were defending us, they used that to their advantage. We have to take this week to fix those mistakes that we had today and really get stronger, so that way we can be the best team out there on Saturday and advance to the next round.”

“I think that we could have done much better after we extended our game to the middle third and then create some chances and put Charlotte in more difficult situations,” Pareja said. “But it was the game that was proposed for Charlotte, just waiting for any error and counterattack. At that moment we preferred just to have the control and see if we can break those lines in a different manner, but it really was tense for both teams. It was again very tight in the middle, not much spaces, and that’s very clear that we couldn’t break that line the way we wanted.”

Lodeiro was the first Orlando shooter and unfortunately he didn’t set the tone. Lodeiro’s shot was too close to Kahlina and a good height for the keeper. Kahlina guessed correctly and saved it.

After Agyemang scored for Charlotte, Jansson sent his penalty way over the bar to effectively end things. Karol Swiderski hit his penalty to give the hosts a commanding 2-0 lead after two rounds.

Muriel had no trouble with his penalty to get Orlando on the board, but Westwood answered, pushing Orlando to the brink. The Lions’ fourth shooter was McGuire, who hit it hard but left his shot far too close to the goalkeeper, and Kahlina made the save, ending the game.

“At the end, we could have won it,” Pareja said. “(The penalty shootout) It’s obviously frustration, but it’s part of this game. It’s something that I don’t want to stick with, and the players have to have the positivism and the courage that we always have to finish our game at home.”

“Obviously, not the result that we wanted tonight and a difficult way to have the final,” Schlegel said. “We’re a little bit angry at the result, because we felt like we played a really good game. We were driving the game at times, but we weren’t able to score that goal, and they were able to take the victory in penalties. So, certainly something to discuss this week. But yeah, we’re heated, and focusing on Saturday now.”

The Lions will host Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 9 in a winner-take-all Game 3. The winner advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals, while the loser is done for the season. Like tonight’s game, a draw would immediately go to penalties.

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Lion Links: 5/8/25

Orlando City steamrolls the Tampa Bay Rowdies in I-4 Derby, Orlando Pride aim to bounce back, U.S. Open Cup results, and more.

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1 hour ago

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May 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s not often we get to celebrate an Orlando City victory in the middle of the week these days, but hopefully it’s a habit we get used to. The Lions took care of business in my neck of the woods, and it’s given some nice optimism to finish this week strongly. Let’s dive into the big win and more in today’s links!

Orlando City Trounces Tampa Bay Rowdies

Take a bow, Gustavo Caraballo! The 16-year-old was the star of the show in Orlando City’s dominant 5-0 U.S. Open Cup win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scoring twice to jumpstart Orlando’s attack and making history along the way. There’s plenty of scoring to enjoy, so be sure to check out our full recap!

Hopefully this game was a nice shot in the arm for Orlando’s offense and something to build on in league play. It’s always nice to take down the Rowdies and the Lions are now the last Floridian team standing in the tournament. They’ll host Nashville SC in the round of 16 later this month in what should be a good game in the City Beautiful.

Orlando Pride Aim to Bounce Back in North Carolina

After a 1-0 loss on the road to the Portland Thorns, the Orlando Pride will look to return to their winning ways when they face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. It’s going to be another tough environment for the Pride to play in, although the Courage have lost two of their three home games so far this season. Pride defender Emily Sams spoke on the team’s mentality heading into this match and how the team can raise its level after a disappointing loss in Portland.

U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Wraps Up

MLS teams mostly cruised in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32, but it was still an exciting round of soccer filled with drama. In a vintage “cupset,” the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Orlando native Beto Ydrach. Indy Eleven nearly took down the Philadelphia Union, but the MLS side converted all five kicks in the penalty shootout to advance after a 1-1 draw.

The New England Revolution escaped Pawtucket with a 2-1 road win against Rhode Island FC, with 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira scoring a late winner. Minnesota United squeezed past Louisville City 1-0, the Chicago Fire put Detroit City to the sword in a 4-0 win, and FC Dallas won 3-1 against USL League One side AV Alta FC.

UEFA Champions League Final Set

Paris Saint-Germain did everything it needed to and more at home against Arsenal, winning 2-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Great saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi propelled PSG to victory, with Bukayo Saka providing Arsenal’s only goal of the two-leg series. PSG will take on Inter Milan in the final on May 31 and it should be an interesting matchup at Allianz Arena to close out the tournament. Will PSG lift its first Champions League trophy only a year after Kylian Mbappe left the club, or will Inter come out on top after finishing as runner-up in 2023? I can’t wait to find out.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team star Mallory Swanson and her husband Dansby Swanson, as the couple announced that they’re expecting their first child!
  • Racing Louisville announced that goalkeeper Katie Lund and midfielder Maddie Pokorny will both miss the remainder of the season due to hip injuries. Jordyn Bloomer, who had five saves in Friday’s win over the Houston Dash, will serve as the team’s goalkeeper in Lund’s stead.
  • The Columbus Crew signed Daniel Gazdag to a contract extension through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well.
  • Arsene Wenger proposed a change to the offside rule so that attacking players are onside so long as any part of their body is lined up with the last defender. We’ll see if anything comes of this, but it could lead to more goals in the future.
  • Here’s what to watch for in the second legs of the Europa League semifinals. Manchester United will host Athletic Club with a three-goal lead in aggregate, while Tottenham will aim to defend its two-goal advantage in Norway against a Bodo/Glimt side that has key players returning from suspension.
  • Tottenham will be without James Maddison, who is out for the rest of the season after a knee injury sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 5-0 as Lions Roar Past Rowdies

The Lions destroyed their I-4 Derby rivals at Al Lang Stadium, advancing to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

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10 hours ago

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May 7, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions found their scoring boots tonight at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and spent much of the 90 minutes applying those boots to the backsides of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Gustavo Caraballo’s brace led Orlando City, with Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson each adding a goal in a comprehensive road victory.

On the other end, Orlando allowed the host Rowdies very little, keeping the team’s sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, although this one was backstopped by Javier Otero rather than Pedro Gallese, who sat on the substitutes’ bench.

“I think scoring today was so healthy for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after his team’s five-goal outburst. “The first objective was trying to keep the pace that we had defensively on being solid, but at the same time, and just move on to that team that is scoring again. So we’re happy in that part, and in between the boxes, we played a good game. We saw the youngsters playing, some of the other players that were not regularly in the lineup, so it was very complete.”

Pareja’s lineup was heavily rotated from the side that played Saturday in Chicago, with Otero starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Nico Rodriguez, Martin Ojeda, and Caraballo, with Enrique up top.

It took Orlando City a while to get going, but once the Lions saw the ball in the net once, they looked dangerous for the remainder of the opening half.

Not much happened early for either side, other than some rough challenges by the Rowdies that were (eventually) punished by a single booking, but one in the opening moments to knock Freeman down while trying to get forward in transition would normally draw a yellow card.

Orlando’s first shot came in the ninth minute off a corner kick. The ball fell for Caraballo in the box and his shot hit a defender on the ground. Orlando players appealed for a handball, and it appeared the defender moved his hand on the ground up into the ball’s path, but referee Natalie Simon saw nothing wrong with it.

In the 13th minute, on what was probably the third bookable offense of the game by Tampa Bay, Simon finally showed a yellow card to Daniel Crisostomo for a hard challenge on Ojeda. Moments later, Araujo got his foot stomped on after releasing a pass but no card was given on a nasty challenge.

Enrique got into a good spot in the box in the 23rd minute and fired a shot that defender Forrest Lasso did well to block out for a corner kick. Lasso then cleared the ensuing set piece entry ball. Manuel Arteaga tried to catch Otero off his line from midfield after the clearance but the young goalkeeper wasn’t in danger of being beaten even if the attempt hadn’t been well off target.

Enrique’s flicked effort in the 26th minute was blocked by the defense, and an Ojeda attempt from a tight angle on the left in the 29th minute was well saved by goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi.

Tampa Bay got a rare shot in the 33rd minute from outside the area, but Schlegel blocked it at the top of the box. The ball sailed high into the air and served as catching practice for Otero.

Orlando City broke through a minute later. Ojeda took a good entry ball from Santos down the left and sent a low pass through the box. Caraballo got onto it and blasted it just under the bar to make it 1-0. It was the 16-year-old’s first goal with the first team, and he became the youngest player to score a first-team goal in a competitive match for Orlando City.

Gustavo gets it done ✔️

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-05-08T00:52:42.622Z

“It means a lot. I was able to rise to the opportunity that the coaching staff and my team gave me, and I was able to score in front of all the friends that came a long way to see us play and see us getting that very much important win to send us off to the next round,” Caraballo said.

“Congratulations to Gustavo, to the coaches in the academy, to the program that we have,” Pareja said. “I think that they have done a tremendous job on developing these kids and putting him in the first team for us is a privilege. And not just that, but to see those performances in a kid that is so young, still.”

Caraballo doubled the lead two minutes later. A takeaway in the attacking third ended up on Thorhallsson’s foot. The Icelandic midfielder cut across the box left to right. Just when it seemed he would fire a shot toward goal, he sent a diagonal pass to his right for Caraballo to run onto. The young midfielder slotted his shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute.

“I saw that there was space, that the left back wasn’t there, and if I attacked that space, I would be able to get the ball,” Caraballo said. “Thankfully, Dagur was able to see me and (it was) just a normal finish that we practice every day. And I’m just glad I was able to finish it.”

The Rowdies tried to pull one back in the 40th minute. Otero went up to catch a cross from his left and was barrelled over by Arteaga. Otero spilled the ball into his own net, but the whistle had gone for the obvious foul. A minute later, the Rowdies appealed for a penalty when a player went down in the box under contact, but Simon again wasn’t buying it.

Enrique made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Araujo sent a beautiful ball over the top that fell perfectly for Santos’ well-timed run. The Brazilian fullback slid a centering pass in front at the top of the six and Enrique flicked it through Campisi and in for the Lions’ third.

The last look of the first half was another good one for Orlando. Santos was sent down the left by Thorhallsson and was in a good position to shoot. The fullback sent a cannon shot over the bar from the left in stoppage time.

The Lions took their three-goal lead into the break. Orlando held the halftime advantage in possession (57.9%-42.1%), shots (9-3), shots on target (4-0), and corners (4-1).

“We needed to be patient just to open the first goal, or to get that first goal, and we scored in the right time, I think,” Pareja said of the team’s final 15 minutes of the half — between the hydration break and halftime. “I think in that moment we pushed the pedal and the other two goals came. But if there is one thing I said about what changed, it was that we moved the ball faster, and the dynamic that the boys had to connect that helped us just to land in the box with more numbers and with more options to score.”

With the three-goal lead, Pareja withdrew Ojeda and Freeman from the lineup before the restart, sending on Duncan McGuire and Colin Guske.

The second half, perhaps as a result of Orlando’s subs and a couple by the Rowdies, was disjointed just after the restart. Tampa Bay was able to stay on the ball a bit more.

Still, the first good look of the second half came in the 57th minute and was created by the Lions. Caraballo fizzed a good cross into the box that found Enrique. The Argentine sent a flicked header on goal, but Campisi made a good save.

The Lions added a fourth two minutes later anyway. McGuire headed down a ball from the back to Rodriguez on the right. The Colombian sent a good return ball over the top for McGuire, who used his strength to hold off his defender before blasting his first goal of the season past Campisi to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute. The pass was Rodriguez’s first assist as a Lion.

“Duncan has been in that long recovery process that he had on his shoulder, and just seeing him now getting his rhythm and his best version and scoring is so healthy for our team,” Pareja said. “And Ramiro similar, too.”

Tampa Bay started to create some half-chances past the hour mark, shortly after both teams had made more substitutions. Orlando withdrew Araujo and Schlegel, replacing them with Zakaria Taifi and David Brekalo.

The first decent look of the half for the Rowdies came in the 67th minute. Woobens Pacius received the ball at the top right corner of the Orlando box and made a good turn, firing a shot for the near post. Otero had the post covered and made a comfortable save.

After the second-half hydration break, the Rowdies put a couple of decent shots on goal but couldn’t beat Otero. The first of those came in the 78th minute from Alexander Rodriguez from the top of the box on the right. The shot had a lot of power on it, but Otero fought it off. A minute later, Smith and Santos were caught up the field, allowing Ollie Bassett to sneak in down the right. He took a pass and blasted a shot that Otero saved.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to add a fifth goal in the 86th minute. Colin Guske intercepted a pass near the top of his own penalty area and dribbled forward in transition. He did well to pick out Enrique making a run slightly right of center. The Argentine carried the ball into the box with McGuire on his left all alone. Enrique slowed and cut back to his left, firing a shot wide of the left post.

Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the 90th minute, getting onto a pass from late substitute Ivan Angulo in the semicircle just outside Tampa Bay’s penalty area and blasting a shot just inside the left post to make it 5-0. It gave Thorhallsson a goal to go with his earlier assist.

After just one minute of stoppage time, Simon blew the full-time whistle on a dominant win over a struggling USL Championship side. The first 30 minutes were tightly contested, but the rest of the match was owned by Orlando City.

In the end, Orlando held the advantage in possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (15-7), shots on target (7-3), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (91.8%-89.4%).

“We’re really excited now to put our mind into the next one against New England at home, but today it was a game that we needed,” Pareja said.

The Lions improved to 8-0-0 in all competitions against Tampa Bay.

Orlando City moves on to the Round of 16 to host Nashville SC with a date and time to be announced, but the window for that round is May 20 and 21. The Lions return to action at home Saturday against the New England Revolution.

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Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The I-4 Derby is back as Orlando City starts play in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup at Tampa Bay tonight.

Published

22 hours ago

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May 7, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+). The I-4 Derby was established before the Lions joined Major League Soccer but this is the second time since OCSC made the jump that the rivalry has real stakes. It’s the third time the teams have met in this competition.

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

History

Orlando City is 7-0-0 in the all-time series as far as “official” records go, but 9-0-1 if you count three preseason friendly meetings since the Lions made the jump to MLS.

The most recent meeting in the series took place on April 20, 2022, with the Lions defeating the Rowdies 2-1 in Orlando City’s 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup opener at Exploria Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Alexandre Pato opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after Benji Michel was fouled in the box by Aaron Guillen. Junior Urso added a second goal in the 63rd minute. Lucky Mkosana pulled one back two minutes after Urso’s goal, but the Rowdies could get no closer.

The I-4 Derby began in 2013, when the Lions and Rowdies met three times. Orlando City was in the third-division USL Pro at the time, while the Rowdies played in the second division’s NASL. The teams first met on Feb. 23, 2013 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports as part of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic. The Lions won that game in the tournament’s consolation bracket 2-0, thanks to a first-minute penalty conversion by midfielder Jamie Watson and a 78th-minute dagger by striker Dennis Chin.

After that initial meeting, the I-4 Derby was established with a pair of home-and-home preseason friendlies. The teams met in Orlando on March 9, 2013, with the Lions capturing a 3-2 win on goals by Watson, James O’Connor, and Jean Alexandre, while Amani Walker and Luke Mulholland scored Tampa Bay’s first goals against Orlando City. The return leg took place at Al Lang Stadium on March 30 of that year and Orlando won 3-2 again. Kevin Molino, Adama Mbengue, and Dom Dwyer provided the offense, with Dwyer’s 91st-minute strike winning the game. Takuya Yamada and Walker scored for the Rowdies.

The I-4 Derby resumed in 2014, with the first game taking place in Lake Buena Vista on April 30, as the Lions played home matches at Disney’s Wide World of Sports that year. Orlando City won 3-0 on goals by Mbengue, Chin, and Brian “Cobi” Span.

The teams then met in the U.S. Open Cup in the first competitive I-4 Derby match-up on May 28, 2014, at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford. The Lions thumped the Rowdies 4-1 in that match, with Molino bagging a first-half brace and Austin da Luz and Mbengue also scoring in the opening 45 minutes. Blake Wagner’s goal just before halftime spoiled the shutout, but the Lions handled their business.

The return leg of the regularly scheduled 2014 I-4 Derby in St. Petersburg didn’t happen until July 6, with Orlando winning by a 3-2 scoreline for the third time in the series. Molino and Darwin Ceren scored on either side of a strike by Tampa Bay’s Georgi Hristov to take a 2-1 lead into the break. Hristov tied the match in the second half, but Corey Hertzog scored the winner for the Lions in the 75th minute.

Since 2014, the teams have met in a few preseason friendlies/scrimmages, and while they aren’t being counted in the overall series, they count in our hearts and live in our memories. The Lions and Rowdies met in the 2017 preseason, playing to a scoreless draw at Sylvan Lake Park in a closed-door scrimmage held on Feb. 11. Three years later, almost to the day, the teams met again in the preseason — this time at Exploria Stadium — on Feb. 12, 2020. Orlando City won 2-1, with Urso and Jordan Bender supplying the offense in a come-from-behind win after Kyle Murphy had put Tampa ahead.

The most recent friendly took place on Feb. 19, 2022, when the Lions again topped the Rowdies in preseason behind closed doors. Tesho Akindele, Mauricio Pereyra (penalty), and Jack Lynn scored for Orlando, while Tampa Bay avoided a shutout thanks to a goal by Jake LaCava.

Overview

Orlando City enters tonight’s match on an eight-game unbeaten run (3-0-5), but the Lions are coming off their fourth 0-0 draw in five outings Saturday in Chicago. The common denominator in the run of scoreless draws seems to be the absence of Eduard Atuesta. The Colombian midfielder played 11 minutes in the second half in the 0-0 game against the New York Red Bulls, and went 90 in the 3-0 win over Atlanta before a neck injury knocked him out of the lineup Saturday. He’s missed the other 0-0 draws entirely. He’s also listed as out for tonight per Orlando City’s game notes, which dropped Tuesday afternoon. Orlando is 1-1-4 on the road this season, with all of those six matches coming against MLS competition.

The Lions are in the midst of fixture congestion throughout the month of May, so tonight’s Orlando City lineup will likely be made up of a mixture of regular starters, backups, and reserve players who have been splitting time between the bench and OCB. That was the case in 2022 when these teams last met. Orlando City fans will be hoping that like that year, opening up against Tampa Bay will jump start a trophy run.

The Lions are 17-10-5 (6-7-2 away) in all U.S. Open Cup matches since 2011 and 9-6-5 (3-3-2 away) in the club’s MLS era. It is, however, noteworthy that if you take away the 2022 USOC run to the championship, during which the Lions went 4-0-2, with all of those games played in their home stadium, OCSC’s record drops to 5-6-3 in U.S. Open Cup play during the MLS years.

Tampa Bay is off to a poor start in 2025. The Rowdies enter tonight just 1-4-1 on the season (0-2-1 at home) and sit in 11th place out of 12 in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings. That’s a little deceptive, because every match the Rowdies have played before has either been a one-goal game or a draw. Tampa most recently drew 2-2 at home Saturday against Birmingham Legion FC. The Rowdies advanced from the Round of 64 after a 1-1 road draw against FC Naples. Burundi international Pacifique Niyongabire put Tampa Bay up in the 26th minute, only to see former Chicago Fire II midfielder Luka Prpa equalize a minute later. When 30 minutes of extra time could not break the 1-1 deadlock, the game went to penalties. The shootout went 10 shooters deep, with Tampa Bay prevailing 9-8 when Julian Cisneros of Naples hit the crossbar.

The Lions will have to keep an eye on Woobens Pacius, who leads the Rowdies with three goals in seven matches. Niyongabire, Daniel Crisostomo, Ollie Bassett, and Leo Fernandes each have one goal for Tampa Bay. He doesn’t have a goal yet this season, but forward Manuel Arteaga is averaging three shots per game, so he’ll be another threat to watch.

“It [Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup] brings back great memories for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “The respect that we have for the Cup is important. We’re facing the game against the Rowdies with all the ambition to win it and keep advancing, so we’re taking it very seriously. It’s a proud moment for us to participate in the tournament and represent our club again.”

In addition to Atuesta (neck), Orlando City will be without season-ending injured players Wilder Cartagena (Achilles) and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Joran Gerbet (lower leg) has been upgraded to questionable alongside Favian Loyola (thigh).

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Attacking Midfielders: Gustavo Caraballo, Martin Ojeda, Nico Rodriguez.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Pedro Gallese, Zakaria Taifi, David Brekalo, Colin Guske, Ivan Angulo, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Tampa Bay Rowdies (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Nicolas Campisi.

Defenders: Aaron Guillen, Forrest Lasso, Robert Castellanos, Pacifique Niyongabire.

Midfielders: Leo Fernandes, Daniel Crisostomo, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Ollie Bassett.

Forwards: Laurence Wyke, Manuel Arteaga.

Bench: Ethan Bandre, Mateus DeJesus, Blake Bodily, Nathan Worth, Endri Mustali, Alexander Rodriguez, Woobens Pacius.

Referees

Ref: Natalie Simon.
AR1: Katarzyna Wasiak.
AR2: Colin Ashley.
4th: Benjamin Meyer.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Al Lang Stadium — St. Petersburg.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+.

Radio: None.

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!

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