Orlando City entered the last game of the preseason with a number of questions still hanging out there. What does the back line look like with three off-season departures and the injury to Robin Jansson? How do you replace a unicorn like Alex Freeman? What does the goal mouth look like without El Pulpo there? How is the attack shaping up with Luis Muriel and Ramiro Enrique off playing elsewhere?

The short answer: there’s a long way to go. The back line has problems. Ivan Angulo didn’t appear to be a great replacement, but that may have been an injury replacement. Maxime Crepeau was fine but nothing stood out. The attack is, at best, an incomplete because Martin Ojeda was a late scratch for an illness.

The lineup was a mix of long-time starters and new faces in new places. Crepeau started in goal, with David Brekalo and Iago in the middle of the back line. New possible starters on the defensive wings were Adrian Marin at left back and Ivan Angulo at right back. Wilder Cartagena came back into his familiar role at defensive midfielder, behind Eduard Atuesta, who was flanked by Braian Ojeda and Marco Pasalic. Tyrese Spicer and Tiago played up top.

“(Angulo’s) a winger and we’re trying to fill a spot.” Pareja said after the match. “We have (Zakaria) Taifi who had some difficulties in the week…so we were trying to come up with some solutions.”

Martin Ojeda sat out the game with an illness. Luis Otavio continues to recover from injury while Joran Gerbet will be out for a while after knee surgery.

“Tincho wasn’t available today. He had a fever…so tonight, he couldn’t go. On my drive in, my thought was ‘this may be good. let’s see it that way.'” Pareja said regarding Martin Ojeda. He added that Ojeda had an outstanding preseason, so it was good to see what the team could do without him.

The opening stretch featured a lot of back and forth as the teams felt each other out and probably were still adjusting within their own shapes. Atuesta played as the 10 significantly more than in the past, filling Martin Ojeda’s role. That left Cartagena as the defensive shield in front of the back line.

The Lions put together a few good offensive looks after the first 10 minutes. There was a nice diagonal from Cartagena that turned Spicer loose. Spicer laid it off to Atuesta, who seemed to be of two minds whether to shoot while open or connect with Tiago. At the 12-minute mark, Pasalic slipped a through ball to Tiago who got walled off by Colorado’s Lucas Herrington.

Two minutes later, Atuesta put in a dangerous corner that Iago couldn’t put a head on.

Colorado opened the scoring in the 19th minute as the left attacking side opened up for them and a dangerous cross was slotted home by Rafael Navarro.

Spicer continued to be dangerous and continues to look like someone that can open up the defense with his speed and size. He made multiple runs into space — it’s now a question of turning those runs into assists and goals.

In the 28th minute, Zack Steffen got caught on a backpass with Tiago and Spicer almost in position to take it from him and put it home. In the 33rd, Marin turned Spicer loose in the box but he was knocked off balance and scuffed the shot wide.

Cartagena drew a foul 35 yards out in the 35th. Pasalic was able to deliver the free kick into Marin but Colorado knocked it out for a corner. Spicer got to a ball popped up off the corner but couldn’t put it under the crossbar.

Colorado got a second goal against the run of play with a long cross by Darren Yapi to the head of Navarro. Iago could’ve done more to prevent it but he’s also playing into form with a new team.

The first half ended with a whimper as neither side really threatened to close out the first 45. The only passion shown in the last few minutes was a shoving match after the whistle that got both teams involved. There had been some shoving in earlier corners between Yapi and Iago, so it may have come off of that.

Colorado’s first-half goals were a result of transition play and is exactly the kind of weakness you would expect from a new defensive unit. There’s a lot to put together on the defensive end for a team a week away from opening day. The right side of the defense is where both goals originated from, but it’s way too early to figure out if that’s due to leaning on Angulo playing fullback or the rest of the defense adjusting.

Being a preseason game, we don’t have official stats but Orlando definitely took more shots, probably on the order of 7-4. However, none of Orlando’s shots were on target and Colorado put two in the net, which is the point of the game. Offensively, it feels similar to last year, although you can see where Martin Ojeda was missed today as Atuesta didn’t quite present the same offensive threat.

As in the first half, both teams came out in the second half a little disconnected. In the 53rd, Braian Ojeda won a free kick 40 yards away. Pasalic sent it in but the attacking line was offside. Pasalic had a good game with how dangerous his free kick service was.

Duncan McGuire came on right after, replacing Tiago.

In the 60th, Spicer raced to intercept a pass at the top of the offensive box and was tripped, drawing a dangerous free kick opportunity. Pasalic and Atuesta lined up over it and Atuesta curled the kick around the wall and found the inside of the far post to make it 2-1.

“Marco asked me if I wanted to shoot. I asked him if he was seeing the same thing I was about the first or second post,” Atuesta said. “When I saw one of the players going to the first post…he chose for me.”

“It was perfect because he (Steffen) couldn’t see because of the two players from us, so he (Atuesta) did a good job,” Pasalic added.

Colorado quickly responded. Yapi was turned loose behind the defense and Crepeau came out to try to cut down the angle and left Yapi with a fairly simple goal to restore the two-goal advantage.

Orlando City suffered, as is a familiar refrain, from attacking flash with no real service to the strikers. Tiago was mostly invisible and McGuire was never in a position to do anything with a ball.

Yutaro Tsukada came on for Spicer at the 70th minute mark. Spicer’s night ended with flashes of something but there will need to be more precision.

McGuire finally found himself on the end of a through ball but couldn’t get anything on it. He then ran down a long ball but his touch took him a bit wide and didn’t leave him a great angle to covert.

Colorado was then given a free kick at the top of the 18 off a foul after a bad clearance. Paxten Aaronson tapped the ball to Dante Sealy, who deflected it off the scrum and Crepeau made a good save to turn it around the post. Orlando City couldn’t gain possession in the ensuing play and eventually Aaronson sent in a corner that Herrington was able to use his height to get to and put it in the back of the net to close out the scoring.

Orlando City started to dump the bench with youth as Justin Ellis, Nolan Miller, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Carabello came on for Atuesta, Angulo, Cartagena, and Pasalic over a five-minute span.

The only bright spot of the youth movement was a wonderfully curved long ball from Miller to McGuire, whose touch failed him again but he was able to turn it into a corner.

The game ended with a whimper as the time ran out. The Lions have a lot of questions to answer. Both Pasalic and Atuesta commented after the game that the loss could be seen as good as it gives them things to fix and keeps them focused after two positive results earlier in the preseason.

With the preseason complete, Orlando City opens MLS play next Saturday at 7:30 p.m., against the New York Red Bulls.

We’ve (almost) made it to the end of another week, with Orlando City’s final preseason match against the Colorado Rapids looming large Saturday night. The season opener will be here before you know it, and things will only speed up from there. For the final time this preseason, let’s take a look back at the week that was and talk about what I liked, and what I didn’t.

Likes

A New Signing

Orlando City announced the long-awaited signing of Brazilian center back Iago on Saturday, making him the third and presumably final MLS U22 Initiative arrival of the off-season. While he’s only 20 years old, he’s likely to be one of the two starting center backs on opening day alongside David Brekalo, so him getting a couple weeks of preseason to get settled in is vital. It of course would have been ideal for him to have even more time, but transfer dealings with Brazilian clubs rarely seem to be straightforward affairs, and two weeks is better than none at all. Crucially, Iago played over 5,000 minutes for Flamengo’s senior and U-20 sides, so he’s no stranger to the professional game, and hopefully that helps him to hit the ground running as a Lion.

A New Kit

Continuing the trend of shiny new things, the Lions unveiled their new away kit on Tuesday. It’s a gold jersey with purple shorts that’s been dubbed the ‘Sunken Treasure’ kit, and it’s the club’s first jersey to heavily use the team’s secondary color of gold. All things considered, I quite like the new threads. As with a lot of jerseys these days, the finer details like the Lion in the background of the front and the two patches, won’t be visible unless you’re up close to it. That being said, those details look pretty nice in the close-up shots of the jersey that the club provided, and when viewed from a distance, the shirt is striking. I also like the decision to go with purple shorts, as I think going with gold all the way would be a bit too much.

Dislikes

All Quiet on the Rumor Front

Things have gone a little quiet when it comes to transfer rumors regarding Orlando City. The club still has a Designated Player slot that it intends to use on an attacker, but we haven’t seen any hints as far as who the brass might be looking at. It’s not necessarily a reason to panic, as the team has made it a habit to be methodical in the transfer window and hasn’t been afraid to take its time pursuing players it thinks will be the right fit, rather than rushing business and potentially making an unwise signing as a result. All the same, it’s always nice to hear that a specific name is being pursued, particularly when OCSC still has a DP slot burning a hole in its proverbial pocket in addition to some areas of the field that need to be strengthened with additional depth. I trust the business to get done and done well, but I’m also not going to pretend I wouldn’t love a juicy signing rumor or two right about now.

With a little luck, next week will bring a couple of positive transfer rumors and three points to start the season off on a strong note. Vamos Orlando!

Today is Friday the 13th, so make sure to steer clear of black cats, ladders, and any other bad omens out there. Orlando City’s season opener is next weekend and the last thing we need to do is accumulate bad luck before the Lions take the field. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and dive into today’s links!

Hannah Anderson Prepares for First Season in Orlando

Defender Hannah Anderson was drafted by the Chicago Stars in the third round of the 2024 NWSL Draft and spent two seasons there before the Pride traded for her in January for $70,000 in intraleague funds. Chicago conceded twice as many goals as Orlando last season, and now Anderson is challenging herself with an opportunity to improve as a defender with the Pride.

“I don’t really look at it as pressure, I think it’s an opportunity,” she said. “The challenge is what’s going to help me grow. When you’re never challenged, you can’t grow. It’s kind of like how you see that challenge. Yeah, it could be pressure, but I also think it’s exciting to be a part of a group that’s been there, because the experience will help you get there again.”

The 24-year-old also spoke on what it’s like to go up against Orlando’s attacking stars in training, as well as her decision to join the Pride while engaged to Chicago Cubs pitcher Jack Neely. With Emily Sams on the other side of the country, hopefully Anderson can have a breakout year to help fill the void.

Luana Returns to Brazil National Team

Orlando Pride midfielder Luana was called up for Brazil’s friendlies against Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Mexico in a few weeks. It’s great to see her back with the national team after all she’s been through and Head Coach Arthur Elias spoke on her return.

“Calling up Luana is a joy, but the greater joy was when she overcame cancer, a disease diagnosed during a period with the National Team. It was a huge shock for all of us. Luana has an incredible history in football, she is a woman of great strength, who showed this and set many examples for those around her,” he celebrated.

She will bring some experience to a Brazil roster that doesn’t include any other Pride players, although former Pride player Adriana was called up. Brazil has already secured qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup as its host, so the focus will be on playing quality opponents until then.

Getting Ready for More MLS on Apple TV

We’re gearing up for the fourth MLS season streamed through Apple TV and the biggest difference this time around is that MLS Season Pass is a thing of the past. It’s a major boon for fans, as all games will be through an Apple TV subscription rather than a separate platform at an additional cost. For those of us who like to watch MLS games at our favorite bar, an agreement with EverPass Media should increase the reach of the league in commercial venues. Saturday night matches with increased production value, announcers returning to the actual stadiums to call games, and the removal of the Spanish version of MLS 360 are some of the other notable changes heading into this season.

Nottingham Forest Fires Manager…Again

Just a day after Thomas Franks was fired by Tottenham, Nottingham Forest sacked Sean Dyche following the club’s scoreless draw with Wolverhampton this week. Dyche joined the club in October and was just nominated for Manager of the Month for his team’s results in January. However, Forest is just three points above the relegation zone and has now fired its third coach of the season. Vitor Pereira will reportedly replace Dyche as the club’s fourth coach of the season, which would be a league record. ESPN dove into how English Premier League teams that made multiple firings in the same season performed and it’s grim news for Forest.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau went under the microscope to field a variety of questions. I’m pretty interested in why Duncan McGuire would be the first person he’d call if he found a dead body in his hotel room.

• Construction is underway at Camping World Stadium as it begins its $400 million renovation to expand seating and improve the facilities.

• Atletico Madrid put Barcelona to the sword in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, winning 4-0 thanks to four goals in the first half.
• Raheem Sterling has joined Feyenoord as a free agent after a mutual agreement with Chelsea to terminate his contract last season.
• The draw for the UEFA Nations League was completed and Spain was drawn into a group with England, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.

That’s all I have for you on this fine Friday. I hope you all have a lucky day and that all of your Valentine’s Day plans this weekend go off without a hitch!