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Wilder Cartagena Must Be Himself Despite Yellow Card Accumulation

An evaluation of Wilder Cartagena’s propensity for earning yellow cards and how that may influence the upcoming playoff game against Charlotte.

Published

7 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

My wife recently went to a Hoobastank concert at EPCOT, and while standing in line, waiting to be allowed to enter the general admission seating area, she asked one of the Disney employees working the event which band had had the longest line queued up in advance of being allowed to enter. The answer, to her great surprise (and later to mine), was Yellowcard. I have nothing against that band, it just would have taken me approximately 15-20 days worth of guesses to even think of them as generating that much demand.

If you were to ask me which current Orlando City player would be most likely to receive a yellow card, however, that would not even take 15-20 seconds. Since joining Orlando City in 2022, Wilder Cartagena averages 0.35 yellow cards per 90 minutes in MLS regular-season play, or about one yellow card per every three games.

Quick trivia question for our diehard Orlando City fans: Cartagena’s 0.35 yellow cards per 90 minutes ranks fourth all time on the Orlando City leaderboard among players who played at least 1,000 MLS minutes. Who are the three players who received yellow cards more frequently?

I’ll show a table shortly that reveals this answer, but before then I will point out that Cartagena has also played in five MLS playoff games, and he is currently on a…hot?…cold?…terrible and please stop doing this?…streak of earning a yellow card in four consecutive postseason matches. His playoff yellow-cards-per-90-minutes average is a ridiculous 0.85, so for all intents and purposes, one yellow card in every game. That is the kind of performance that gets you…suspended.

More on this after I reveal the answer to the trivia question in the chart below. Thanks to the coders at Opta and fbref.com and their Stathead site for tracking yellow cards received. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane this provided, as during some of those early Orlando City years the team was far better at earning yellow cards than the Lions were at things like scoring goals and winning games. Maybe I actually did not enjoy this as much as I thought.

Without further ado, here are your Orlando City players who most frequently received yellow cards in MLS play:

For all of you who correctly identified Cristian Higuita, Brek Shea and Sebas Méndez without doing any research, I suggest bringing this knowledge of arcane Orlando City trivia and joining us at The Mane Land!

Back to Cartagena and suspensions, MLS rules for the playoffs are that if a player receives three yellow cards during the opening round and conference semifinal games, then they must sit out the next game. So, since Cartagena received two yellow cards during the first two opening-round games against Charlotte, if he receives a yellow card in Game 3, he would be suspended for the conference semifinal, if Orlando City defeats Charlotte.

I have shared similar data before, but while Cartagena may not be the player that most fans or pundits think of when thinking about Orlando City, there is the little matter of the fact that he leads the team in plus-minus (goals scored while a player is on the field minus goals given up while a player is on the field) across all competitions this year:

Not only does he lead the team in plus-minus while he is on the field, he is also one of only two Lions (Cesar Araújo is the other) who has a season-long negative on-off value (negative in this case is good, as on-off is calculated by the goals scored when a player is off the field minus the goals given up while a player is off the field). Cartagena is +22 while on the field and the team was -5 while he was not on the field, so he is a net +27 for the season, an outstanding number.

The website fbref.com tracks on-off for MLS regular season games only, and among non-goalkeepers Cartagena ranked 26th in 2024 and and 24th over the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined, with Orlando City being more than one goal worse per 90 minutes in goal differential when the Peruvian midfielder was not playing. Said another way, having Cartagena play a full 90 minutes during the last two seasons was basically tantamount to Orlando City starting the match with a 1-0 lead.

This was not meant to be a Cartagena fawning session, so let me step down from this soapbox (I do not think the crowd could have been any wilder (see what I did there?) while I was speaking though) and walk down to a place off Ocean Avenue to get back to the topic of yellow cards. I do not regret writing that line.

As mentioned earlier, Cartagena is carrying two yellow cards into the upcoming match with Charlotte, so if (when) he receives one, he would be suspended for the semifinal if Orlando City wins. As he is averaging nearly a yellow card per match in his five-game playoff career, it feels very likely that he will receive one at some point in the game. While it would be devastating for him, and the team, to think about having to play a conference semifinal without him on the field, there is a playoff cliché that applies here first, which is that in the playoffs, teams have to survive and advance and think about games one at a time.

Orlando City cannot play Atlanta or Inter Miami before it plays Charlotte, so the Lions need to play the style that they believe will bring them the best chance of winning. That means Cartagena needs to be a midfield destroyer and not be constantly on edge and trying to avoid a card. During the 2024 season he averaged 2.0 fouls committed per 90 minutes, which is 36th in MLS and 19th among MLS midfielders, and he needs to be the same aggressive player he has been all season. If he is thinking about yellow cards, he is not fully focused on winning, and that will not benefit the Lions.

If Cartagena does receive a yellow card, and as a reminder, he averages 0.85 yellow cards per match in MLS playoff games, so this is quite likely, then I believe it would be most beneficial if it were to happen in the middle third of the match. All cards in the opening third of an elimination match are brutal, as those players are now on the referee’s radar and have to consider the risk of a second yellow on any play they make for the rest of the match. It would be doubly brutal for Cartagena, as he would then also have the extra mental strain of knowing that he is definitely missing the next match if the Lions win, and in an elimination game, one moment of distraction or loss of focus can mean the difference. By the way, Tim Ream, feel free to be distracted for many moments.

Elite athletes like Cartagena are usually far better at compartmentalizing than we normal humans are, so perhaps an early yellow card would not impact him that much, but it would be better for Orlando City if it does not happen, so there is not the additional concern around if Oscar Pareja needs to sub him off to avoid going down to 10 players. Just as an early yellow card would be brutal, I also believe that a yellow card in the final third of the game would be brutal, because that would mean that the game was still competitive enough that Cartagena had to be on the field and taking risks to make plays, and then there would be the immediate letdown of a yellow card and the knowledge that if Orlando City advances, he would not be available.

An early card changes the game for Cartagena and the coaching staff, and a late card means a close game and a risk of short-term loss of focus late in the match, so therefore I am going to go with a yellow card in the middle of the match being the best scenario, even though none of these are actually good options. I do not want to disrespect any of the other central midfield candidates, but there is not really another good option aside from a midfield pairing of Araújo and Cartagena for as long as Orlando City can have them on the field. If this was Inter Miami, I’m sure Darth…sorry, Don…Garber would find a way for an emergency one-game contract signing of someone like Arsenal’s Declan Rice, but this is Orlando City, so no such luck for the Lions.

Make no mistake, the best outcome for Orlando City is a clean game from Cartagena, and while his playoff booking numbers are not ideal, he played 20 card-free MLS regular-season games this year, so he certainly can do it. My hope is that he does not allow the yellow card accumulation to influence his play at all and just plays with the same vim and vigor that made him the most valuable player for Orlando City in terms of goal differential.

If it helps at all, I am happy to write this message up in big bold letters and display it inside Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night, though I will definitely not write it on a yellow card.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-2 as Late Araujo Red Card Turns Orlando Lead into a Loss

Orlando led 2-1 late, but Cesar Araujo’s moment of madness gave Atlanta life and the hosts took advantage of it.

Published

5 hours ago

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May 28, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City had a 13th straight result in its sights with a late lead, but a late red card turned the game around in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Lions (7-3-6, 27 points) have no one but themselves to blame for turning a 2-1 lead with minutes to play into a loss, as Cesar Araujo lost his wits and grabbed Mateusz Klich by his throat after being pushed from behind and was given a straight red. That allowed Atlanta (4-7-5, 17 points) to score twice to come from behind and break the Lions’ 12-game unbeaten streak.

Araujo and Ramiro Enrique had given Orlando a 2-1 lead at the break by scoring on either side of an Alexey Miranchuk goal, and the Lions were defending resolutely with 13 minutes left in normal time, when the game got drunk after a routine foul by substitute Kyle Smith. Klich pushed Araujo from behind, and the Uruguayan took exception, putting his hand on the base of the throat of the Atlanta midfielder. It was perhaps soft, but it was also not a smart play, and Araujo was immediately sent off for violent conduct that wasn’t all that violent but was rather foolish.

After the sending off, Bartosz Slisz leveled the game for the hosts, prompting a reaction from the Orlando City bench that got Head Coach Oscar Pareja sent off. Jamal Thiare then scored off a needless giveaway in the defensive half late in stoppage time to steal the last point away from Orlando.

“I thought we played a very good 70 minutes until the red card and (that’s) something that we’re going to be loud (about) internally with the behavior of the referee,” Pareja said after the match. “I want to leave it there, but we (aren’t) very impressed with the way that was handled, because it was a game well played. We were doing the right things. And that changed the whole thing. So, we’re obviously frustrated, but we’re going to follow our protocols, as we always do with the league, and we’ll take care of that the best professional way possible.”

Pareja’s lineup again featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Araujo was joined in central midfield by Joran Gerbet with attacking midfielders Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.

The game got going early. Atlanta won a corner kick and the cross found Derrick Williams at the far post in the third minute, but the defender’s soft header was no trouble for Gallese, who made a routine catch.

The Lions went the other way after the save and scored the game’s first goal. Ojeda sent a centering pass to the middle, where Pasalic and Araujo were waiting. Pasalic touched the ball a few inches to Araujo, who had plenty of space and decided to shoot. The defensive midfielder sent his shot just inside the left post to open the scoring in the fourth minute. There was a long video check as Enrique was in an offside position all the way out near the top of the area. The judgment was that his positioning did not affect the goal, and the Lions led 1-0.

Each team had a near miss with a dangerous looking ball that couldn’t find a friendly foot over the next few minutes, before the Lions put together a couple of good attacks. A good buildup on the right fizzled when Enrique tried to force a pass in front to Angulo and Atlanta’s defense intervened in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Ojeda was sent over the top by Jansson and was in alone on Brad Guzan’s goal on the left. Ojeda fired his shot wide of the right post by a couple of yards, wasting the chance.

Atlanta held the ball a long time after that chance, passing it left and right, picking up some rhythm. That was broken up eventually, but Pasalic opted an audacious long attempt from his own defensive third, and he scuffed his effort, handing the ball right back. Atlanta scored a minute later, punishing the mistake.

Saba Lobjanidze shook loose down the right side, beating Brekalo and sending a cross toward the middle. The ball deflected off Angulo’s heel and hit off Schlegel’s arm, which would have been a penalty, except the rebound fell for Miranchuk — who Gerbet let go — to fire home from point-blank range, tying the game in the 19th minute.

The game settled down a bit for a while after that. The next shot came in the 25th minute when Angulo sent a weak header to Guzan off an Araujo long throw-in.

Orlando regained the lead out of nowhere. Ojeda sent a good ball up the pitch for Enrique, but Williams took it away. The defender then lost the ball and Enrique pounced on it, beating Guzan to the near post to make it 2-1 in the 32nd minute.

Neither side had more than a half-chance until stoppage time. In the first minute of injury time, Angulo made a great pass to send Ojeda in behind on the left. The Lions’ No. 10 sent a dangerous ball to Freeman at the back post, but the ball bounced over his foot to rob him of a tap-in goal.

“With Ojeda, when he’s in that position, he either hits it very hard across or he’ll try to dink it back post,” Freeman said. “didn’t want to anticipate it too much, because if he put it hard across goal, I wanted to be able to tap it. Then he kind of just dinked it right in front of me, and then the bounce kind of…I kind of misjudged it. And then it was kind of by me. But it was a beautiful move by the left side and Ojeda.”

That was the last decent look at goal and the Lions took their one-goal lead into the break.

Atlanta held the halftime advantage in possession (52%-48%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-86.8%), while the Lions recorded more shots (6-5), shots on target (4-2), and corners (2-1).

Atlanta put in a cross just after the restart but it was no trouble for Gallese. The Lions then went the other way and Angulo and Ojeda played a nice 1-2, but Orlando got no scoring chance out of it because Angulo’s first touch on the return pass was far too heavy.

The Lions came agonizingly close in the 50th minute on back-to-back shots. Freeman sent Pasalic down the right flank, with the Croatian cutting inside and firing. His shot took a partial deflection and floated over Guzan but hit the back post. Ojeda had to wait for the ball to come down as Guzan recovered, and then the ball bounced on him. He was eventually able to shoot, but Guzan did well to stop the shot at the near post.

In the 55th minute, Pasalic again got forward again off a nice pass from Ojeda, cut inside, and fired. This time his shot went right down the middle for an easy Guzan save. Three minutes later, Ojeda again had a good look and, again, fired wide to the right of goal from the left.

Atlanta held much of the possession from that point on, but didn’t create much against Orlando’s organized defense. The only threat during that span came from Pedro Amador in the 70th minute, when he was alone on the left but fired his swerving shot off target.

What turned out to be an important decision by Referee Filip didn’t seem like it at the time. Orlando broke a long spell of Atlanta possession when Pasalic won the ball and looked to move up the pitch. Klich completely engulfed the right wing, pulling him back in a bear hug on an obvious tactical foul. Referee Filip Dujic opted not to book Klich for the cynical challenge with no attempt to play the ball, and that ended up helping the host team immensely moments later.

Both teams then started to substitute. The Lions put on more defensive troops in Smith and Eduard Atuesta, removing Angulo and Ojeda for them, with Luis Muriel stepping on for Pasalic in the 73rd and 74th minutes. The idea was to see out the final minutes and take three points back to Orlando.

However, Araujo lost his head a few minutes later and it turned the game around.

Smith’s foul could have gone either way, but the whistle blew and Araujo dribbled the ball forward. Klich wanted to get on with the restart and shoved the Uruguayan down from behind. Araujo got up and came at Klich, who was engaging with another player, from the side, putting his hand up on the base of Klich’s throat. Dujic immediately showed a red card. Orlando has seen worse let go the other way, but it was still a moment of empty-headedness for the midfielder, who took forever to leave, so he’ll expect a fine from the league. Klich was shown a yellow for the initial shove that instigated it. Had Dujic done his job properly moments earlier, both teams would have finished with 10 men, but that no-call was critical to the outcome.

The Lions dealt with the ensuing set piece and held Atlanta at bay for the next several minutes, with Muriel forcing Ajani Fortune into a tactical foul that Dujic did call in the 82nd minute. However, the Lions gave the ball away right after the restart and it was costly.

Jansson cleared a routine ball out of the box with a header, but it only went as far as Slisz. Gerbet was late in recovering, giving the opposing midfielder room to shoot. Slisz’s shot hit the inside of the left post and in, giving Gallese no chance and tying the game in the 83rd minute.

In the aftermath of the goal, Pareja was sent off after confronting the fourth official about the earlier red card on Araujo.

“I came up to the fourth referee, and I asked him why it was a red card (on Araujo),” Pareja said. “The Atlanta player, he pushed Cesar wildly too, and we were the ones who received the red card. And I said, ‘It is not a red card, why did you eject the player?’ And I was coming out from my zone like the other coach did, too. I have been in the league coaching for many years, so this is something natural in the games, but it seems like the (treatment) from them was different. We’re going to address it with the league instead of doing it in public, but what happened today, we’re very frustrated with the way they handled it. If the coaches need to be ejected because we came out eventually from our area, then we all have to be out every single game. It was a normal question to the assistant referee that we do every single game.”

Buoyed by the tying goal, Atlanta continued to attack, but Orlando did well to keep shots coming from distance or angles, and the defense dealt with the crosses in from the flanks. One shot that got through was from Klich in the 88th minute, but he hit it straight at Gallese, who saved comfortably. Gallese made another big save from point-blank range moments later, but the play was offside anyway, so it didn’t count.

Miranchuk sent a shot well off target from range in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and the Lions had at least four more minutes to kill off to earn a road point and extend their unbeaten run to 13.

The Lions had a chance to clear their lines in the fifth added minute, as the ball fell for Atuesta outside his defensive penalty area. Rather than clear it down the field or find a teammate, the Colombian tried a fancy play to knock the ball to himself, but instead Atlanta recovered the ball and immediately attacked. Miranchuk lifted a ball in for Lobjanidze, who got away from Schlegel. The attacker chested the ball down and knocked it over to Thiare, with Jansson caught ball watching and Brekalo on the wrong side of the striker to be able to stop the play. Thiare touched the winner home from point-blank range, and Orlando’s collapse was complete.

Duncan McGuire subbed on late but was not able to do much. Guzan was allowed to waste time without a yellow card, unlike Gallese, who had received one earlier for roughly the same amount of time wasting.

The Lions won a late corner and shouted for handball to no avail late in stoppage time. Gallese had come up for the set piece and the net was wide open. Atlanta was able to move the ball down the pitch but Edward Mosquera was offside and the final shot was over the empty net anyway.

There didn’t seem to be a review of the play in the box, but the ball appeared to come off a teammate from point-blank range and hit the arm of an Atlanta player, and by the way that rule has been officiated this season, that’s not often given, as there is no time for a player to react. That was the last gasp, and the Orlando City streak was over.

Atlanta ended up with the advantage in possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (13-10), and passing accuracy (87.8%-80.6%). Orlando City put more shots on target (6-5) and won more corners (6-5).

Orlando missed an opportunity to keep building on an outstanding May, as the Lions vomited up their three-game winning streak late. The Lions fell to just 5-11-7 in the all-time series, and 2-5-4 at Atlanta.

“Overall, I feel that we played a good game,” Freeman said. “I feel like the first half, we played very well on the way we want to play. Most of the second half we did as well. Then the little scuffle happened. After that it was just 10 men, us defending, and they were able to get some goals back. Now we have to move on to Saturday against Chicago.”

“The players have to think about what a good job they did until those 75 minutes when the referee got involved with the red card and just bounce back on those positive things,” Pareja said. “Because I thought we played very well until that happened. We cannot forget that, and we have two days to bring forth the message and keep doing what we’re doing, and play against Chicago.”

The Lions have one more quick turnaround before anyone gets any rest, as they return home Saturday to host the Chicago Fire. They won’t have Araujo or Pareja for that match unless some unexpected adjudication happens.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions continue their May grind with a visit to the fake plastic surface of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to take on Atlanta.

Published

17 hours ago

on

May 28, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (7-2-6, 27 points) and Atlanta United (3-7-5, 14 points) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (7:15 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals, closing the series for the 2025 regular season.

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

History

The Lions are 5-10-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-4-4 on the road. The Lions are 6-11-7 against tonight’s hosts in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup).

The teams just met in Orlando almost a month ago to the day on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Ramiro Enrique provided the game’s only goal and the defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met last year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 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 McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

The southeast rivals 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, outshooting 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 hard-fought 1-0 win at home over the Portland Timbers on Saturday, marking the Lions’ third consecutive win and Orlando’s 12th consecutive result (6-0-6). The 12-game unbeaten streak equaled the club’s record set in 2020. McGuire scored the game’s only goal off a terrific assist by Eduard Atuesta, who returned to action after missing several games with a neck injury.

The Lions are 2-1-4 on the road this season, with the two wins and four draws all coming since a loss at New York City FC on March 8 in the Lions’ first road match of the season.

Atlanta United is coming off the team’s first win since before its visit to Orlando in April. The Five Stripes bested FC Cincinnati 4-2 on Sunday night. That win snapped an eight-game winless streak (0-5-3), as Derrick Williams, Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz, and Jamal Thiare scored.

Atlanta is 3-3-3 at home this season, meaning all of the team’s wins and three of its five draws have come at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as opposed to the team’s dreadful road record of 0-4-2.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who led Atlanta in goals (9) and was second in assists (7) a year ago. He’s off to a slow start in 2025, but he’s plagued Orlando in the past, so he’ll bear watching. Former Middlesbrough man Emmanuel Latte Lath has five goals and an assist on the season. Miguel Almiron is also always a threat, with three goals and three assists on the season. Thiare has also had success in the past against Orlando City and is coming off a game in which he scored his second goal of the season.

“We’re feeling very confident and we’re feeling very positive,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think the last results have shown in many ways that we are progressing during the year and we can be the team that we want to be, or at least just to keep advancing towards that type of team. It’s true that we’re playing a good rival in Atlanta United, who is coming off their game against FC Cincinnati. We always say one game at a time, and that is our approach. We’re going to play Atlanta with the same desire and commitment that is characteristic of this group.”

Orlando City will be without Nico Rodriguez (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) is listed as questionable. Atlanta will be without Brooks Lennon (hamstring), Tristan Muyumba (knee), and Stian Gregersen (quad).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

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

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Arajuo, Joran Gerbet, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Zakaria Taifi, Kyle Smith, Eduard Atuesta, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Shak Mohammed, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (5-3-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Ronald Hernandez, Luis Abram, Derrick Williams, Matthew Edwards, Saba Lobjanidze.

Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz, Aleksey Miranchuk.

Forwards: Miguel Almiron, Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Bench: Jayden Hibbert, Pedro Amador, Noah Cobb, Efrain Morales, Will Reilly, Luke Brennan, Edwin Mosquera, Mateusz Klich, Jamal Thiare.

Referees

Ref: Filip Dujic.
AR1: Walt Heatherly.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4th: Abdou Ndiaye.
VAR: Ramy Touchan.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta.

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

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

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/28/25

Orlando City set to face Atlanta, Banda and Sams recognized, USMNT news, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

on

May 28, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day against the rivals from Georgia. Lions against…a common clothing pattern? Needless to say, I’m always ready for a rivalry match, and tonight is no exception. Orlando City is in a good run of form, hopefully that holds true in Atlanta. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Heads North

Orlando City takes on rival Atlanta United tonight in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s a place where a lot of people can watch soccer played on turf, making it a sub-standard venue. Just in case you are wondering, here is what the opposition feels Atlanta needs to do to win at home. The Lions climbed up to third in MLSsoccer.com’s Power Rankings following the win over the Portland Timbers. We will have your match preview later today, and you can follow The Mane Land Bluesky account for match updates.

Banda and Sams Recognized

A first-half hat trick from Barbra Banda was enough to earn her a spot on the NWSL Team of the Week at CBS.com. Emily Sams also made the Best XI. In fact, there is still time to vote for Banda for NWSL Player of the Week for the aforementioned hat trick performance. You know what to do.

Orlando Pride Power

The Orlando Pride victory over the Utah Royals wasn’t a marquee matchup, but it still garnered plenty of attention. As such, the Pride held onto the third spot in the All for XI Power Rankings. The club was also third in the Goal.com Power Rankings heading into the international break. You know what I think about power rankings, but I’ll accept recognition for my club when it is presented.

Freeman and the USMNT

It didn’t take long after Orlando City defender Alex Freeman received an undervalued offer from Serie A club Parma for the rumors to start up. Freeman’s services are reportedly wanted by teams being promoted to the English Premier League. Perhaps this is a good time for Luiz Muzzi to sign the young defender to a new contract?

Several Americans made waves in Europe, with excellent performances last season from Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, Antonee Robinson, and others. Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis face Chelsea in the Europa Conference League final today at 3 p.m.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Make sure you check back later as we prepare you for tonight’s match. Vamos Orlando!

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