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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-2 as Disastrous Second Half Dooms Lions to First Opening-Day Loss

The Lions generously handed out goals to the visiting Union after halftime to flame out spectacularly on opening night.

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4 months ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions took an early lead but made several costly mistakes in the second half in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union (1-0-0, 3 points) on opening night in front of 22,689 fans at Inter&Co Stadium. It was the first time Orlando City (0-1-0, 0 points) has lost an opening match since joining MLS (3-1-7).

Marco Pasalic scored a brace on his Orlando City and MLS debut, putting the Lions up early. Philadelphia equalized through Tai Baribo before halftime off an Ivan Angulo turnover in the defensive third and took complete control on a series of disastrous plays in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Pasalic added a late second goal to make the score line look a little less horrible. Daniel Gazdag, Baribo, and Mikael Uhre all scored in the second half for the visitors.

Orlando City had a four-game unbeaten run (3-0-1) against the Union snapped and conceded the most goals on opening day in the club’s MLS history.

“It was a beautiful night today with people in the stands, and that increased the disappointment that we have on not getting the result and not (having) the performance we wanted to,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think Philadelphia was sharper than us, especially in the two boxes. When they had the chances they were lethal. We made mistakes that we could avoid on this level, but we take it as a part of the game also. A game that, for an instant, showed glimpses of things that we want and made us feel optimistic.”

Pareja’s starting lineup was nearly identical to the one he used against Inter Miami in the final preseason match eight days ago, with Pedro Gallese starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo — a surprise starter after Robin Jansson picked up a knock in warmups — and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Pasalic with Ramiro Enrique up top.

Orlando City played mostly a well-organized game, but individual mistakes were costly, particularly at the defensive end. Those could have been mitigated had the Lions not hit the woodwork a few times and miss a point-blank chance, but in the end, the first 20 minutes of the second half were decisive.

The Lions didn’t take long to fashion the game’s first chance, with good movement down the left leading to a chance for Pasalic on the left side of the box. He took the shot with his weaker right foot but didn’t miss the left post by much, sending his shot just wide in the first minute.

Orlando won a corner five minutes later and Ojeda’s service found Brekalo in the box, but the defender’s header was blocked in front in the seventh minute. The Lions grabbed the lead a minute later anyway.

Breaking down the right, Atuesta sent the ball to Ojeda, who played it to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian cut in and smashed a shot past Andre Blake to make it 1-0 in the eighth minute. Not only was it Pasalic’s first MLS goal, but Atuesta also picked up his first assist as a Lion for the secondary pass to start the play.

“I essentially saw Marco and Ramiro kind of starting to run in behind. And I noticed that I had a little bit of space, and I had good control of the ball,” Ojeda said. “So, I decided to hang on to it a little bit longer to give them time to crash into the box and to make those dangerous runs, and I was able to get it to him. Thank God he was able to have a good strike and able to finish on goal. Really happy for him, and we’re building a good connection together in the way that he likes to play. And there’s still more to be done. There’s still more adaptation for everyone and all of the new players coming in, but really happy for him, because if he’s able to go in with high confidence and he’s doing well, it’s going to raise the entire team, and it’s going to be a good thing for Orlando.”

Orlando City controlled most of the play for the next 15 minutes, with the Union occasionally getting into position to cross a ball into the area but without much success. However, Philadelphia was able to equalize in the 24th minute off a turnover in his defensive third by Angulo.

The Union picked up the ball and sent in a ball that cycled out to Kai Wagner on the left flank. The fullback sent in a cross in front of goal that Baribo touched home to make it 1-1. Baribo’s goal was the first one scored on opening day against the Lions since 2019.

“I think we started good, but after the first goal, we had like a dip,” Pasalic said. “

The match got a bit chippier for a time after the tying goal, with Araujo and Uhre each picking up yellow cards just past the half-hour mark.

Pasalic tried to put Orlando back in front with a cannon shot from distance in the 36th minute that forced a diving save by Blake, who knocked it behind for a corner. Orlando couldn’t do anything with that set piece or another just moments later.

Pasalic set up a shot for Ojeda from the top of the box in the 39th minute, but the Argentine sent his effort straight at Blake.

Philadelphia pinged the ball around the box a couple of times in the late stages of the half, but couldn’t make it pay off. There was a missed chance from in close late and a free header Danley Jean-Jacques on a corner kick.

At the break, the Lions had the advantage in possession (51.1%-48.9%), shots (10-6), shots on goal (4-1), and passing accuracy (82.7%-81.5%). The Union won more corners (4-3).

Philadelphia seized control of the game early in the second half as mistakes at the back by the Lions allowed the Union to take the lead and then add to it. Just two minutes after the restart, Quinn Sullivan sent in a good back-post cross from the left to Gazdag, who blazed past an inattentive Santos and redirected it in from a tight angle to make it 2-1.

It only took another couple of minutes to extend the lead to 3-1. Brekalo sent a back pass to Schlegel, who stuck out a foot to take it but his touch was heavy. Uhre ran onto it and blasted it into the net in the 50th minute.

Orlando had an opportunity to pull one back in the 60th minute when Ojeda sent a blast toward goal that Blake did well to fight off for a corner. Two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of a second goal when substitute Alex Freeman got his head to a cross and put it off the crossbar.

Things got worse for the Lions when Brekalo tangled with a Union player and both went down outside the box with Philadelphia on the ball. That gave the Union an odd-man rush down low and Baribo finished the play to make it 4-1 in the 64th minute.

“I think we had a really strong first half, and then the second half, we had a lapse of about 15-20 minutes that ended up costing us the game,” Ojeda said. “And those are things that we have to we have to fix, we have to improve on.”

Angulo could have pulled one back in the 66th minute when a ball from Pasalic was dummied through to the Colombian on the left. The winger had room but fired with his weaker left foot toward the near post, only to see Blake make the save. Orlando kept coming, with Santos finding Luis Muriel in the 70th minute with a great cross but Blake made an outstanding save to deny his header.

Orlando City should have scored in the 77th minute. Freeman shook free at the end line on the right and picked out a pass to Angulo in front. There was a lot of net to shoot at, but Angulo shanked his shot wide to the right and got a fortunate corner out of it as Blake may have gotten a fingertip to it on its way out of play.

The Lions finally got their second in the 79th minute on a wild scramble in front. A ball fell for Muriel in front and he smashed a shot off the crossbar. The ball came to Pasalic, who made an acrobatic, spinning shot that hit the left post. The rebound caromed right back to him and this time the Croatian smashed it home to make it 4-2. There was a delay for the video assistant referee to see if Muriel was offside in the buildup, but the goal was confirmed.

“Marco was very good news for the fans, for us, for the group,” Pareja said. “The most difficult part in the game is scoring and today, he did twice in a short period of time training with us, so that made us feel very optimistic on his performance, and he grew in with a group too.”

“It’s nice to score two goals in your first game, but when you lose 4-2, then it’s not so good,” Pasalic said. “I’m a team player. Today for me it is not important that I scored two goals because we lost 4-2.”

The Lions could get no closer in the final moments or the six minutes of added time, and the whistle blew on Orlando’s first loss to open an MLS season.

In the end, Orlando held the advantage in nearly every meaningful statistical category, including possession (55.6%-44.4%), shots (23-10), shots on target (10-4), and passing accuracy (84.1%-79.7%). Philadelphia managed more corners (8-7).

“We still have habits that we need to correct, and just in this competition (it) showed us today that we still have one or two more gears to go,” Pareja said.

“I think we have to improve more, and maybe God will give us a little bit more luck next time,” Pasalic said. “But they deserve the win, because they played really well.”

The Lions will try to bounce back in their next match a week from tonight against Toronto FC at home.

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Lion Links: 6/17/25

Orlando City and Orlando Pride players on Team of the Week, USMNT Gold Cup continues, and more.

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17 hours ago

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June 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wedn…er…Tuesday, Mane Landers. That’s right, I’m here a day early and not a moment too late. Orlando is knee deep in soccer, thanks to the FIFA Club World Cup on top of our favorite Orlando City and Orlando Pride clubs. We will have coverage of the matches taking place in the City Beautiful. Before we get started today, join us in wishing a happy 25th birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates. Now, let’s get to the links.

Schlegel Honored

Rodrigo Schlegel had a pretty good match against the Colorado Rapids. Despite not being named Man of the Match in our Player Grades, he did make the MLS Team of the Week bench. Meanwhile, Orlando held steady at the ninth spot in ESPN’s MLS Power Rankings, while dropping two spots from seventh to ninth in SI.com’s Power Rankings despite winning on the road. It just shows how very accurate and scientific power rankings are, doesn’t it?

Quadruple Honors for the Pride

The Orlando Pride saw Schlegel’s TotW Bench honor and said we can do better. Barbra Banda, Cori Dyke, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse all made the NWSL Team of the Week from the Attacking Third. Congratulations to the Pride for covering a third of the Attacking Third’s selections.

Moorhouse is also up for Player of the Week and Save of the Week. As of this morning, she is not leading either category so you know what to do.

The USMNT Gold Cup Journey Continues

The Concacaf Gold Cup group stage is underway, with the USMNT securing a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago Sunday evening. I’m always for beating Trinidad & Tobago, but more talented teams and tougher matches lie ahead. Next up for the USMNT is Saudi Arabia. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re correct. Saudi Arabia isn’t a Concacaf nation, but the team is the invitee for this Gold Cup. The match is Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. The U.S. will most likely need a win to secure the top spot in the group.

FIFA Club World Cup Results

The Club World Cup, which will visit Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium later today (we’ll be on hand with the coverage, naturally), continued early this week with Bayern Munich obliterating Auckland City 10-0, PSG defeating Atletico Madrid 4-0, Botafogo beating the Seattle Sounders 2-1, and Facundo Torres and Palmeiras drawing Porto 0-0 on Sunday. In the Monday slate, Chelsea defeated LAFC 2-0, and Boca Juniors and Benfica drew 2-2. Overshadowing all of this is the poor attendance, despite FIFA spending millions to boost said attendance.

Free Kicks

  • One might think that a club sitting second in the official standings on a three-match winning streak would have matching ranks in all the various power rankings. However, one would be wrong, because although the Pride are in the second spot in the SI.com Power Rankings, the club sits at third in the ESPN.com Power Rankings. Do I need to say anything?
  • You don’t often see Barcelona get passed over for an MLS club, but that is exactly what happened despite Barcelona calling FIFA to get a spot in the Club World Cup. That MLS club was LAFC, and it had to earn its way in by beating Club America.
  • Liverpool has set a date for the medical for Florian Wirtz following the record transfer.
  • Congratulations to Orlando City’s Alex Freeman on his performance in his first cap for the USMNT in a competitive match.

Stacked the stat sheet 📈– 10 duels won (led team)– 3 tackles won (led team)– 54 passes completed– 95% passing accuracy– 90 minutes played– 2 clearances– 2 fouls drawn– Clean sheet ✅

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-06-16T23:03:59.932Z

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the matches this week. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids?

Published

2 days ago

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June 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City used a professional performance to defeat the Colorado Rapids 1-0 near the Mile High City. It’s a big win for the Lions after two consecutive losses to Atlanta United and the Chicago Fire. It also gives the team some good vibes heading into next week’s international break.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this big win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — Gallese had a massive game for his eighth clean sheet of the season. The shot stopper was credited with two saves and they were both quality. In the 50th minute, he made a one-handed save on a Rafael Navarro header and pushed Djordje Milhailovic’s shot wide while defending his near post in the 72nd minute. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese touched the ball 32 times, completing 38.5% of his 26 passes, including four of his 20 long balls. He was also credited with three clearances.

D, David Breaklo, 6 — The starting left back touched the ball 63 times and completed 91.8% of his 49 passes. He completed two of his three long balls, but his lone cross was incomplete. Brekalo also recorded one interception, won an aerial duel, and had eight clearances defensively. He didn’t have any attacking statistics, contributing to the clean sheet.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson had 65 touches, completing 93.1% of his team-high 58 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He won one tackle and had four clearances defensively. The center back was a bright spot early, making a couple of huge challenges to keep Colorado from getting free chances on goal. Overall, it was a strong performance by the captain.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel got a first-half booking that sees him suspended for the next game, but the center back was a monster in this game. He had a team-high 86 touches and completed 87.5% of his 56 passes but only one of his five long balls. However, his strength was defensively, where Schlegel recorded an interception and two blocked shots, won three aerial duels, and had an astounding 21 clearances. Despite defending for most of the game, the center back put a shot on target as well.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson had 38 touches, completing 85.7% of his 21 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. The right back added two clearances and a blocked shot defensively. He made some mistakes in his own half that created some issues and didn’t get into the attack at all in this game before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 72nd minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — Angulo touched the ball 39 times, completing 83.3% of his 30 passes but didn’t attempt any crosses. The midfielder didn’t attempt any shots either. Defensively, Angulo added a clearance and won an aerial duel, but it was largely an invisible night by the speedster.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta had 65 touches and completed 77.6% of his 49 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots, but the defensive midfielder’s focus was on defense. He recorded one tackle, two aerial duels won, three interceptions, and two clearances in a strong performance. He was replaced by Colin Guske in second-half stoppage time.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet got the start over Cesar Araujo in this game due to back spasms for Araujo, touching the ball 57 times. The rookie completed 88.4% of his 43 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. Like Atuesta, his job was defensive as he had three interceptions, won two aerial duels, and logged five clearances in 90 minutes of action.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7 — Pasalic was trouble for the Rapids defense. He touched the ball 31 times and completed 86.4% of his 22 passes, including three key passes and his lone long ball. The midfielder’s most significant moment came in the 24th minute, when great vision and a good pass found Martin Ojeda for the game’s long goal. Pasalic took two shots, putting one on target. The attacker left the game in the 72nd minute, replaced by Ramiro Enrique.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel had 26 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes with a key pass. The forward took two shots, putting neither on target. He also helped defensively, winning an aerial duel, recording a tackle, and adding a clearance before being replaced by Araujo in the 58th minute. Overall, it wasn’t an impressive performance by the Designated Player.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda was a game-changer, touching the ball 52 times and completing 90.9% of his 44 passes with a key pass, and connecting on one of his two crosses and his lone long ball. He put one of his two shots on target, a hard attempt that went off the hands of Nico Hansen and in for the game’s only goal. It was a good performance for Ojeda, who came off in second-half stoppage time for Nico Rodriguez.

Substitutes

MF, Cesar Araujo (58’), 6 — Araujo replaced Muriel in the 58th minute as the Lions looked to defend their 1-0 lead. The defensive midfielder had 34 touches and completed 96.4% of his 28 passes, including one key pass. He added a tackle and blocked shot in 32 minutes of action, helping to secure the clean sheet.

D, Kyle Smith (72’), 6 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 72nd minute, touching the ball 23 times at right back. He completed 55.6% of his nine passes with an incomplete long ball and through ball. However, Smith’s contribution came on defense, where he added a tackle, four clearances, and two successful aerial duels to help secure the three points.

F, Ramiro Enrique (72’), 6.5 — Enrique came on for Pasalic in the 72nd minute and was solid in his 18 minutes. He had 10 touches and completed 75% of his eight passes without taking any shots. However, he did precisely what his team needed, holding up the ball, winning an aerial duel, and keeping possession late. His wise decision-making is why he gets such a high grade.

MF, Colin Guske (90 + 1’), N/A — Guske came on for Atuesta in the dying minutes to kill some time. He got booked right after coming on, touching the ball only three times and adding a clearance.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (90 + 1’), N/A — Rodriguez came on with Guske for Ojeda and had nearly an identical performance minus the booking. He touched the ball three times, won an aerial duel, and had a clearance defensively.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in this crucial win for the Lions. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 6/16/25

Lions and Pride win, USMNT beats Trinidad & Tobago in Gold Cup opener, FIFA Club World Cup weekend recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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June 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you and belated happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. The Lions and the Pride both won while OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Blank Colorado Rapids on the Road

Orlando City defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0 Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Martin Ojeda scored the lone goal for the Lions in the first half to snap their two-match winless streak. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made two saves and earned his eighth clean sheet of the season. With the win, Orlando moved up to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 30 points. Orlando City will be off this weekend but will be return to action June 25 on the road at St. Louis City.

Banda’s Goal Lifts Pride Over Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 1-0 Friday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA. After a scoreless first half, Barbra Banda scored the only goal in the match — her eighth goal of the season — and the Pride held on for the win. It’s the team’s third straight 1-0 victory over Bay FC, and the Pride also claimed their fifth clean sheet of the season. Orlando has won three matches in a row and remains second in the NWSL table with 25 points. The Pride will be on the road to take on Racing Louisville Friday.

USMNT Dominates Trinidad & Tobago in Gold Cup Opener

The U.S. Men’s National Team beat Trinidad & Tobago 5-0 Sunday in the opening match of the Concacaf Gold Cup at PayPal Park. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman started the match and played 90 minutes. Malik Tillman scored twice, and Patrick Agyemang added one to give the USMNT a 3-0 lead before halftime. In the second half, Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright each added a goal to extend the USMNT’s lead to 5-0. With the win, the Yanks snapped a four-match winless streak. The USMNT will take on Saudi Arabia Thursday night at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX.

FIFA Club World Cup Weekend Recap

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup kicked off on Saturday, with Inter Miami and Al Ahly playing to a scoreless draw in the opening match of the group stage. Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari made eight saves, including a penalty kick saved in the 43rd minute against Trezeguet of Al Ahly as the teams split the points. On Sunday, Jamal Musiala scored a hat trick as Bayern Munich crushed Auckland City 10-0, Paris Saint-Germain routed Atletico Madrid 4-0, and Palmeiras and FC Porto ended in a scoreless draw. The Seattle Sounders battled Botafogo in the late match. Today’s matchups feature Chelsea taking on LAFC, Boca Juniors facing Benfica, and Flamengo taking on Esperance Sportive de Tunis.

Tampa Bay Sun Wins USL Super League Championship

The Tampa Bay Sun defeated Fort Lauderdale United 1-0 after extra time to win the inaugural USL Super League championship on Saturday at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa. Former Pride players Jordyn Listro and Erika Tymrak were part of the squad’s stellar run to its first championship title in the inaugural season of the USL Super League. After no goals came from either side during the 90 minutes of play, the match went to extra time, and Cecilie Floe scored the winning goal for the Sun. Sydny Nasello was named the 2025 USL Super League Final MVP.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their dads a surprise phone call on Father’s Day.
  • PayPal Park will host the 2025 NWSL Championship match on Nov. 22.

From the home of legends to the stage of champions 🏆The 2025 NWSL Championship presented by Google Pixel is coming to the Bay Area and PayPal Park.

— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-06-13T12:14:48.657Z

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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