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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 2-1 as Wasteful Lions Suffer First Preseason Loss

Orlando was wasteful in front of goal but looked good for the majority of a 120-minute marathon scrimmage.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City lost 2-1 to CF Montreal in front of a few thousand season ticket members in a preseason friendly scrimmage tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. Although the Lions played well overall for most of the match, and fashioned plenty of good scoring chances, it was the same old refrain: Orlando couldn’t finish. The Lions crashed a couple of shots off the woodwork, missed just high a few times, and left a pair of shots too close to the goalkeeper on a night when they could have built a big lead.

The teams played a scoreless 90 minutes in the scrimmage, with all of the scoring taking place in an extra 30-minute session. Dominic Iankov and Sunusi Ibrahim staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead before a late Nico Lodeiro free kick spoiled their shutout.

“We have that feeling of right now we need to move the team to that new step, where we can finally finalize those actions and have more precision, and today gave us again that sensation” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We’re still missing that pass or missing that shot or that decision. I’m excited to see that we have players that are coming that I think they will increase that possibility. In terms of the function of the whole team, I think we’re playing even better. I think we’re good. We’re a good team, creating the chances.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured a combination of young players and veterans, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick Joran Gerbet joined Cesar Araujo in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Martin Ojeda, and Ivan Angulo, with Shak Mohammed as the striker.

Neither side got much going early, but Orlando City created some half chances, with a couple of decent balls into the area that no one could latch onto.

The most noteworthy thing that happened in the opening 20 minutes wasn’t good for the Lions. Tsukada went down near the left corner of the box during play and the trainers came on to see to him, appearing to work on his knee. After testing it and coming back on, the Lions had a promising attack building and Tsukada cut inside and crumpled to the ground without any contact. This time, he limped off with the trainers in obvious distress, with his shirt pulled up over his face. Hopefully the injury isn’t as severe as it appeared.

New Orlando City Designated Player Marco Pasalic subbed on for Tsukada in the 22nd minute, making his debut as a Lion and wasting no time showing off his skills in traffic, working Samuel Piette back and forth to lose him.

“He makes me feel very optimistic,” Pareja said of his new Designated Player. “I have been in this league for many years, and immediately when I see guys that have tools to make it work in Major League Soccer, I highlight it. I think he has that. I’m excited, happy, I’m very optimistic. So, a bunch of good things with him on the pitch and he’s just had two days of training with us.”

Angulo made a good cross to the near post in the 26th minute but Jonathan Sirois was able to grab it just as Mohammed got there. There was minimal contact, but Montreal defender Joel Waterman took exception, shoving the Orlando forward multiple times, leading to a minor scuffle. It was a chippy game anyway because the referee wasn’t calling much and players were going harder into challenges as a result, but the unnecessary shoving on Mohammed did nothing to turn down the heat, as the Lions came to the defense of their young teammate.

“I would say both teams want to win,” Mohammed said of the chippy play. “Obviously, for us, we don’t really have a concept of a friendly game. We’re here to compete, and we understand as a team that we’re building towards something special, and it starts right now. So, you know, just a bit of energy, a lot of passion, and that’s the way we want it to be.”

The season ticket members in attendance booed every touch by Waterman after the altercation.

Gerbet came closest to scoring for Orlando in the 34th minute with a shot from distance that rocketed off the crossbar. It was nearly a reward for an all-around solid game for the young midfielder, but the game remained scoreless.

Four minutes later, Montreal should have scored. Ojeda was too careless with the ball in traffic and was dispossessed, igniting an unexpected counter for the visitors. Prince Owusu and Nathan Saliba each had golden opportunities to put Montreal in front on the break, but Gallese came way off his line to block the first shot and the second sailed over the crossbar on a wasteful effort with the keeper out of position.

Orlando had the last good look of the half in the 42nd minute when Santos sent in a great cross from the left. Mohammed rose to get his head to it but his shot went just over the crossbar.

Pasalic had the first look of the second half in the 55th minute, cutting inside and firing a curling shot just wide of the left post. Two minutes later, a good move by Angulo enabled him to get the ball to Ojeda who cut into the box and passed to Mohammed. With his back to goal, the 21-year-old laid it off for Pasalic, but the Croatian scuffed his shot.

Montreal got a good look in the 59th minute when a good ball from the left found Owusu, but the striker put his shot over the bar.

Seconds later, the Lions got forward for a chance of their own. Araujo sent a beautiful ball over the top, finding the perfectly timed run by Ojeda. Sirois came off his line to make a vital save on the Argentine.

Just past the hour mark, both teams made changes, replacing most of the players on the pitch. Orlando kept Pasalic on the field and brought on David Brekalo, Kyle Smith, and Lodeiro, but other than that it was all young players, most of whom played for OCB last season.

The Lions won a couple of corners shortly after the line change but played them short and nothing came of them.

Jules-Anthony Vilsaint fired shot for Montreal in the 74th minute, but he hit the effort from just outside the box right at goalkeeper Javier Otero. Four minutes later, a bad riccochet off a player set Vilsaint up with another opportunity, but he shot it wide.

Two of the younger Orlando players had golden opportunities in the 80th minute. The first saw Alex Freeman get in behind the defense. His shot got past Sebastian Breza but it crashed off the right post as the game remained scoreless. Seconds later, a good ball sent Colin Guske through into the right side of the box, but the young midfielder smashed his shot into the outside netting.

“We need to let them know that to be in front on a big option or a big opportunity, many good things should have happened, and they were part of that circuit,” Pareja said of how he can use those missed chances as teaching moments for the younger players. “And they finally make a movement, they put themselves in a great position to score, and that’s not an easy thing to achieve. So, let’s see if recognizing those moments they can gain more confidence, because it didn’t happen just to them, it happened as well to the other ones, the senior (players). It is not a secret that we need to improve that.”

Iankov fired off target for Montreal in the 83rd minute from the top of the penalty area.

Lodeiro fired just over the bar in the 84th minute, and the Uruguayan set up Freeman for a shot a minute later, but the Homegrown Player fired his shot too close to Breza, who made a vital save. Freeman then nearly picked out Jhon Solis in the 89th minute with a cross but Breza was able to catch it before it reached its intended target.

The teams were still knotted up at 0-0 after 90 minutes. The match would have continued for another 30 minutes whether it was tied or not, as that’s what the coaches had planned coming into the scrimmage. But it served the same purpose as extra time due to the scoreline.

Montreal had a lot more guys in lower numbers on the field in the later stages of the game than Orlando, meaning the visitors had fewer academy or reserve players on the pitch, and it showed. CF Montreal was much more composed in front of goal, allowing the visitors to take control of the match in the final 30 minutes.

Iankov scored in the first third of the extra session. Vilsaint appeared to leave his half before the pass to him was played, but the flag stayed down. Montreal ended up with a 2-on-1 break and Vilsaint got the pass through to Iankov, who tapped it in to make it 1-0.

A couple of careless giveaways by Otero allowed Montreal to keep the pressure on, and the visitors appeared to score a second off a recycled corner kick but the flag came up as the ball found the back of the net.

Academy prospect Bernardo Rhein had a good chance to equalize moments later but he fired his shot just over the bar. The Lions were punished for the miss with another ball over the top that beat the back line. Sunusi Ibrahim got in behind Thomas Williams — perhaps with a pull-back that wasn’t called — and chipped Otero to make it 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the extra session.

Zakaria Taifi came close to pulling one back late with a shot from the left that fizzed just wide of the right post.

Just when it appeared the game was heading for a 2-0 final, a foul at the death gave Lodeiro a free kick from just outside the box. The veteran midfielder curled a beautiful shot past Breza, off the left post, and in with his set piece shot, making it 2-1 and spoiling Montreal’s clean sheet.

The final whistle blew just after the restart to end the scrimmage.

“I think we all have the same feeling, the same sensation, that we’re playing really well as a team, and we’re building, getting ready for the season,” Mohammed said. “Obviously, there’s stuff that we need to work on in the final third and getting goals, and yeah, it’s our responsibility, and we understand that as a team (we need) to keep working and pushing to get ready for the season. But a good test, nonetheless.”

Next up for Orlando City is a preseason scrimmage against Rhode Island FC Tuesday afternoon. The Lions will wrap up the preseason schedule Friday against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Pareja said he plans to play younger players on Tuesday and more of the MLS regulars Friday, approaching the final tuneup as if it were a regular-season match.

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Opinion

Likes and Dislikes from this Week of Orlando City’s Preseason

Let’s talk through some of the good and bad from this week of the Lions’ preseason preparations.

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February 7, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Just like that, another week of Orlando City’s preseason is in the books. We’ll be staring down the barrel of the season opener before we know it, but let’s make sure we take the time to stop and reflect on some good and some not-so-good things that took place this week.

Likes

Marco Pasalic Arrives

Orlando City is back up to three Designated Players after the club completed the signing of Croatian winger Marco Pasalic. It’s a piece of business that has been rumored for awhile now but took some time to get done and across the line. Between Pasalic and the previous signing of Nicolas Rodriguez, the Lions have got bodies to fill the right wing position. While neither is likely to be able to immediately replace the production of Facundo Torres on their own, they’re both young and will have the chance to grow their games and show what they can do.

Season Ticket Member Match

OCSC will take on CF Montreal Saturday in a preseason scrimmage which is an event exclusive to season ticket holders. This is the sort of thing that I, along with my fellow season ticket members on staff, love to see. An event that rewards you for that membership and does so by giving you an extra peek at the team before everyone else. It might not be some wildly extravagant event, but it doesn’t need to be. The club has formed a habit of designating one of the preseason scrimmages a season-ticket-members-only event, and for my money, it’s been a good call.

Dislikes

Closed Door Scrimmage Radio Silence

This feels a little nitpicky, as closed-door scrimmages are by their very nature, closed door. The whole point of them is to not have a ton of access and insight about what’s going on, and teams will often agree beforehand about what level of information, if any, will make its way out to the public afterwards. We know that Orlando took on Atlanta United in a preseason scrimmage Wednesday, and we know that Alex Freeman put in a goal from a header, thanks to a post from the club on the website formerly known as Twitter, but that’s about it. It feels greedy to ask for information from something we weren’t guaranteed to get any from in the first place, but the brief taste has me wanting more, damnit.

Depth Still a Worry at Several Positions

As stated above, getting Pasalic in the door means that the Lions now have the winger slots fairly well stocked, but there are still other areas on the field that could use some reinforcement. The most crucial of those remains defensive midfielder, and although the rumored arrival of Eduard Atuesta would help considerably, I’m not counting him as a Lion until pen has been put to paper. If he does get signed, that still leaves striker and fullback perilously thin when it comes to guys who are proven MLS-caliber players, and the first game of the season is just shy of two weeks from now. There’s still time to do business, but the clock continues to tick.

What jumped out at you from this week of OCSC’s preseason? Be sure to have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/7/25

Angelina called up by Brazil, MLS transfer news, dual-sport performance center announced for Portland women’s teams, and more.

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February 7, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! The groundhog may have seen his shadow earlier this week, but winter feels pretty much over and done with here in Florida. Hopefully this nice weather lasts a while before we reach the part of the year where it becomes unbearable to exist outside due to the heat. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Angelina Called Up By Brazil

You’ll need a translation tool for the full details, but Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina was one of 30 players called up by Brazil for a training camp in Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s historic season last year, bringing stability to the midfield and giving Orlando’s attack an edge as well.

Brazil’s camp will last from Feb. 17-26 as the team begins preparations for this summer’s Copa America. Adriana, who was recently transferred from the Pride to Al Qadsiah FC in Saudi Arabia, was also called up by Head Coach Arthur Elias.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The New York Red Bulls bolstered their back line by adding a pair of defenders. They signed left back Marcelo Morales from Universidad de Chile, inking the 21-year-old to a three-year deal. Center back Tim Parker officially returned to the Red Bulls as well, signing a one-year contract. In other news involving Orlando City’s Eastern Conference foes, the Philadelphia Union signed Jovan Lukic from FK Spartak Subotica in Serbia’s top flight, FC Cincinnati loaned defender Alvaro Barreal to Santos FC, and CF Montreal signed 21-year-old defender Dante Sealy to a two-year deal.

Joint Facility Announced For Portland Thorns and WNBA Team

Plans for a dual-sport performance center to serve both the Portland Thorns and the city’s future WNBA team were announced by RAJ Sports, the ownership group behind both teams. The initial phase of the facility will reportedly cost around $75 million, with a goal for the soccer and shared side of things to be completed before the Thorns’ 2026 season and the basketball portions done before the WNBA team’s inaugural season begins that summer. It will feature two full-sized basketball courts, two soccer pitches, dressing rooms for each team, and a shared dining room with a chef and nutritionist. It’s pretty great to see this kind of investment put towards women’s sports and I hope this sparks similar projects across the country.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

There’s a new American playing in Europe to keep an eye out for, as FC Koln striker Damion Downs had a statement game against Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup quarterfinals. His team lost in extra time, but the 20-year-old had a goal and an assist. Downs has eight goals and four assists this season and could land on USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s radar.

As for how other Americans did this week, Yunus Musah started and Christian Pulisic came off the bench in AC Milan’s 3-1 win against AS Roma to reach the Coppa Italia semifinals. Defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 6-0 win over Dundee FC. It wasn’t all good news for Americans abroad though, as Jordan Pefok had to be stretchered off in his first game with Stade de Reims after just joining the French team this week.

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy this moment of captains Robin Jansson and Marta hanging out during the preseason.

That’s all I have for you on this fine Friday. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Orlando City’s Potential Roster Flexibility

Will Oscar Pareja stick with his traditional formation or try something new in 2025?

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February 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City may have just signed Marco Pasalic, but there are still holes in this squad and plenty of questions to go with them. We are still hoping that the club will sign some more players, but time is running short. Given what we currently know, how can Oscar Pareja deploy the players he currently has on hand?

3-5-2

A back line of Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo sounds quite appealing. While the three would be a good group to defend in front of Pedro Gallese, what happens when one of them gets hurt? What happens when they simply need to rest? Does Oscar then switch formations? Is Kyle Smith coming off the bench as a center back?

Moving up the pitch, Wilder Cartagena’s injury was the impetus for me to consider the 3-5-2 formation. This allows Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Michael Halliday, or Rafael Santos to push forward a bit to assist with the defense in front of the back three, depending on who is playing. That gives Cesar Araujo some cover in the center of the pitch. It also allows one or the other to push into the attack depending on the opponent.

The two attacking midfielders can be any combination of Martin Ojeda, Ivan Angulo, Nicolas Rodriguez, and the newly signed Pasalic. Along with Nico Lodeiro, this formation allows for a little bit of depth, even if it’s one of the few position groups that can make that claim.

Looking at the front of the formation, running a 3-5-2 allows Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel to play up top together. This won’t be much of a problem, since Muriel tends to drop a little deeper and Enrique isn’t afraid to make runs into the box. If they can develop some chemistry, it could be an effective attack. The issue comes when one is hurt or needs a break. Until Duncan McGuire is able to return, Pareja would need to change formation. Additionally, I’m not certain how well Muriel can play the traditional striker role.

4-3-3

If Pareja implemented a 4-3-3 formation, he’d be able to employ a back line that has everyone returning. Position battles between Brekalo and Schlegel, and Halliday fighting to return to the starting lineup over Thorhallsson are good problems to have. No real issues here.

Moving up top, I could see Angulo on the left, Enrique in the middle and either Muriel or Ojeda on the right until Pasalic is ready. In the midfield, either Muriel or Ojeda could be facilitating inside with Araujo in defense. The third piece is tougher to pin down. Most likely we’d see Rodriguez there but I still think this is the most problematic of the potential formations, and I don’t expect we’ll see it.

4-2-3-1

Traditionally, Pareja likes to utilize the 4-2-3-1 formation, so that’s what he’s most likely going to do. Of course, the linchpin of the whole thing is the defensive midfield pairing of Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo. We don’t know if the Lions will bring in Eduard Atuesta to help in the midfield, so we will go with what we have for the moment.

No issue with the back line as mentioned above for Pareja. It’s the replacement for Cartagena that presents an issue. Sure, Lodeiro could play more defensively, with Araujo ranging side to side behind him. Or, Pareja can move Thorhallsson into the defensive midfield and put Halliday at right back. The difficulty, once again, comes down to depth. I suppose Kyle Smith could also be utilized if needed.

The attacking midfield has many more options. Between Angulo, Ojeda, Muriel, Rodriguez, and Pasalic, there are plenty of options depending on who is healthy. With the first three acclimated to MLS, Rodriguez and Pasalic have time to adjust to their new surroundings.

That leaves Enrique up top. He proved he can do the job, but I still think Orlando City would be better served to find a big striker to own the starting role. If the plan is to run Enrique until McGuire is ready to return, while Muriel fills in occasionally, I’m not sure that’s the best way to go.

Should Pareja stick to his modus operandi or branch out a little this season? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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