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Orlando City

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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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.

Orlando City

Inside the Numbers: Goal Scoring and Shot Creation for Orlando City, OCB, and the Pride

A comparison among all three Orlando teams on where their goals and chance creation have come from.

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Image of Inter&Co Stadium at night.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Starting next week, all three Orlando teams will be back in season. After playing the most games (15) going into the World Cup break, Orlando City will return having played fewer games than both the Pride (will be at 16 games) and Orlando City B (will be at 19 games). MLS NEXT Pro channeled, fittingly, its inner Junior Senior and said we “won’t stop (won’t stop) won’t stop the beat” and kept playing through the break, hence OCB’s large lead in games played. The Pride returned two weeks ago, and are in the midst of a two-game week to vault them past Orlando City as well.

As of the writing of this article Orlando City had played 15 games, the Pride 14, and OCB 18, and with all teams coming back into action this felt like a good time to have a good time by talking about the most fun part of soccer — creating chances and scoring goals. Goalkeepers might disagree with that statement, but they can take inspiration by what they see when they look left and right on the goal line and pipe down.

The three charts below show every player who has scored at least one goal for any of the three Orlando teams thus far this season, using FotMob’s data for “chances created.” Chances created is FotMob’s category name for the stat also known as key passes (the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro websites track these pretty well, the NWSL’s website not so much), which are classified as the final pass that happened before a player takes a shot.

We’ll start with the Pride, using data through their game against Kansas City on July 10:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Barbra Banda1,0171257%1.59
Haley McCutcheon1,260210%1.29
Hannah Anderson545210%0.17
Marta346210%1.30
Cori Dyke1,24415%0.14
Jacquie Ovalle52015%2.25
Nicole Payne24915%0.72

*per 90 minutes

Barbra Banda’s production continues to be prodigious. She is currently the only player in league history to play more than 1,000 minutes in a season and average more than one goal per 90 minutes (1.06). Her 12 goals accounts for nearly three out of every five scored by the Pride, and she is the only player in the league with a goal share higher than 50%, which says just as much about the rest of the Pride’s offense as it does Banda. Center back Hannah Anderson ranking in a tie for second among goal scorers is also a little concerning.

On the flip side of that concern, however, is a reminder that Marta and Jacquie Ovalle have not even played a combined 900 minutes. When they play, they create shots — in particular Ovalle, who is in the top 10 in the league in chances created per 90 minutes — and Pride fans can continue to imagine what it would be like to see a front line of Banda, Ovalle, and Marta, and to see how they would all create shots and goals for one another.

Moving from one team with a dominant primary scorer to another, Orlando City is up next:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Martín Ojeda1,3131148%1.58
Griffin Dorsey95129%0.85
Marco Pašalić64229%0.70
Duncan McGuire48129%1.12
Tyrese Spicer44029%1.43
Tiago58414%0.46
Justin Ellis53414%1.69
Luis Otávio41714%0.22
Ignacio Gómez1414%0.00

*per 90 minutes

Martín Ojeda’s 48% goal share (it’s actually 47.8%, but I rounded all the goal shares to two digits, which is why that column does not appear to sum to 100%; you can breathe a sigh of relief, the math maths) ranks him just behind the 48.1% of Chicago’s Hugo Cuypers, and those two players are the only two players above 45% in MLS. Orlando City’s pattern looks remarkably similar to the Pride’s, with one player scoring most of the goals and everyone else at two or one. The arrival of Antoine Griezmann and the rumored return of Daryl Dike could, and probably should, change that, but we know that Duncan McGuire will not score any more goals for the Lions and Marco Pašalić is also rumored to be moving on as well, so it likely will be someone else who steps up.

Please someone step up.

When it comes to creating shots, Orlando City does not have a go-to player like Ovalle, but both Justin Ellis and Ojeda are in the top 40 in the league. As will be seen below, Ellis is already an elite creator when playing against players his own age, and in a decent sample of minutes, he has shown he has the talent to compete at the MLS level. The next few weeks will reveal a lot about his ability to continue to contribute, as teams have now had the chance to watch him play in MLS and will have him in their game plans once the season resumes. I think he will continue to excel, especially since in recent weeks he has had a chance to play alongside and learn from Griezmann.

Speaking of Griezmann, Orlando City’s newest Lion created 1.90 chances per 90 minutes in La Liga and 1.86 during Champions League play this past season, so I think it is a safe assumption that Griezmann will immediately create chances at a high level once the season resumes. The big question will be if someone will step up to complement Ojeda as a second scorer. Again, I beg someone to do so.

And now for OCB, a team with plenty of players who have stepped up:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Pedro Leão1,195719%1.51
Harvey Sarajian1,118514%2.01
Gustavo Caraballo895411%2.41
Justin Ellis35638%3.03
Justin Hylton39838%1.13
Matthew Belgodere84738%2.13
Issah Haruna1,17138%1.54
Bernardo Rhein1,42825%1.58
Ignacio Gómez90225%0.50
Nicolas Lasheras25913%0.35
Zakaria Taifi25413%0.35
Jacob Ramírez21813%0.83
Caleb Trombino31613%1.14
Dylan Judelson1,03013%0.61

*per 90 minutes

The Young Lions do not have a single scorer dominating the chart like the other two Orlando teams, but unlike their fellow teams, they have an abundance of players who have scored more than twice this season. Seven different players have scored three or more times and 14 players have scored at least once. As a team, OCB ranks fourth in the league in goals scored per game. No player accounts for more than 20% of the team’s goals, making OCB difficult to defend.

Another reason the Young Lions are difficult to defend is that so many players are constantly looking to set up their teammates for shots and are skilled enough to be able to do so. Four attacking players have created more than two chances per 90 minutes, including the aforementioned Ellis, during his early season games with OCB, and defender Bernardo Rhein creates more shots than almost everyone on Orlando City and the Pride.

The diversity of OCB’s attack, especially as compared to the senior Lions and the Pride, is on display in the chart below, which shows all of the players who have scored at least one goal in league play and their associated chances created per 90 minutes values. OCB’s players are in yellow, Orlando City’s in purple, and the Pride’s in light blue.

Chart showing Orlando City, Pride, and OCB players' goals scored vs. chances created per 90 minutes in league play.

It may be subjective whether you think Florida sits on the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, but there is also a gulf in Orlando and that is between Banda and Ojeda and the rest of their teammates.

Hopefully, by the time the regular seasons wrap up for all three teams, the gulf is more like a cove, or better yet a stream, as additional scorers have emerged like hot springs for the Lions and the Pride. OCB will be fine if it continues to flood the field with all of its attacking talent. It is the senior teams that need to look deep inside the well to find some additional scorers.

By this time next week, all three seasons will be going again, and with the games coming fast and furious in July and August, we will rapidly see if the second part of the season will look like more of the same, or if that World Cup break will lead to a sea change as the season continues.

Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/16/26

Orlando City wins friendly, Orlando Pride beaten at home, MLS season returns tonight, and much more.

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal during Orlando City's 2-1 friendly win at FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

How’s it going, Mane Landers? For those of us in Florida, it looks like some storms could be heading our way this week. While that can be a bit annoying if you have outdoor plans, hopefully it will make some of this oppressive heat a bit more bearable. Both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B are on the road on Saturday, so we may get to dodge some dreaded weather delays as well. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins Friendly at FC Dallas

The Lions went to Texas for a friendly against FC Dallas and won 2-1 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium — home of North Texas SC, FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro side. Antoine Griezmann seems to be settling in nicely with the club, scoring yet again in this friendly after doing so a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Martin Ojeda also got on the scoresheet in the first half and you can check out both finishes below.

While I don’t put too much stock in friendlies, it sure does feel better to be on the winning side of them. This was the final tune-up for Orlando before the Lions hit the road for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in their first league game since May.

Orlando Pride Shut Out At Home

The Orlando Pride hosted the Boston Legacy and weren’t able to get a result in a 1-0 loss at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute to give Boston the lead. Orlando had its chances to equalize but couldn’t manage to put together a finished product in the end. This was Orlando’s third loss to an expansion side this season (0-3-1) as the Pride picked up only one point out of 12 in four matches against Boston and Denver. It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Pride, but hopefully that means they’ll come back stronger in Saturday’s road match against the Utah Royals.

MLS Season Returns Tonight

MLS is back! While the Lions aren’t in action until Wednesday, the season resumes tonight with an exciting slate of games. Many eyes will be on the match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, as it could include Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut. While it’s a brand new team and league for the forward, he’d be going up against a familiar face in former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller, who has helped Vancouver climb to the top of the Western Conference. Other intriguing matchups tonight include a Canadian clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC and a rivalry game between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. On Friday, Nashville will host Atlanta United before the LA Galaxy and LAFC square off in the latest edition of El Trafico.

Argentina Will Face Spain in World Cup Final

Argentina orchestrated yet another dramatic victory this World Cup, beating England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup final to face Spain. After a scoreless first half, Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute with his first goal of the tournament. England shifted gears and parked the bus to defend its lead, but Enzo Fernandez scored an equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina its winner in stoppage time. Lionel Messi assisted on both goals, and Argentina is now just one game away from winning its second consecutive World Cup. Sunday’s final should be a great match pitting Argentina’s potent offense up against a Spanish defense that has only conceded once all tournament.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Alex Freeman was noted as one of many players whose stock likely went up due to their World Cup performance. Hopefully, a solid summer translates to more playing time with Villarreal and an eventual transfer for Orlando City to benefit from due to the sell-on percentage.
  • Duncan McGuire wasted no time scoring for his new team, putting the ball in the back of the net early on in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 friendly win against America de Cali.
  • The Galaxy added Finnish forward Robert Taylor as a free agent, signing him to a contract through the end of the year with an option for all of 2027 as well.
  • The Philadelphia Union are reportedly finalizing the return of Kai Wagner, who only just left the Union for Birmingham City in January.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Australian forward Luka Jovanovic, who scored 11 goals last season for Adelaide United.

🇦🇺 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes are finalizing a deal to sign Australia youth int'l forward Luka Jovanovic from Adelaide UnitedJovanovic, 21, was co-Golden Boot winner of the A-League with 11g/3a in 1,639 mins last season. Joins on a U-22 initiative deal.

Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T16:58:50.262Z

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/15/26

Daryl Dike’s potential return, Orlando Pride prepare for Boston, World Cup news, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Oh boy, do we have some news for you today. Between the Orlando Pride match tonight, the World Cup this afternoon, and some potential big signings, we have a lot to get to. We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Tristan Himes. Now, let’s get to the links.

The Return of Dike(?)

Forget “It’s coming home,” rather he’s coming home! Per Tom Bogert, Daryl Dike is set to return to Orlando City after his multi-year stint with West Bromwich Albion. Dike had a rough go of it in England, mainly due to injuries he sustained. I figure he just needs some Florida sunshine and the team at Orlando Health to help find the form that made him a terror to Orlando City’s opponents.

It also seems that the departure of Marco Pasalic is not a done deal. There has not been an official bid as of yet, and if Orlando City’s valuation isn’t met, then he may be staying. If he stays, he bolsters the attack. If not, well that’s what Dike is coming back to do and it would supply the Lions with plenty of coin to bolster the roster.

Orlando Pride Set for Boston Legacy

The Orlando Pride host expansion side Boston Legacy FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The Pride will look to avenge a 2-1 loss earlier this season in Boston. After defeating the Kansas City Current over the weekend, Seb Hines’ squad will want to keep the home winning streak going. This may be Barbra Banda’s last match before heading out for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament later this month, so take the opportunity to head to the match if you are in the Orlando area.

World Cup News

France was unable to keep things going as Spain defeated Les Bleus 2-0 on Bastille Day. La Roja now wait to see whether Argentina or England will be the opponent in the final. As they have done so many times this World Cup, the Spanish did not allow a goal and did enough offensively to advance. Lamine Yamal earned a penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal slotted home to give Spain a lead in the 22nd minute. Pedro Porro added another in the second half and France was unable to muster any magic.

Later today, England and Argentina square off to see which team will play the Spaniards. The amount of history between these teams at World Cups is enough to make most watch the match. I think the bigger question is which team does Gianni Infantino want to win, and will we see the same shenanigans we’ve seen in previous matches featuring these two teams? Don’t worry, England. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

USMNT Reflections

There’s been a bit of space and time for all of us to process the USMNT’s performance at the World Cup and it isn’t all doom and gloom. None other than Carli Lloyd said that despite the way it ended, it was a successful outing for the U.S. Matt Freese is trying to see the positives even though he made a costly mistake that gave up a goal to Belgium. Folarin Balogun said what I was thinking in that a certain phone call about his red card did affect the USMNT’s nerves heading into the match against Belgium. Lastly, the future could be bright thanks to these five USMNT prospects.

Free Kicks

🇨🇱 Atlanta United has signed Chile int'l defedner Paulo Diaz. Versatile but likely to play center back.Joins on a free transfer after spending years at River Plate. Diaz, 31, has 56 caps for Chile.

Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T14:06:23.290Z

That will do it for today. Check back later for our coverage of the Orlando Pride’s match against Boston Legacy FC. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates. Vamos Orlando!

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