Connect with us

Orlando City

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.

Published

2 years ago

on

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 โ€” a surprise starter after Robin Jansson picked up a knock in warmups โ€” 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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/7/26

Orlando City players on international duty, the Pride hire some coaches, the USMNT defeats Canada, and more.

Published

14 hours ago

on

October 7, 2026

By

Image of Justin Ellis playing the ball against Charlotte.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. What an international break it was for the USMNT, going undefeated in four matches by defeating Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. The Yanks outscored their opponents 12-3 across the four matches, with Orlando City’s Justin Ellis scoring two goals in his two starts. There’s plenty to digest today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Players on International Duty

Several Orlando City players were on international duty on Tuesday, including Ellis for the USMNT. He scored a goal against Canada (see below) but also picked up a knock that saw him limping for all too long and forcing him off at halftime. Hopefully, he will be able to go this weekend for Orlando City. Marco Pasalic did not get any minutes for Croatia in the team’s 2-1 loss to Spain. Meanwhile, David Brekalo got the start and played the entire match for Slovenia in a 2-1 win over Scotland.

Orlando Pride Add to Coaching Staff

The Orlando Pride hired Mykell Bates and Lewis Amos as assistant coaches and Brian Periman as goalkeeper coach. The trio joins interim head coach Yolanda Thomas’s coaching staff, and the timing of these hires is interesting, given there are only three matches remaining in the season and there’s been no indication that the interim tag is being removed from Thomas. These hirings raise a lot of questions, like, are these short term signings through the end of the season? If not, do they indicate Thomas will be given the permanent position, or are have they been hired knowing there is another head coaching announcement coming?

USMNT Defeats Canada

If you thought a match between the U.S. and Canada wouldn’t be very Concacaf-y, you’d be wrong. So many non-calls, lots of chippiness, and a few injuries proved otherwise. Fortunately, the USMNT was able to see out a 1-0 victory following a goal from Orlando City’s Ellis that gave the Yanks the lead in the 29th minute.

Oh, what could have been if Alex Freeman stayed in Orlando. The win capped a successful run for the start of Maurcio Pochettino’s new contract. We also saw a ton of younger players across the four matches, including three appearances from Ellis.

USWNT to Face Spain

The USMNT is done for the moment, but now we get to see how the USWNT does in a pair of friendlies against reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Spain. NWSL Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez is getting back up to speed with the team after she was called up for the pair of friendlies. As was previously reported, Naomi Girma is out due to injury, but Emma Hayes intends to work with Chelsea to manage her recovery. A new camp means opportunities for different players, so which players’ stock is up or down?

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City match on Saturday. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/6/26

International call-ups for Pride players, scouting report on Canada, roster changes for the USWNT, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

October 6, 2026

By

Image of Solai Washington attacking against Chicago.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Good morning, everyone. The end of the men’s international break is almost upon us, but the women’s break will immediately follow. That means that Orlando City will return to play on Saturday, while the Orlando Pride will have some time off before their next game. We’ve got plenty to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando Pride International Call-Ups

Three more Orlando Pride players have been called to represent their nations during the October international window, joining Oihane, who will be with Spain for its matches against the USWNT. First up is Barbra Banda, who will represent Zambia in the team’s Olympic qualifying games against Uganda.

Then there’s Jacquie Ovalle and Solai Washington, who will be facing off against each other in back-to-back games. Ovalle has been called up for Mexico, while Washington will represent Jamaica.

At the U-23 level, Ally Lemos will be with the U.S. and Sanne Lekven will be with Norway during this window.

Scouting Canada

The United States Men’s National Team will play its final game of the October international window when it takes on Canada tonight in Saint Paul, MN. Jesse Marsch’s current roster has a number of notable absences, including Alphonso Davies, Jayden Nelson, Alistair Johnson, and Ismael Kone; while Derek Cornelius, Jeevan Badwal, and Alfie Jones left the team during the break because of injuries. Canada typically sets up in a 4-4-2 and will employ a high press paired with a vertical style of play that aims to win the ball and then quickly get it forward to the team’s dangerous attackers. Jonathan David and Tany Oluwaseyi provide that danger up front, while Stephen Eustaquio runs things in the middle, and Richie Laryea provides danger up and down the left flank.

United States Women’s National Team Roster Tweaks

The United States Women’s National Team has made a pair of changes to the squad that will take on Spain in a pair of friendlies this month. Utah Royals defender Kate Del Fava has been named as the replacement for the injured Naomi Girma, after it was announced last week that the center back would be unavailable for this window. Del Fava was going to be one of the overage players at the USWNT U-23 training camp also taking place this month, but now has an opportunity to make her first appearance for the senior side. Additionally, midfielder Jaelin Howell will replace Sam Coffey, after the latter was injured during Manchester City’s win over the weekend. Howell has made six appearances for the USWNT, with the most recent one coming in a 2-0 victory over Italy during the team’s final game of 2025.

UEFA Nations League Roundup

Monday marked the penultimate round of UEFA Nations League play during the current international window, and we were treated to some doozies. The highlight of the day was a five-goal thriller that saw France score four goals in the final 15 minutes to overturn a one goal deficit and beat Belgium 4-1 at the Stade de France. Italy knocked off Turkiye 3-1 to climb to second place in Group A1, while the result sees Turkiye remain winless and anchored to the bottom of the table. Finally, Ukraine looked to have rescued a point with Roman Yaremchuk’s 83rd-minute goal, only for Mark Csinger to bag a winner for Hungary just two minutes later. The 2-1 result means Hungary is second in Group B2 with seven points, while Ukraine is third with four points.

Free Kicks

  • The Pride dropped three spots to no.13 in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Alex Freeman flexed his pipes and sang Happy Birthday to USMNT coach Jesus Perez during Monday’s training session.

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/5/26

Pride fall to San Diego Wave, Tyrese Spicer has successful foot surgery, USMNT beats Mexico, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

October 5, 2026

By

Image of Haley McCutcheon wearing a protective mask on her face playing against San Diego.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work covering high school soccer and flag football throughout the week. We only had the Pride in action over the weekend, but we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to San Diego Wave at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave on Friday at Inter.co Stadium in the latest in a series of games that they had to have. Orlando trailed 2-0 in the first half, conceding twice on defensive errors. In the second half, Barbra Banda pulled the Pride within one after she buried a penalty kick that she won herself. However, it wasn’t enough, as Orlando couldn’t find a late equalizer and San Diego took all three points. The Pride are off this weekend due to the international break but will return to action on Oct. 18 to face the Houston Dash on the road.

Tyrese Spicer Has Successful Foot Surgery

Orlando City forward Tyrese Spicer underwent successful foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, the club announced on Friday. Spicer had suffered the injury while away on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago in a Concacaf Nations League match against Haiti on Sept. 24. We at The Mane Land wish Spicer a speedy recovery, but his 2026 MLS season is likely over.

USMNT Shuts Out Mexico in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 3-0 on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis came off the bench to make his second USMNT appearance in the second half, playing 25 minutes. Former Lion Alex Freeman started and played 90 minutes. Julian Hall scored the opener in the first half for the Yanks. In the second half, Cavan Sullivan doubled the Americans’ lead to become the USMNT’s youngest scorer in team history just four days after Mathis Albert set that mark with his goal against Chile on Tuesday. Malik Tillman added the final goal as the Yanks have won three consecutive matches during the international break. The USMNT will close out this round of friendlies on Tuesday, taking on Canada at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN.

Other Lions on International Duty

Multiple Orlando City players represented their national teams over the weekend during the international break. Forward Marco Pasalic was on the bench but did not play for Croatia in a 7-0 defeat to England in a UEFA Nations League match on Saturday. Croatia will face Spain on Tuesday. Lions defender David Brekalo was on the bench but came on after halftime and played 45 minutes for Slovenia in a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. Slovenia will take on Scotland on Tuesday. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena started and played 45 minutes for Peru, while former Lion Yoshimar Yotun was also in action in a 2-0 loss to Canada in a friendly. Peru will play Colombia on Tuesday in another friendly match.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, notched another assist over the weekend in a 3-1 win against Brooklyn FC in the USL Championship.
  • Check out this piece on the Orlando City website featuring Head of Player Care Pedro Cox and Team Administrator Danny Quesada, who help welcome new players and their families, get acquainted with the club, ensure their needs are met, and thrive off the field.
  • The Lions were at Osceola Heritage Park on Saturday and spent time with the Orlando City U-12 squad during training.

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

Continue Reading

Trending