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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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3 months ago

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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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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Waste Points vs. 10-Man Fire

Despite getting a road draw, the trip to Chicago produced an awful night of soccer for the Lions, who spilled two huge points despite being up a man for more than half the match.

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8 hours ago

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May 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City extended its unbeaten run to eight matches (3-0-5) at Soldier Field in Chicago but there’s no good way to spin a 0-0 road draw against a Fire team that went a man down in the first half. The Lions (4-2-5, 17 points) were unfathomably wasteful in the final third in a draw that felt like a loss, with numerous great chances sent off target, off the woodwork, or straight into the bellies of defenders on free kicks. The Fire (3-4-4, 13 points) actually created more dangerous opportunities throughout the match, even when down a man, than did the Lions.

Pedro Gallese had a stellar night in goal to help the Lions avoid what might otherwise have been an embarrassing loss, making eight saves in Orlando’s fourth scoreless draw in five outings. Chicago, which entered the match having conceded the most goals in MLS and allowed seven a week ago, held firm but remain winless at home in 2025.

“Our feelings today in a game that we probably, under the circumstances, we should have won it,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But when you see the whole development of the game, it was a tough rival. After the red card they put a lot of density and we couldn’t break it up the way we wanted. And they were dangerous on a couple plays going on the counter. As the game was playing, we didn’t have that clarity to define and score our goal, despite having some actions, and even two times when we hit the post. But I think we lacked clarity, and that cost us the two points that I thought we should have won it.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. The midfield four consisted of Kyle Smith and Cesar Araujo in central midfield with Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic on the wings. Luis Muriel served as a false 9/No. 10 in the attack behind striker Duncan McGuire.

The match goes down as a point, but the Lions could have — and should have — gotten more out of it. Chicago defended well in a low block after losing goalkeeper Chris Brady to a red card in the first half, but Orlando City squandered the chances it created and frankly didn’t create enough with the ball or do enough to pull apart the Fire’s defensive lines.

The hosts created a half chance in the game’s first minute, carrying forward and crossing into the area. Schlegel’s clearance was muffed, falling to Andrew Gutman. The fullback tried a shot from outside the area but it was well off target.

Orlando’s first chance came from the left in the third minute, when Angulo got down the wing and fired. His shot was deflected wide for a corner. The Fire cleared the cross, ending the threat. Three minutes later, Muriel took a pass from Angulo at the end line, kept it in play, and tried a blast from a tight angle that Brady saved, knocking it out for another corner. Orlando had to hustle back to break up a Chicago transition on the set piece.

The Fire nearly scored multiple times in the 10th minute, with Gallese coming up with two big back-to-back saves. Philip Zinckernagel cut inside and blasted a shot from 15 yards out that Gallese fought off. It fell for Hugo Cuypers, who turned it back on goal but again the Peruvian came up big, with Brekalo then knocking it out for a corner.

“I think it was one of the most crucial and most difficult moments of the game, ” Gallese said of the double save. “Especially in key minutes, because if they’re able to score there, they’re able to control the game more and put us on the back foot, so yeah, really critical there.”

On the ensuing set piece, the ball was flicked to the back post by Sergio Oregel for MLS goal-scoring leader Cuypers, but the Golden Boot leader got under the ball and fired over the bar from about three or four yards out in front of goal.

Smith gave Orlando a good set piece opportunity in the 13th minute when he was fouled directly out in front of goal. Araujo took the set piece but fired straight into the wall, wasting the opportunity.

Gallese made another huges top three minutes later. Chicago fired a ball over the top to Jonathan Bamba, who stayed onside with a well-timed run. Bamba brought it down and fired, but Gallese made another big save in the 16th minute.

Orlando then found McGuire over the top in a similar manner in the 17th minute. McGuire wasn’t cleanly through on goal, but he was sent down the right, where he turned and fired wide of the left post.

Bamba took a pass from Gutman in front in the 19th minute and fired, but once again Gallese bailed out his defense. Cuypers headed a Jonathan Dean cross on target in the 27th minute, but the shot was soft and Gallese was able to get over and make the easy catch, racking up another save.

Muriel nearly sent McGuire in behind in the 33rd minute with a slick through ball. McGuire picked it up and could have shot, but instead he tried to finesse around Jack Elliott and lost the ball.

Three minutes later, another good ball over the top found McGuire, who chested it down just outside the box. Brady came charging out of his box and made contact with McGuire, who had gotten in behind both Fire center backs. Brady was booked and match referee Victor Rivas awarded a penalty. After reviewing the play, the red card stood, but the foul was judged to be just outside the box. Brady departed and Bamba was withdrawn by Gregg Berhalter in order to send backup goalkeeper Jeff Gal into the game for his MLS debut.

Muriel went for goal with the ensuing free kick, beating the wall but failing to get his shot to dip under the bar in the 42nd minute.

Orlando had two half chances in stoppage time. Muriel sent a great ball through the area but Freeman couldn’t get onto it. Moments later, Angulo sent a shot on target but left it too close to Gal, who made the save. Muriel fizzed a long-range shot over the bar a minute later, and then at the cusp of halftime sent in a great back-post ball for Araujo, who couldn’t quite get to it.

The Lions and Fire went to the break scoreless, but Chicago’s early domination helped Chicago end the first half with the advantage in possession (58.4%-41.6%), shots on goal (5-2), and passing accuracy (87.4%-77.7%). Each team attempted nine total shots, and Orlando won more corners (3-2).

The opening minutes of the second period saw Muriel dance around defender Christopher Cupps. Muriel went down after contact in the 47th minute, but there wasn’t enough in it for a penalty.

The Lions sent in two more almost balls in the 48th and 49th minutes, with Muriel again unable to find a teammate on the end of his cross on the first and Brekalo coming close to picking out Freeman at the back post on the second.

Orlando nearly gave up an embarrassing goal in the 52nd minute. Araujo sent a poor ball toward a teammate that was easily taken away by the Fire, jumpstarting the break in City’s defensive third. Mauricio Pineda smashed a shot from the top of the box that hit Jansson and nearly found its way inside the right post. Instead, it hit the outside of the upright and went out for a corner. The Lions didn’t deal with the corner well, allowing Brian Gutierrez to fire over the bar on the recycle.

Muriel again couldn’t find a fellow Lion with an entry ball in the 54th minute, and two minutes later, Angulo got down the left and squared the ball back into the box straight into a Fire player.

Unable to generate more danger against 10-man Chicago, Pareja sent Martin Ojeda in for Smith in the 57th minute. The Lions couldn’t do much with a couple of corners over the next few minutes, before a decent deflected ball into the box found Freeman in the 61st minute. The young fullback got a foot on it but couldn’t steer it on frame.

The lack of sharpness continued. Ojeda fired over the bar from long range in the 62nd minute. Brekalo telegraphed a shot and had it blocked at the top of the box a minute later.

Despite being down a man, Chicago nearly scored in the 67th minute. Orlando was dispossessed when Muriel was pushed down from behind but Rivas made no call. The play ended with Chicago winning a corner. The Lions made a mess of the clearance on the set piece, and it fell for Cuypers, who fired on goal, only to see Gallese deny him yet again with a vital save. A minute later, Gallese made critical back-to-back saves on Zenckernagel and Cuypers again off an Orlando City turnover.

“Pedro’s solidness has been increasing along the tournament. Now, in the game like today, when we needed the most, he was there,” Pareja said. “When you see the whole thing and the first part of the first half, and we had those actions, Pedro had to save us too. So it’s true, he played a great game and when we needed him most, he showed up.”

The two cruelest chances of the night fell for Orlando in the 75th and 77th minute. Angulo slipped the ball between defenders to put Ojeda in on goal for the first chance, but the Designated Player’s shot crashed off the left post. Two minutes later, Pasalic finally got an open look at goal and smashed a shot by Gal but off the crossbar. The spin of the ball took the rebound out of play before an onrushing Muriel could tap in the loose ball.

Elliott got a piece of McGuire in the 78th minute to set up a dangerous free kick for Orlando. However, Ojeda’s shot hit the midsections of one of Chicago’s wall players, wasting the opportunity. Muriel won a foul from Cupps in the 87th minute and waved off his teammates on the set piece. The Colombian then fired over the bar again.

Rivas added just three minutes of stoppage time and the Lions did not take advantage of any of the three. Muriel sent another shot over the bar from outside the box in the first added minute. Substitute Dagur Dan Thorhallsson blasted nowhere close to goal a minute later.

That was that, and the game ended without a goal.

Orlando finished with the advantage in possession (53.3%-46.7%), shots (23-17), and passing accuracy (85.1%-83.1%). Chicago won more corners (7-6) and put more shots on target (8-2).

“Chicago’s a good team. They’ve got good players, and they play a style that’s difficult and creates a lot of opportunities,” Gallese said. “I think we stood well in those first 30 minutes, and then after the card, you know, they weren’t really able to control too much of the game. But, you know, we’re still able to take the point against a good team tonight.”

The Lions visit the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night as they kick off their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. Orlando City’s next MLS match will follow on Saturday at home against the New England Revolution.

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

The Lions head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Fire.

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20 hours ago

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May 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-2-4, 16 points) and the Chicago Fire (3-4-3, 12 points) at Soldier Field (8:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2024, with Chicago scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando later this month on May 31.

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

The Lions are 8-5-7 in 20 MLS meetings with the Fire and 8-6-7 in all competitions. Orlando City is 3-3-4 against the Fire on the road in the regular season and 3-4-4 away in all competitions.

These two teams last met on June 22, 2024 in Orlando, with the Lions capturing a 4-2 home victory. Facundo Torres scored a brace, with Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot) and Ivan Angulo adding goals to offset a penalty by Maren Haile-Selassie (after a Rodrigo Schlegel handball in the box) and Hugo Cuypers.

The two sides clashed at Soldier Field just a few weeks prior to that on May 29, playing to a 1-1 draw. Torres opened the scoring early with a scrappy goal in traffic, and the Lions should have had a penalty late in the first half when Angulo was clipped while in alone on a goal after rounding the goalkeeper, but the video assistant referee did not overturn the no-call on the field, and referee Malik Badawi did not look at the play himself. The Fire tied the match in the final 20 minutes on a Cuypers goal.

The Lions swept the two-game season series in 2023 by identical 3-1 scorelines. On Aug. 21, Orlando City got goals from Wilder Cartagena, Angulo, and Torres (from the penalty spot) to overcome a 1-0 deficit supplied by Mauricio Pineda, winning 3-1 on the road.

When the teams met in Orlando, the Lions rode a Torres brace to a 3-1 win on July 1. Xherdan Shaqiri pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after a Kyle Smith foul in the box against Brian Gutierrez, but Ramiro Enrique added an insurance goal.

Orlando City claimed a 1-0 victory at Exploria Stadium on April 9, 2022 on Ercan Kara’s first MLS goal. The two sides met at Soldier Field just over a month prior to that match and played, officially, to a 0-0 draw on March 5. The game is another Orlando City match that will live in infamy due to the Professional Referee Organization’s statement after the game that Junior Urso’s goal should not have been overturned upon video review by Ismir Pekmic due to Kara not having clearly and obviously handled the ball in the buildup in any of the available replay angles. Alas…

The teams met in Orlando on Aug. 21, 2021, with a second-half Benji Michel strike lifting the Lions to a 1-0 victory. Tesho Akindele set up the play by forcing a turnover. In that year’s meeting at Soldier Field, the Fire got the better of the Lions to the tune of 3-1 on July 7. Andres Perea scored his first career MLS goal to open the scoring, but a defensive lapse in first-half stoppage allowed Boris Sekulic to equalize just before the break. Chicago rode that momentum, adding goals by Robert Beric and Chinonso Offor.

The Lions were 0-4-4 in the eight meetings before smashing the Fire 4-1 in Orlando on Sept. 19, 2020. Orlando City withstood two Chicago penalties and saw two Fire goals overturned by video review in that rain-soaked match. (Weird things usually happen when Chicago visits Orlando.) The Lions got goals from Chris Mueller, Nani, Urso, and Michel, while Chicago had only a Beric penalty to show for an otherwise good offensive performance.

The last meeting of 2019 was the last time the Fire won on the road in the series. It was a debacle for the Lions, who lost defender Robin Jansson to a back/neck injury early and shipped a handful of goals in a 5-2 home loss in the regular-season finale. Orlando got goals from Akindele and Michel but largely played like a team that couldn’t wait to end its season. Chicago got an own goal from Orlando’s Smith and strikes from CJ Sapong, Aleksandar Katai, and Przemyslaw Frankowski (twice) in the rout.

Orlando City was seconds away from a road win on March 9, 2019 before Sapong’s free header in the 95th minute leveled things in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. Dom Dwyer scored Orlando’s goal.

In 2018, the Fire swept the season series. Orlando fell 2-1 at home on May 26, 2018, with Alan Gordon’s wondergoal breaking a 1-1 deadlock. The return leg in Chicago that September was an abysmal performance by Orlando in a 4-0 Fire victory.

Chicago went 1-0-1 in 2017, with the teams playing to a 0-0 draw on June 4, 2017, with the Lions reduced to nine men. The previous 2017 meeting was the Fire’s 4-0 beatdown of Orlando on June 24 of that year. David Accam figured in all four goals, with a hat trick and an assist on Nemanja Nikolić’s goal.

The teams split the points in 2016, drawing both meetings. Cyle Larin and Accam traded goals in a 1-1 draw in Orlando on March 11. The Fire again came from behind to draw, 2-2 in the return leg that August.

The teams met once in Orlando in 2015, with the Lions and Fire battling to a 1-1 draw. You may recall that five-hour, weather-delayed affair with Eric Gehrig’s own-goal canceling out an Accam strike. The other three meetings came in Chicago, with City winning 3-2 and 1-0 in MLS matches and falling 3-1 in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal action.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 3-0 home win over Atlanta United a week ago, snapping a three-match winless streak but extending their unbeaten run to seven matches (3-0-4). Orlando City is 1-1-3 on the road this season, having gone four consecutive away games without a loss (1-0-3). Orlando no longer has Torres, which is too bad, considering he scored in each of the last four meetings between the teams, including two braces, for six goals in his last four games against the Fire. Torres’ replacement, Marco Pasalic, leads the Lions in scoring, with five goals, adding two assists early in the season. Angulo has goals in two of the last three meetings with the Fire, so he should be looking forward to tonight as he has yet to find the net in 2025.

Chicago is winless in its last five matches (0-3-2) and is coming off a 7-2 beatdown at Nashville SC last weekend. The club is also winless at home so far this season (0-1-3) despite several close calls. Still, the Fire look like an improved team overall under new coach Gregg Berhalter, having played Inter Miami to a 0-0 road draw recently and losing just by one goal against FC Cincinnati during the current skid. Only two teams in the Eastern Conference have scored more goals than the Fire, while Chicago has conceded 22 goals, tying D.C. for the league’s worst defensive record in 2025 — although it is important to note that seven of those goals came in a single match.

Beating Chicago means trying to contain Cuypers, who is currently leading the MLS Golden Boot race with seven goals to go along with his two assists this season. Midfielder Jonathan Bamba is tied for fourth in the league in assists (5), while midfielder Philip Zinckernagel has contributed three goals and four assists on the season. Orlando City will need to maintain its recent defensive form to bring points home from the Windy City.

“First, we want to maintain that balance that we’ve been searching for or trying to achieve with the team. It seems like we found it against Atlanta United. We kept the solidness of our defensive phase and got back to scoring more, especially with the guys that have more influence in our team up front,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “So, we reached it, and now we need to keep it. That has been the mentality we have worked on during the week. We are doing our regular drilling and seeing what condition Chicago is in and all those things. That’s our preparation so far.”

The Lions will be without Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), and Joran Gerbet (lower leg), while Favian Loyola (thigh) is questionable. Chicago will be without Leonardo Barroso (lower body), Chase Gasper (lower body), Rominigue Kouamé (lower body), David Poreba (lower body), and Carlos Terán (yep, you guessed it…lower body). Additionally, former Lion Chris Mueller has been away from the team following the birth of his second child.

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 Araujo, Kyle Smith, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Thomas Williams, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, Nico Rodriguez, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.

Chicago Fire (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Chris Brady.

Defenders: Andrew Gutman, Jack Elliott, Christopher Cupps Jonathan Dean.

Midfielders: Mauricio Pineda, Brian Gutierrez, Sergio Oregel.

Forwards: Jonathan Bamba, Hugo Cuypers, Philip Zinckernagel.

Bench: Jeffrey Gal, Omar Gonzalez, Omari Glasgow, Sam Rogers, Rominigue Kouame, Sam Williams, Dje D’Avilla, Maren Haile-Selassie, Tom Barlow.

Referees

REF: Victor Rivas.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Kyle Atkins.
4TH: Luis Diego Arroyo.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Soldier Field — Chicago.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (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 game. Go City!

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May to Provide Stern Test for Orlando City

Fixture congestion and tricky opposition mean that May is looking like a potentially rewarding test for Orlando City.

Published

2 days ago

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May 2, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With a record of 4-2-4 to start the season, Orlando City has had a solid start to 2025 and currently occupies seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 16 points. There have been some great wins like the ones we saw against D.C. United and Atlanta United, and the defense has started to look much better with four straight clean sheets. While Oscar Pareja has had to work around injuries to important guys like Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo, the Lions have managed pretty well for the most part and could be in even better position if not for a couple of ill-timed red cards in back-to-back games.

Speaking of Atuesta and Araujo, Pareja said that Cesar should be back and ready to play this weekend, and with Atuesta having made his return against Atlanta, the Lions should once again have their first-choice XI available for selection. It hasn’t come a moment too soon either, because OCSC is set to play eight matches during the month of May, and it’s looking like a bit of a gauntlet.

Orlando will play at the Chicago Fire Saturday night, at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 in the U.S. Open Cup, at home against the New England Revolution on May 10, at home against Charlotte FC on May 14, on the road against Inter Miami on May 18, at home against the Portland Timbers on May 24, on the road against Atlanta on May 28, and at home against Chicago on May 31.

In terms of fixture congestion and travel, it can’t get much rougher. Traveling to play Miami and then Portland each on short rest isn’t ideal, but at least the Miami match comes after a home game, albeit against a good Charlotte team. The really tough stretch comes at the end of the month when the Lions travel to Portland, go to Atlanta on short rest, and then return home on short rest against Chicago.

Fortunately, May isn’t littered with games against teams that have made strong starts to the seasons (yet). Chicago, New England, and Atlanta all sit below Orlando in the East, with Chicago and Atlanta enduring particularly difficult spells at the moment. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good teams on the slate though, as Charlotte and Miami are fourth and fifth in the East, respectively, and Portland is second in the West and in a three-way tie for the most goals scored in the league.

It isn’t going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it should be a month where we find out a lot more about this team and how well it’s going to hold up in the business end of the season. We’ll also have a much better idea of the level of the squad’s depth, as some careful rotation is going to be needed to keep the wheels from falling off the starting XI. The Lions still have some injury concerns with Joran Gerbet on the shelf, and while Ramiro Enrique was on the bench against Atlanta, he has yet to actually make his return from injury.

Barring a deep run into either Leagues Cup or the U.S. Open Cup, May will by far be the busiest month of the year for OCSC. Between fixture congestion and some tough opponents, it isn’t going to be easy, but if the Lions are able to come through this month strong, it could well be the sort of experience that gives the team confidence and belief that it can get the job done in adversity, while also getting some valuable minutes for depth and rotation players.

Make no mistake, the boys in purple have a very important stretch of games to play this May. Time to buckle up and see how they perform. Vamos Orlando!

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