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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Extend Unbeaten Run to Four Games

Lions earn a hard-fought road point in a physical match that felt like a playoff game.

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3 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City’s maligned defense got its first shutout of the season. However, the Lions’ league-best attack was also shut out for the first time in a scoreless draw against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando (3-2-2, 11 points) finishes the season series winless (0-1-1) but took four of a possible six points on its two-game road swing as the Lions extended their unbeaten run to four games (2-0-2) and handed the Union (4-2-1, 13 points) their first draw of the year.

Pedro Gallese made four saves to keep his first clean sheet of the 2025 season, while Andre Blake stopped all three shots on target he faced, including two of the game’s best chances.

“Good result for us. I think we’ll take this point from a difficult place, Philadelphia, with a lot of intensity,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We knew that our options would be in behind of their backs, and we had two or three options that could have given us the three points. But at the end, I think it was very level in that end. We will take this game as an improvement of our defensive system. It’s our first clean sheet, and we’re happy, but the boys had a lot of personality to come to this hard place and have that result.”

Pareja was forced into some lineup changes as both starting central midfielders — Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta — picked up tightness late in the week and were held out for precautionary reasons. Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind the usual attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

“”I have to give a lot of credit to Joran and Dagur,” Pareja said. “They had a lot of personality. We didn’t have too much time or frequency in our trainings with both of them, but they adapted to the possibilities that the game brought. Today they did a good job in trying to keep the lines connected, but they were called to be the ones who can absorb that pressure, that pressing, that way that Philadelphia plays, especially at home. And they did a good job.”

The first half was a chippy, physical 45 minutes with neither side covering itself in glory in terms of precision, but the Lions were second best the entire opening period, passing at a dreadful 60.1% and handing possession to the Union in their own half time after time. Orlando defended well as a team, which is the only reason the Lions didn’t trail at the half.

The game plan was to have Brekalo play a hybrid center back/left back role, winning balls in the air when the Union invariably tried to play into the middle. That would, in theory, allow Freeman to roam forward and join the attack, and although sloppy ball placement limited Orlando’s ability to get forward into the wide spaces behind Philadelphia’s fullbacks, the defensive game plan worked as intended. The Union created a few dangerous chances but the defense frustrated the hosts into settling for several long-range attempts.

“I think David did a good job on that part without the ball,” Pareja said. “We knew that Philadelphia had this centralized game, at once direct. Every ball they play goes toward the center. We thought it was a good idea to have David with his presence. His aerial game that is strong helped us in some occasions as a third central back without being installed as a central back all the game. It was a hybrid assignment for him and I think he did a good job. He provided today solidness on that side.”

After a physical start to the game, with several fouls and most of it played in Orlando’s defensive third, the Lions nearly had something going in the 10th minute when Ojeda got into the box. Jakob Glesnes made a desperation lunge to get a touch on the ball and by the time Ojeda got to it and tried to square it across the box, help had arrived to block the pass.

The Union tried to create chances off long throw-ins in the first half and Glesnes got his head to one in the 11th minute but popped up a soft effort that Gallese caught. The danger bells were ringing, however, and Daniel Gazdag nearly picked out Bruno Damiani in front in the 14th minute at the right post.

Freeman blocked a shot by Ian Glavinovich off a corner kick in the 18th minute. Quinn Sullivan then sent a deflected shot out of play for a corner on the recycle. Gazdag sent a scorching ball on frame off the second corner and Gallese fought it off.

In the 30th minute, Jovan Lukic fired from long range after not being closed down. The ball deflected off Schlegel at the top of the box and nearly caught Gallese wrong-footed. The Peruvian recovered and made a diving save to prevent the goal. Philadelphia kept firing from everywhere, with Sullivan, Lukic, and Tai Baribo all sending efforts from deep various degrees off target.

Orlando finally got its only chance of the half in the 41st minute, and it was the best look at goal for either side. Muriel and Ojeda combined off a long ball out of the back by Jansson to play Pasalic in on the right. The Croatian fired with his first touch and put it on frame, but he left it too close to Blake, who still had to make a good diving save to keep the game scoreless.

“We wanted to have the ball a little longer when we had our sequencing, but it was a very difficult place to have it,” Pareja said. “And I have to admit that they did a good job on their pressing. At the end, we accept that we could have been better with the ball.”

Orlando survived a few more turnovers in the defensive end and the teams went to the break scoreless.

The Union held the halftime advantage in possession (52.9%-47.1%), shots (9-1), shots on target (2-1), corners (4-1), and passing accuracy (71.2%-60.5%).

Looking to keep Philadelphia’s back line a bit more honest in the second period, Pareja introduced Duncan McGuire for Angulo at halftime.

However, Philadelphia created its best chance of the night just momentss after the restart. Gazdag got loose down the right flank and sent a good ball in front for Damiani, who redirected the ball from point-blank range with his first touch. Gallese did well to make himself big and hold his position, making a big stop to open the half in the 47th minute.

“In those moments, I thought we were defending well. We were organized well, and it’s just one of those things where we were solid in front of our own goal and defended it really well,” Gallese said. “Really happy with the shutout today.”

Nathan Harriel sent a soft header directly into Gallese’s arms off a long-range free kick in the 50th minute.

The Lions appeared to have something going when Pasalic broke down the right behind the back line a minute later. Charging hard toward the end line and having a poor angle, Pasalic tried squaring a ball through the six, but he didn’t have any teammates with him and the chance evaporated.

Lukic was left unattended at the top of the box in the 53rd minute. Frankie Westfield beat Ojeda down the line and pulled a good pass back for Lukic, but the midfielder sent his shot just over the crossbar.

Philadelphia kept the pressure on, but could not pay it off. Damiani got under a shot on a training ground set piece in the 58th minutes, sending it high over the crossbar. Two minutes later, a good cross in nearly found Damiani, but Freeman did enough to keep him from making good contact with his header, which sailed over. Fans and Union players wanted a penalty, but referee Ismir Pekmic wasn’t interested and there wasn’t enough contact to warrant a spot kick.

Kyle Smith came on for Pasalic in the 67th minute, stabilizing Orlando’s left side, which the Union were exploiting. After that substitution, the right side of the Union attack was much quieter.

Orlando’s second golden opportunity came in the 70th minute. Ojeda got forward, but didn’t have much help, so he dribbled left to right across the top of the box, waiting for teammates. Muriel arrived and Ojeda slipped him the ball. The Colombian blasted it with his right foot, but again the shot was too central and Blake made another big save.

“We could’ve even had more from the game in the two or three actions that we had with Pasalic, with Martin, and that one with Muriel,” Pareja said.

The Lions had a better spell of possession for a few minutes, including a great turn by Freeman, who sent the ball to Muriel. The Designated Player may have had better options to his right, but he opted to shoot, firing into the defender in front of him in the 75th minute.

Two minutes later, Ojeda looked to have an open shot, but Westfield arrived just in time to deflect it out for a corner. Orlando City couldn’t pay off the set piece, which was initially cleared. The recycled ball in found Smith, who sent a weak header softly into Blake’s hands.

Philadelphia made a late push to find a winner, earning several set pieces — mostly corners — but couldn’t generate much from them. Homegrown midfielder Colin Guske came on for Ojeda just before the end of normal time, making his MLS debut and helping provide fresh legs and another defensive-minded body to see out the road result.

The only late drama was Mikael Uhre feeling contact from Schlegel and going down easily in the box, looking for a penalty call. Again Pekmic wasn’t interested, although between an ensuing scuffle and a yellow card for time wasting on Gallese, the referee allowed the game to go two minutes beyond the four minutes of stoppage time.

It didn’t matter, as neither side could create a chance and the match ended scoreless.

The Union dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (20-6), shots on target (4-3), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (80%-65.9%). Nine yellow cards were dispensed in the match, with the Lions getting five of those and all but one — on Jansson — coming in the second half.

“Very tough game, coming here on the road,” Gallese said. “We know that Philly’s having a good year, but we came here with the the intentions to win, but still a good result from our side. We knew that we couldn’t go through the start of the year like we have in the past years, and that in these moments, we need to start getting points and continuing to push ourselves up the table in this early portion of the season. And I think the team’s good right now. We’re in a spot where we’ve got things that we have to fix, but things that we know we can fix and continue to get better ourselves. And, we’re just in a point where there’s a lot of confidence in this group right now.”

“I’m very pleased to see the boys evolving — the youngsters, Freeman, absorbing these types of games,” Pareja said. “I think his character today raised as well and he understands much better what is this game about. I think the team is developing new ideas. I told them in the locker room that this was really a playoff game. That’s what we felt.”

After four road matches in a five-game span, the Lions will return to Inter&Co Stadium a week from tonight to host the New York Red Bulls, wrapping up a second season series against an Eastern Conference opponent in a two-week span.

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Lion Links: 7/15/25

Lions earn weekly recognition, United States Men’s National Team announces friendlies, talking points about the women’s Euros, and more.

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6 hours ago

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July 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Good morning, everyone. I write to you all from the great state of South Carolina, as I continue my summer of frequent and widespread traveling. We have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B’s Tristan Himes and get into today’s links!

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

A pair of Orlando City players have earned some recognition for their contributions during the Lions’ 1-1 draw with CF Montreal on Saturday. First up is Martin Ojeda, who garnered a nomination for the MLS Goal of the Matchday for this pinpoint, low free kick he scored which gave Orlando a lead in the first half.

We also can’t forget about Alex Freeman, who got a shoutout as a well-performing young player due to another solid performance at right back. Here’s hoping both men keep up the good work!

USMNT Announces October Friendlies

The United States Men’s National Team has announced that it will play friendlies against Ecuador and Australia during the October international window. The USMNT will face Ecuador on Oct. 10 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, before playing Australia at Dick’s Sporting Good Park in Commerce City, CO. Both opponents are ranked in the top 25 in the world, and have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The games are exactly the sort of contests that the U.S. should be scheduling in the buildup to the tournament, and it’ll be interesting to see the performances of whatever roster Mauricio Pochettino chooses to deploy.

Women’s Euro Talking Points

The group stage of the women’s European Championship has come to an end, and there are plenty of things to talk about while we wait for the knockout stages to start later this week. Teams like Italy and Sweden have exceeded the expectations that many people had for them ahead of the tournament starting, while others like the Netherlands and Denmark had poor showings compared to what was expected of them. Alexia Putellas has unsurprisingly shone, and the quarterfinal matchup between France and Germany is the one that many people will have circled on their calendars.

Club World Cup Takeaways

Now that the Club World Cup has come to a conclusion, what did we learn from the tournament? For one, the quality of play was mostly good, as teams certainly took the competition seriously. Lessons need to be learned when it comes to pricing tickets appropriately and not kicking games off in the middle of the day during the heat of summer, but if the right adjustments are made, it could grow into a really fun competition to look forward to. Brazilian fans were one of the highlights of the tournament, while extremely low attendance numbers for some games were more of a blemish. Overall, the tournament is probably a net positive, but there are absolutely things that can and must be improved upon if it’s going to continue in this form.

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  • Martin Ojeda has now gone seven straight matches with a goal contribution, which is a new club record!

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against CF Montreal?

Published

1 day ago

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July 14, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

A late penalty saw Orlando City drop two points against CF Montreal, drawing 1-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday. It was a disappointing result against a team sitting last in the Eastern Conference and tied for last in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Despite missing two key players in Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson to suspension, the Lions should’ve easily come away with three points. Instead, they’ll see it as a missed opportunity.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this forgettable game.

Starters

GK, Javier Otero, 6 — It’s tough to grade Otero in this game because he didn’t have much to do. Montreal’s goal was a penalty, which you can hardly blame on the young goalkeeper. However, he did well with his feet and showed poise despite seeing few minutes for the first team. Statistically, Otero touched the ball 19 times, completing 93.8% of his 16 passes, including two of his three long balls.  Since the penalty was the only shot on target, he didn’t make any saves.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Jansson’s suspension moved David Brekalo to his natural center back position, opening left back for Santos. He touched the ball 43 times in his return to the starting lineup, completing 92% of his 25 passes, including one of his two crosses. He logged one interception, three clearances, and an aerial duel won on the defensive end. He didn’t do much with the ball, not taking any shots and being dispossessed twice. He came off in the 76th minute for Kyle Smith.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel had a team-leading 101 touches, completing 94.2% of his 86 passes, including four of his eight long balls. Defensively, he recorded five interceptions, five clearances, and two aerial balls won. He didn’t get into the attack. The Argentine would’ve had an excellent grade, hoowever, he left his leg out in the 81st minute, allowing Prince Owusu to go down, drawing a penalty and allowing Montreal to equalize. The fact that Schlegel single-handedly cost his team two points undoes much of the good he did in the game.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo returned center back, touching the ball 58 times. He completed 95.9% of his 49 passes, including one of his three long balls. The Slovenian added two tackles, an interception, three clearances, and two aerial wins. In the attack, Brekalo had one off-target shot, a header late in the first half.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman returned from the Gold Cup and had a solid performance. The young right back had 68 touches, completing 85.7% of his 49 passes, including two key passes and one of his three long balls. He had four tackles defensively, won an aerial ball, and took two off-target shots (one of them was blocked on a potential game-winner late in the match).

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 (MotM) — Ojeda had 56 touches, completing 87.5% of his 40 passes, including two key passes and one of his four crosses. He put one of his three shots on target, scoring on a free kick in the 28th minute. He contributed defensively with two tackles and an interception. He wasn’t far and away the best player, but he played well, and his goal earns him my Man of the Match.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo was active, touching the ball 77 times and completing 89.4% of his 66 passes, including two of his five long balls. He only had one tackle defensively and didn’t do much offensively except drawing a team-high five fouls. The defensive midfielder came off in the 88th minute for Nico Rodriguez with the Lions needing a goal.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta’s 91 touches were second on the team, and he completed 97.3% of his 75 passes, including two key passes, his lone cross, and both long balls. Defensively, he logged two tackles, two interceptions, and an aerial duel won. The defensive midfielder didn’t take any shots in one of Orlando City’s few strong performances. Without Ojeda’s goal, Atuesta could’ve very well been my Man of the Match in this game.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic touched the ball 45 times, completing 84.9% of his 33 passes, including his lone long ball. He didn’t have any key passes or take any shots in a quiet night for the attacker. However, he did add two interceptions defensively, and he drew multiple free kicks in good spots for Orlando, including the one that led to Ojeda’s goal and a late first-half opportunity that was headed off target by Brekalo.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5 — Enrique had 21 touches, completing 66.7% of his 12 passes without any key passes, crosses, or long balls. His one shot was a late first-half header into the arms of Jonathan Sirois. The forward also didn’t do anything defensively before being replaced by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 76th minute. In addition, he lost the ball trying to dribble through defenders on multiple occasions, which was a factor in Orlando City’s inability to develop much rhythm in possession.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel had 28 touches in this game, completing 66.7% of his 15 passes, including two key passes and his only cross, but neither of his two long balls. His only shot was a 24th-minute attempt that didn’t cause Sirois any trouble. Meanwhile, he had two unstable touches and was dispossessed twice in dangerous positions as he tried to dribble through the entire Montreal defense. While Muriel did have an assist, he doesn’t get much credit because all he had to do was stop the slow-rolling ball for Ojeda to put away. Muriel’s night ended in the 59th minute when he was replaced by Ivan Angulo.

Substitutes

MF, Ivan Angulo (59’), 5.5 — Angulo came on in the 59th minute for Muriel, touching the ball 17 times and completing all nine of his passes. However, none of them were long or crossed. He took one shot that was blocked and did little else to make his appearance noticeable.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (76’), 6 — Thorhallsson came on in the 76th minute for Enrique as the Lions looked to hang onto their 1-0 lead. He had 10 touches in his 14 minutes, completing 87.5% of his eight passes. He didn’t have any key passes or take any shots, adding a tackle defensively.

D, Kyle Smith (76’), 6 — Smith came on for Santos in the 76th minute in a defensive change. He touched the ball 15 times, completing nine of his 10 passes, including a key pass. Defensively, he added a clearance. Also, a tip of the cap to Smith who made his 200th appearance across all competitions for the club, becoming the second player to do so.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (88’), N/A — Rodriguez was a late replacement for Araujo as the Lions looked to push forward after Montreal tied the game. He completed three of his four passes and took one shot that was on target. He didn’t have any other stats in his short appearance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with CF Montreal. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 7/14/25

Lions draw against CF Montreal, Pride players in action abroad, OCB wins, and more.

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1 day ago

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July 14, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work. Our Lions and OCB were both in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Drop Points in Home Draw against CF Montreal

Orlando City picked up a 1-1 draw against CF Montreal on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a good start in the first half as Martin Ojeda scored the opening goal. In the second half, defender Kyle Smith came off the bench and became the second player in club history to make 200 appearances for the club across all competitions.

However, Orlando was unable to hold onto the lead as Rodrigo Schlegel fouled Prince Owusu, and Montreal was awarded a penalty kick late in the second half. Owusu buried his shot from the spot to tie the match as the teams split the points. Orlando is winless in its last three matches and dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with 35 points. Orlando City will face New York City FC Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Pride Players in Women’s AFCON, Euros, and Copa America

Orlando Pride forwards Barbra Banda and Prisca Chilufya were in action for Zambia in their final group stage match in the 2025 Women’s African Cup of Nations against Congo DR over the weekend. Grace Chanda did not play, but Zambia defeated Congo 1-0 with a goal from Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

Zambia finished second in the group behind host Morocco on goal difference with seven points. The Copper Queens will take on Nigeria Friday in the quarterfinals at Stade Larbi Zaouli. On Sunday, England crushed Wales 6-1 in the third match of the group stage in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench. England finished second in its group and will face Sweden Thursday in the quarterfinals. Lastly, Brazil was in action Sunday in the group stage of the 2025 Copa America Feminina against Venezuela. Orlando Pride forward Marta and midfielder Angelina played as Brazil defeated Venezuela 2-0.

OCB Beats Carolina Core FC at Home

Orlando City B beat Carolina Core FC 3-1 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions struck first with a goal from Justin Ellis. OCB held onto the lead through halftime. In the second half, Orlando City B won a penalty kick, and Ellis converted to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead. Carolina Core FC scored to pull within one, but Thalles scored his first goal for OCB late in the second half to clinch the three points. OCB won its first home match since June 6 and remains unbeaten in its last three matches. The Young Lions will be on the road to face New England Revolution II Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Chelsea Wins the FIFA Club World Cup

Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Chelsea dominated PSG in the first half, as Cole Palmer scored twice and Joao Pedro added one. Palmer also assisted on Pedro’s goal. Palmer scored three goals and recorded two assists throughout the competition and won the Best Player of the Tournament Award. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez won the Golden Glove Award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue won the Best Young Player Award, and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia won the Golden Boot, scoring four goals in the tournament.

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

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