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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 2-2 as Lions’ Subs Can’t Hold Late Lead

Orlando mostly held Lionel Messi in check but couldn’t hold onto a late lead in a draw against rival Miami to end the preseason.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

TAMPA — Orlando City struck first through Martin Ojeda and regained the lead through Ramiro Enrique, but a second-half squad primarily made up of substitutes could not hold the late advantage, giving up a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium. A stadium soccer record crowd of 42,017 fans — most there only to see Lionel Messi — saw tying goals in each half from Miami’s Tadeo Allende and Fafa Picault spoil the night for Orlando, which finished the preseason winless for the first time.

“We’re happy with the performance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “There is about a bunch of signs that we see from our team and the game that we want to put together, and then take advantage of the week of work on our training and see if we can get better. But we’re happy we got the objectives accomplished.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Eduard Atuesta made his Orlando City debut in central midfield alongside Cesar Araujo behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic with Enrique up top.

The two Florida rivals exchanged half chances early, with Atuesta blocking a shot early and Pasalic firing over the bar from just outside the area a couple of minutes later.

Orlando City started to create off of its defense over the next several minutes, with the first chance coming from an Ojeda steal and pass to Enrique in the 14th minute. The forward took a heavy first touch and was leaning into what would have been a difficult lunging shot when he went down under contact, but referee Filip Dujic ruled that there was no foul in the box.

The Lions scored a minute later anyway off another steal. Ojeda knocked the ball to Angulo on the left and the Colombian slipped a pass back to the Argentine, who chipped onrushing goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, tucking his shot just inside the right post to make it 1-0.

Three minutes after the goal, Schlegel was fortunate he was playing in a preseason game. Jansson lost an aerial duel he would normally win against Allende, which allowed the ball to get in behind. Schlegel tried to nick it away, and may have gotten the ball cleanly, but he was called for a foul just outside the box. In a normal game, he likely would have been sent off for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, but Dujic gave only a yellow. Messi sent the free kick over Gallese’s crossbar in the 19th minute.

Miami equalized in the 22nd minute. Santos got caught ball watching, allowing Allende to get in behind and take a pass on the right. He sent his shot just inside the left post to make it 1-1 on what was a difficult first half by the Brazilian left back.

Allende came close to a second goal in the 25th minute but fired wide of the left post from the right as again Santos was caught napping. Luis Suarez fired wide of the right post from a tight angle on the left in the 28th minute. Eight minutes later, Telasco Segovia tried to chip Gallese but fired just over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net.

Orlando couldn’t do anything with a pair of corners, but nearly paid off the second on the recycle when Ojeda sent in a dangerous cross that deflected off Schlegel, which kept it from reaching Enrique with the goalkeeper out of position. The Lions should have scored in the 39th minute. Atuesta picked out a great pass to send Pasalic in behind. The Croatian probably had more time than he thought, shooting early, but Ustari made an outstanding save.

Gallese had his own moment of brilliance in the 44th minute to deny Suarez from close range. Moments later, Gallese denied a Messi chip but the Argentinian was offside anyway. The save didn’t count, but it was still fun to watch.

The teams went to the break tied with a goal apiece.

Miami had more shots (6-4) and each team won four corners. Each goalkeeper made one save and both were spectacular.

Shortly after the restart, the Lions generated a good attack, with Atuesta switching play to Angulo on the left. Angulo lost his defender and sent in a good cross that never made it to Enrique, who vehemently shouted for a handball. None was given and the ball cycled back out to Atuesta, who fired well off target.

Jansson was called for fouling Suarez just outside the box moments later, but Messi fired the free kick wide in the 52nd minute.

Orlando made Miami pay for the miss two minutes later. A long ball into the attacking half was misplayed by the Herons’ defense, ending up on Ojeda’s foot. The Argentine slipped his countryman Enrique in on goal and the forward smashed his shot just inside the right post to make it 2-1 in the 54th minute.

Suarez found an opening at the top of the box in the 57th minute, but his shot was no trouble for Gallese, who made a comfortable save. Ten minutes later, Gallese was perfectly positioned when a recycled ball fell to Messi, who had an open header after pushing off of Thorhallsson. El Pulpo made the easy save.

The next 15 to 20 minutes saw both teams making substitutes, with Messi’s departure prompting a bit of an exodus from fans. The game got a bit sloppier after the changes, which included the introduction of Nicolas Rodriguez for his first minutes as a Lion.

Orlando should have put the game away in the 82nd minute when substitute Luis Muriel made a filthy pass through traffic to pick out forward Gustavo Caraballo in the box. The teenager sent his shot too close to Ustari, who made a vital save to keep it a one-goal game. Three minutes later, Muriel fired just over the bar from the top of the box — another costly miss in the end, as it turned out.

In the final minute of stoppage time, as Miami pushed for an equalizer, Orlando’s largely substitute squad failed multiple times to sufficiently clear their lines. Robert Taylor picked up the ball on the left, worked across to the right and fired a shot that got past Gallese but was cleared off the line by Colin Guske. The rebound fell to Picault, who fired it in to tie the match. The game was played without video review, which was unfortunate, because there was a clear handball on Santiago Morales in the buildup to the equalizer.

Shortly after the restart, the game was over. Although there had been talk about penalties if the game ended in a draw, there were no spot kicks and the match ended 2-2.

Inter Miami finished with more shot attempts (14-9) and corners (8-4), with the Lions finishing with more saves (5-2).

“Very happy, because we made a very good game,” Atuesta said after his first match as a Lion. “I was working just like five days with the team, and I feel very, very good on the pitch with my teammates. Trying to know each other is not easy, to know already what he’s doing, what I’m doing for them, I think is not an easy work, but they are very good players.”

“We need rhythm. We need much more rhythm,” Pareja said about what he needs to see from his team in the final week of preseason. “I thought we were not constant on our ways. It was good here and there, but we need more rhythm. I know the result was the most important part, but we were leading the game until the end. So, good for the players that played against a rival that has a bunch of games already. They’re good, but today we could end up just probably 3-1, because we had a few options in the box that we still have been better on that part.”

“I think we are in a good way,” Atuesta said. “It’s a very long season. We have to try to start well. I know the start is difficult because the rhythm is not there, but as soon as possible we’ll start to win points.”

That’s a wrap on preseason. Orlando City’s next match will be Saturday, Feb. 22 at home against the Philadelphia Union in the season opener.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies: Final Score 6-0 as Lions Run Wild in Friendly on Griezmann’s Debut

Antoine Griezman opened the scoring and set up Ivan Angulo’s goal in a friendly destruction of the Rowdies.

Published

8 hours ago

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July 8, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann firing a shot in a friendly against Tampa Bay.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Antoine Griezmann era got off to a flying start as Orlando City crushed the Tampa Bay Rowdies 6-0 in a friendly match at Inter&Co Stadium. The French star scored a goal and added an assist in just over an hour of game time as five different Lions found the net and Tampa Bay added an own goal in the rout.

Interim head coach Martin Perelman’s lineup for what amounted to a second-half preseason scrimmage featured the first start for Griezmann since joining the team in late June. Javier Otero started in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, and Wilder Cartagena started in midfield, with Ivan Angulo, Griezmann, and Martin Ojeda leading the attack.

The Lions appeared to use the early part of the match with some specifics in mind, often pulling back from potential transition attacks and allowing Tampa Bay to set up defensively before trying to work their way through it. The shape was fluid, with Cartagena dropping to the left side of a three-man back line at times, allowing Marin to roam forward both up the left side and even in the middle at times.

Orlando could, and should, have scored a lot of goals in the first half, but the Lions were wasteful with multiple breakaways after getting in behind the Rowdies’ back line. Credit Tampa goalkeeper Jahmali Waite for some of that, but the finishing simply wasn’t precise enough.

Orlando fashioned the game’s first chance just two minutes after the start. Dorsey headed a long ball down to Griezmann, who worked with Atuesta before finally setting up a Cartagena shot from distance that deflected wide for a corner. The ensuing corner was played short for Griezmann, but he stepped on the ball and fell, ending the attack.

Ojeda sent Angulo in all alone in the sixth minute but the Colombian left his shot too close to Waite, who got a foot to it to knock it wide.

Tampa Bay sent a warning shot at Orlando in the ninth minute when a good cross from the right found M.D. Meyers in front, but his header crashed off the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Angulo got behind the defense again. This time his shot beat Waite but it too smashed into the crossbar. Ojeda got to a beautiful through ball from Griezmann in the 17th minute but Waite made another big save. Brekalo had a free run on the ensuing corner kick but headed wide.

The Rowdies created their second good chance of the match in the 21st minute when Evan Conway got behind the back line. Dorsey recovered enough to bother his shot, which the attacker sent straight at Otero for the save.

Just after the hydration break, the Lions appeared to hold the ball to invite pressure to play through, and it was nearly costly. Otero sent a wayward pass to the right that Conway picked off, volleying it toward goal. However, the shot in the 32nd minute was off line and the game remained scoreless — at least for a few more seconds.

Griezmann received the ball on the left wing, cut across the middle of the field near the top of the box, got the entire Tampa defense moving one way, then cut a soft shot back against the grain, sending it just inside the right post to make it 1-0 in the 32nd minute.

It took only two minutes for Orlando City to double the lead. Dorsey got down the right side and carried the ball into the box. He tried to send a pass through the area for Angulo, but Sebastian Cruz deflected the ball into his own net, doubling Orlando’s lead to 2-0 in the 34th minute.

Tampa got a look two minutes after the own goal, but Isaiah Le Flore sent a soft shot right at Otero.

Atuesta was nearly sent in behind by Otavio in the 42nd minute, but the midfielder didn’t have enough pace to break in alone on goal. As his defender arrived, he made two quick moves before firing into the outside netting in what turned out to be the last sight of goal in the half for either side.

Justin Ellis, Tiago, and Tristan Himes entered the game at halftime for Ojeda, Cartagena, and Otero.

Tampa Bay started well in the second half, getting forward early after picking off an errant Dorsey pass, but Jansson blocked the shot for a corner. Brekalo took a knock to the head after winning the aerial ball from Karsen Henderlong, ending the threat. In the 51st minute, Pedro Dolabella fired wide off another Orlando turnover that resulted from a heavy Tiago touch near the left sideline.

Tiago nearly got in behind in the 57th minute but backup Tampa goalkeeper Joshua Kachurak came out and just beat him to the loose ball over the top. But the Lions struck again just as a host of substitutes prepared to enter the match just past the hour mark.

Griezmann stole the ball in the Tampa Bay penalty area and stepped toward goal. Instead of shooting, the Frenchman calmly found Angulo, who was all alone in front of an empty net. Angulo converted to make it 3-0 in the 61st minute, ending the night for the starters.

Zakaria Taifi, Colin Guske, Iago, Bernardo Rhein, Ignacio Gomez, Dylan Judelson, Tyrese Spicer, and Harvey Sarajian all checked in after the celebration.

Ellis nearly put Sarajian in behind in the 64th minute with a great ball. Kachurak came out and beat him to the ball but misplayed it. With the net empty, Kachurak got to the loose ball just in time to knock it out of play.

Guske’s foul set up Tampa Bay with a free kick opportunity to the left side of the box moments later. Hal Uderitz got his head to the set piece cross, but he popped it up in heavy traffic and sent it over the bar.

Kachurak made a fantastic save to keep the game at 3-0 (for the moment) in the 69th minute. Spicer got down the right side, cut to the middle and blasted a low shot inside the right post. Kachurak laid out and got a strong hand to it, knocking it wide.

Iago took a silly foul in the 71st minute, handing Tampa a free kick in a dangerous spot just outside the box. Louis Perez took the shot but slammed his attempt into the defensive wall. He got to the rebound first, but sent that shot right back into the wall, ending the threat.

Orlando’s lead bulged to 4-0 two minutes later. Sarajian made a fantastic run and Ellis picked him out with a gorgeous through ball. The rookie fired his shot inside the right post in the 73rd minute.

Following a failed corner attempt by Tampa, the Lions added another in the 78th. After sustained possession around the top of the area, Ellis backheeled a perfect pass for Taifi to run onto. The fullback chipped a shot over the keeper and into the left side of the net to make it 5-0.

The final subs for Orlando took the field over the next few minutes, with Tahir Reid-Brown, Yutaro Tsukada, and Gustavo Caraballo all entering in place of Tiago, Spicer, and Judelson.

Ellis earned his third assist of the night in the 88th minute, working a give-and-go with Caraballo, sending the latter in behind the defense. Caraballo fired home to make it 6-0 and capping a beatdown of the Rowdies on the game’s final scoring chance.

The Lions will head to FC Dallas for another friendly a week from tonight. After that, the MLS season resumes with a July 22 road match at San Jose.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/8/26

Antione Griezmann’s dream, Orlando Pride notes, World Cup results, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

on

July 8, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s match day! Orlando City hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a friendly at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. If you are a Season Ticket Member or member of one of the supporters’ groups, you can go. If not, we’ll cover it as best we can for you right here and on Bluesky. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Griezmann’s Dream

While Orlando City signing Antione Griezmann seemed to be a pipe dream sprung from multiple episodes of The Mane Land PawedCast, it was evidently a dream of Griezmann himself to play in MLS. It’s nice to hear that he and his family are settling into life in Orlando, and that he feels he is mentally and physically in very good condition as he joins the club. We may not have to wait long for his first appearance, given the friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, next week’s friendly at FC Dallas, or at least the club’s next MLS match against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 22.

Orlando Pride Notes

I learned yesterday that the Orlando Pride have a league-high 14 players whom are free agents. Seems like a good time for some major personnel changes, given what the on-field results have been so far in 2026. It’s a bit surprising that a major overhaul is needed only two years after winning the double, but here we are. The Pride are sitting on the edge of the playoffs and will need to do better than last week’s result if the team hopes to end the season over the line.

USMNT Leftovers

As much as I wish I hadn’t seen what I saw in the USMNT loss to Belgium, I wasn’t the only one watching. The match was the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history. Over 30 million people watched the match with peak viewership reaching 36.8 million people.

We all know the suspension drama surrounding Folarin Balogun, but he wasn’t the only person suspended before the match. Two U.S. Soccer officials were reportedly suspended by FIFA ahead of the game, though neither received suspensions of their suspensions. The personnel in question are reportedly team manager Sam Zapatka and U.S. Soccer Vice President of Security Frank Pannell.

World Cup Results

The World Cup provided two entertaining if somewhat personally disappointing matches Tuesday. In the first match of the day, Egypt jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the defending champions before giving up three goals in the last 12 minutes plus stoppage to lose 3-2 to Argentina. Sadly, I tuned in right when Lionel Messi scored his goal. I’m pretty sick of that guy.

The second match between Colombia and Switzerland went to penalties with Switzerland coming out on top 0-0 (4-3) to advance. This was the first time that Switzerland has won a penalty shootout at the World Cup. The reward for the Swiss is to face Argentina in a quarterfinal match. As you can tell from the score, this was a tight defensive match with very few mistakes made by either team.

Free Kicks

  • How crazy is it to think that Alex Freeman won’t be one of the young guys the next time the World Cup comes around. Here is a list of MLS Homegrown Players who might make the jump by then. Spoilers, there are no Orlando players on the list.
  • Fireworks mishaps are often a joke around the Fourth of July, but what happened at the Orlando Pride at Angel City match was no joke.

Update from Angel City FC

— Angel City FC (@angelcity.com) 2026-07-07T16:32:45.359452011Z

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando Pride match Friday night, and follow us on Bluesky for updates of Orlando City’s friendly with Tampa Bay. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/7/26

USMNT crashes out of World Cup, Spain eases past Portugal, transfer rumor roundup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

July 7, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. Well, not really, if you’re a fan of the United States Men’s National Team. Last night was a painful reminder of how far this team still has to go when it comes to matching up against the best in the world, and it might take some time to recover from the psychological wounds inflicted in Seattle. We’ve got lots to talk about today, so let’s get into the links.

USMNT Falls Flat Against Belgium

The United States Men’s National Team crashed out of the World Cup on Monday night after a mistake-ridden 4-1 loss to Belgium. The Americans gave up a goal nine minutes into the game, and while Malik Tillman’s free kick brought the team level in the 31st minute, Charles de Ketelaere restored Belgium’s lead just two minutes later with his second goal of the match, and the game was never really close from there. The curse of the navy blue jerseys continued, as the Yanks looked overawed by the occasion from the moment the ball was kicked, and were constantly plagued by giveaways, poor decision making, and sloppy execution. It was a startlingly different performance from a team that had made a habit of meeting the moment in this competition, and the U.S. meekly exited in the Round of 16 for the fourth tournament in a row.

UEFA Condemns Folarin Balogun Eligibility Decision

UEFA released a strongly worded statement on Monday morning, criticizing FIFA’s decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension and replace it with a one-year probationary period. The European federation said that FIFA “crossed a red line” and called the ruling “…an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.” UEFA went on to say that the decision sets a precedent that risks damaging the integrity of the game. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he had reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask soccer’s governing body to review Balogun’s red card, and that news has helped further fan a good deal of outrage in the soccer world.

Spain Sneaks by Portugal

Spain wasted a whole boatload of good chances and left it late but eventually used a 91st-minute goal by Mikel Merino to beat Portugal 1-0 and book a place in the quarterfinals. Mikel Oyarzabal had a shocking miss in the eighth minute that should have seen Spain take an early lead, while his team failed to take advantage of several more good chances, Portugal never truly threatened Unai Simon’s goal. Spain racked up 15 shots to Portugal’s nine, and put six of them on target while their fellow Iberians managed only two. Spain still has not conceded a goal at this tournament and has largely managed to control games despite still being without Nico Williams to partner Lamine Yamal on the other wing.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

With the World Cup drawing to a close before we know it, the summer transfer window is continuing to heat up. We start with a confirmed piece of news, as Tottenham has announced the signing of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali for a deal worth up to $133 million, which has broken the club’s transfer record. We then move to a confirmed deal closer to home, as Toronto FC has acquired midfielder Nelson Palacios from Real Salt Lake for $1.1 million and an additional $550,000 in performance-based incentives. In the realm of rumor, Arsenal is reportedly considering West Ham fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a replacement for Ben White, who could be heading out the door. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Chelsea is reportedly prepared to listen to offers for winger Alejandro Garnacho, as new coach Xabi Alonso looks to overhaul the squad. Finally, Jack Grealish may have new life at Manchester City, as incoming coach Enzo Maresca reportedly wants to evaluate the previously out-of-favor winger himself before making a decision on his future.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the scenes from Orlando City’s training session on Monday.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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