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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw at Philadelphia?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In a matchup of the two highest-scoring teams in Major League Soccer, of course there were zero goals between the two teams as Orlando City went on the road and took one point home after a hard fought and physical 0-0 draw against Philadelphia. The Lions earned that point without their normal starting central defensive pairing, and while they had some excellent chances to get a goal and take all three points, they will likely be quite happy with the road draw.

It was not a pretty game and will not be a game anyone is likely to want to tell their grandkids, or kids, or friends, or coworkers about, but all road points are important, and Orlando City added another one at Subaru Park.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 (MotM) — This was El Pulpo’s best game all season, as he was in command of the box all night long and kept Orlando City in the game with his four saves and quick reactions to come off his line. Philadelphia had several chances from close range, and while they may not have taken those chances as well as they would have liked, they did take them from areas that led to 2.04 expected goals (according to fotmob.com), but thanks to the Peruvian netminder, instead of two goals, the Union scored zero goals — the first clean sheet of the season for both Gallese and Orlando City. The one drawback was that Gallese once again received a yellow card for time wasting, but it was probably worth it, as Orlando City needed every second they could get towards the end of the game.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo played left back for the second game in a row, but this time in a starting capacity, and the Slovenian international was solid, though not spectacular. His role was a hybrid one, as the Lions looked to get Alex Freeman high when possible, with Brekalo playing as a standard left back at times and as a left center back when needed. There were a few scary instances in the second half when Martín Ojeda shifted out to the left. Ojeda is less adept at playing wing defensively than ivan Angulo and he and Brekalo sometimes weren’t communicating effectively, allowing the Union to get down the wing. Pareja recognized that and inserted Kyle Smith, which stabilized things. Brekalo looked much more at ease once he moved into the middle as part of a center back triumvirate, and he played well to see out the final minutes and earn the Lions their first shutout of the season. He finished with two tackles, one interception, six clearances, and one block on defense, and he completed 76.5% of his passes, which was second highest on the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The captain looked more himself in this match, and while he still does not seem fully back to his regal Beefy Swede-ness, this was a solid game for Jansson in the back. He will owe his goalkeeper a massive thank you, however, for saving him in the early minutes of the second half, when he and defensive partner Rodrigo Schlegel let Bruno Damiani split them and have a chance from right in front of the net. Jansson had nearly identical defensive stats as Brekalo, with two tackles, one interception, six clearances, and one block on defense, and on offense he was second on the team with 31 completed passes, completing them at a 73.8% clip. He also received a yellow card near the end of the first half but did not let that affect his play, as he completed the full 90 minutes without another issue.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — The Argentinean made the play that brought the biggest smile to my face, as after Mikael Uhre tried to draw a penalty in second-half stoppage time, Schlegel got right in his face to call him out for flopping, showing the fiery spirit that he never fails to bring to the field every time he plays. Schlegel was the more active of the two center backs on the night, completing a team-high 34 passes, although at a less-than-ideal 65.4% rate, taking one shot and contributing one tackle and a team-high 13 clearances — more than double the clearances of any other player on the field. Schlegel also suffered a team-high four fouls and showed an immense work rate for the entire match.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — The Homegrown Player continues to impress on the right side of the defense, and there is no more competition anymore for that position. It is clearly his and his alone. With Brekalo in the left back role it allowed Freeman to push forward even more than usual, as there were times in the second half when I wondered if Orlando City was playing five in the back or if the Lions had shifted Freeman up to take on Marco Pašalić’s right side role once the latter had subbed out. As he does nearly every week, Freeman contributed on both sides of the ball, logging four tackles, one interception, four clearances, and one blocked shot on defense, and completing 14 passes, with one key pass on the offensive side of the field. His completion rate was an ugly 43.8%, but none of the turnovers came back to haunt the team, and Freeman’s recovery speed continues to look as fast as anyone’s in the league.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet continues to show that he was another excellent draft pick by the Orlando City front office, as he earned his second start in this match and went the full 90 minutes. The Clemson product led the team with a 78.6% passing completion rate, and his partnership with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson was a solid one in the middle of the field. Gerbet worked hard on the defensive side of the ball, blocking a team-high four shots, and he also contributed two tackles and two interceptions. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta were not on the injury report, but both picked up tightness late in the week, so there was little time for Pareja to prepare his central midfield for this match. It says something that the moment was not too big for him going against the team that had scored the second-most goals in MLS entering the game.

MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6 — Thórhallsson is on pace to play every field position at some point this season, as the Icelandic Army knife stepped in and went the full 90 in his first start with Orlando City as a central defensive midfielder. Thórhallsson acquitted himself nicely next to midfield partner Gerbet, and the two unexpected starters kept the Union off the scoresheet, even though the Union had nearly two-thirds of the possession. Thórhallsson logged two tackles, four clearances, and one blocked shot on defense, as well as picking up a yellow card, and as was to be expected in his more reserved role, he only completed 22 passes, passing at a 73.3% clip.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5 — The Colombian winger brought his usual hustle and effort, but unfortunately also his usual lack of precision, and it was not surprising to see him removed at halftime for Duncan McGuire. Orlando City was clearly playing to try to break out on the counterattack, a style suited to a player of Angulo’s speed, but he could not get anything going while on the field in what was ultimately a forgettable 45 minutes. He contributed three clearances on defense and completed six of his 10 passes, but it was a middling performance, fitting for a player who played the middle amount of minutes of the match.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda was by far the most dangerous Lion on the field against Philadelphia, and on another night he might have bagged at least one and possibly multiple assists. The best chances Orlando City created all came from Ojeda and his darting runs, as in the first half he put a ball in front of Pašalić, and in the second half in front of Luis Muriel, but both put their shots too close to Andre Blake. The Argentinean Designated Player also contributed two tackles and one interception on defense, but when he moved out to the left, there were some moments of confusion or lack of communication between he and Brekalo. Ojeda on the left helps the team play all three Designated Players and McGuire at the same time, but Ojeda with a left back behind him is a little more risky than Ojeda with two defensive midfielders and center backs behind him. He also took one shot that was blocked before making way for Colin Guske, as the Lions went defense-for-offense in the final minutes.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — The Croatian Designated Player had two of the best chances of the game for the Lions, but Blake made a good save on one (albeit because the placement was too central) and Pašalić decided to cross instead of shooting from a tough angle with his weaker right foot on the other. Ojeda’s ball to Pašalić was maybe a quarter step late on the one that led to Blake’s save, but the shot could have been much better. Aside from those two plays, the right winger was pretty quiet on offense, as he only completed 57.1% of his 14 passes and did not make too many attempts to beat defenders off the dribble. He finished with four tackles and three clearances on defense, but in a game when the Lions were struggling for possession and playing without a few key players, it made sense for Pašalić to make way for a defender in the final 20 minutes.

F, Luis Muriel, 6 — What could have been for Muriel, as he had a glorious chance late in the game on a ball played perfectly in front of him by Ojeda, and he just did not get all of it or get it aimed properly to get it by Blake. The Union goalkeeper left him a lot of goal to work with, and Muriel just was not precise enough on that shot. Muriel was active and threatening during his minutes on the field, with two shots and also one key pass, but the quality was just not all the way there in Philadelphia, and Blake did not gift him a goal like John McCarthy did in Los Angeles during the previous game. His beautiful flick on a ball out of the back from Jansson sent Ojeda and Pašalić in for Orlando’s only (glorious) scoring chance in the first half. Muriel added one tackle and one clearance, won four aerial duels, and completed 63.2% of his passes before coming off for Ramiro Enrique in the final minutes of regulation.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (46′), 5.5 — McGuire entered the game at the beginning of the second half after subbing in for Angulo and took his customary place at the front of the attack as Ojeda shifted out to the left. The Creighton product was generally starved of service during his 45 minutes on the field, as he only had 15 touches and made more of a contribution on defense with two interceptions and three clearances than he did on offense. He did not get any shots off and only completed four of his nine pass attempts, with one key pass. He made a great back-post run and was open for a header attempt that could have broken the stalemate, but alas Ojeda did not see him and took a shot instead.

D, Kyle Smith, (67’), 5.5 — Smith entered the game as a sub for Pašalić but immediately went all the way across the field and played his minutes as a left wingback, as Orlando City went to five in the back as they tried to grind out a point on the road. The Accountant did not have any tackles but he logged one interception and one clearance on defense. On offense, he got into the box to get a headed ball on target on his one shot attempt, but it was a soft one that went right at Blake. Smith completed four of his seven passes, joining so many of his teammates with a lower-than-usual completion percentage (57.1%).

F, Ramiro Enrique, (83’), N/A — The Argentinean came on late for Muriel but had little influence on that game while on the field. Orlando City was defending for most of his minutes, and he only managed four touches. He did go two-for-two on passes with those four touches, but neither led to anything for the Lions.

MF, Colin Guske, (90’), N/A — Guske made his MLS debut in this game, coming in for the final minutes as a replacement for Ojeda. He did not have any touches, but stayed in good position defensively to help keep the Union from grabbing a late goal.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw at Philadelphia. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from a hard-fought win over Nashville SC on Saturday night?

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8 hours ago

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July 26, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann dribbling the ball past Hany Mukhtar of Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City kept the good vibes rolling on Saturday night, as the Lions fought through tired legs and a weather delay to beat Nashville SC 1-0 and make it two clean sheet wins on the bounce. What follows are my five big thoughts from the victory.

Lions Look Leggy

After playing in California on Wednesday night and missing a number of regular first-team players due to a combination of injuries, suspension, and regaining match fitness, it perhaps wasn’t surprising that a largely unchanged Orlando team looked a little heavy-legged. Bernardo Rhein and Luis Otavio were the only changes from the San Jose victory that saw the Lions play an energetic, high-pressing style, and the team wasn’t able to replicate it on Saturday night. There were moments when the team put together some good passing moves and carved out some dangerous chances, but the execution and fine details just seemed to be missing when they were needed most. In short, OCSC looked like a lowly rotated team playing on short rest after traveling across the country, and it made the win over the Supporters’ Shield leaders that much more impressive.

Bernardo’s Big Night

After making just his second appearance with the first team on Wednesday and signing a Homegrown Player deal earlier on Saturday, Rhein made his first MLS start at left back and turned in a performance that belied his 18 years of age. He helped keep Nashville’s attack quiet by contributing one tackle, one clearance, two interceptions, and five recoveries. He also completed 35 of his 40 passes and created a scoring chance. He played a more balanced role than the offensive minded Griffin Dorsey, and it was notable that Nashville didn’t have much luck when trying to target the youngster’s side of the defense as he went mainly up against former OCB teammate Shak Mohammed. Time will tell if Orlando sticks with Rhein or Marin, or if the club tries to get a new left back in the building, but if nothing else, the team’s newest Homegrown signing has given the club’s decision makers something to think about.

Quiet Evening for Crepeau

Entering Saturday’s game, Nashville had scored 33 goals in 16 games, which was good for the fifth-best attack in the league. Not only did Orlando pitch its second shutout in a row, but it did so in relatively uneventful fashion. OCSC held the ‘Yotes to six shots with just three on target, and neither Hany Mukhtar nor Sam Surridge were able to put a shot on Crepeau’s net. Nashville’s best chances of the game — by Mohammed and Alex Muyl — were right at the Canadian shot stopper, and he had a much quieter game than he did midweek. All six of the Orlando City defenders who played on the night had solid outings, and they played a big part in helping the team pick up its second clean sheet of the year. While Marin looked a little shaky when defending 1-v-1 in wide areas, he still put in two tackles and four clearances in just 20 minutes and rebounded well from a difficult outing against San Jose.

Attacking Trio at it Again

Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis, and Ivan Angulo were once again the most impressive starters for Orlando. Griezmann touched the ball a team-high 81 times, Angulo played a game-high three key passes, and Ellis had the all-important assist on the game-winning goal. Griezmann looks every bit the do-it-all Designated Player that he was brought in to be, Angulo has thrived in a hybrid wide midfield/no.10 role, and Ellis was a complete terror with the ball at his feet. The 19-year-old is shifty, physical, an excellent dribbler, and has the vision and confidence to thread passes into tight windows. Enjoy him while you can, because European teams are going to come calling soon, and rightly so.

Spicer Sparks from the Bench

Tyrese Spicer so often seems to thrive when coming off the bench to be a difference maker, and so it was again on Saturday night. He came on for Tiago early in the second half and caused problems for the ‘Yotes with both his willingness to run at the defense and his work rate in pressing and harrying the Nashville players. His three tackles tied Luis Otavio for the most on the team, and he was rewarded for all his hard work when he scored the game-winning goal. Ellis’ no-look through ball was absolutely sublime, and the substitute applied the finish it deserved by smashing his shot past Brian Schwake at the near post before the goalkeeper even had a chance to move. It was the sort of incisive execution that had been missing all night, and he came up big off the bench once again.

Those are the aspects of Saturday’s win that stood out to me. What did you see? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-0 as Spicer’s Goal Sinks League Leaders

The Lions followed up their big win in San Jose by taking down the MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders at home.

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19 hours ago

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July 26, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer shooting against Nashville.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions look to be a different team since the World Cup break ended. After beating Western Conference co-leaders San Jose on the road Wednesday, they battled to a hard-fought 1-0 win over MLS Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at Orlando City’s home stadium tonight.

Second-half substitute Tyrese Spicer scored the game’s only goal in the second half to lift the Lions (6-9-2, 20 points) to their second big win of the week. It was only the second loss of the year for Nashville SC (12-2-3, 39 points) as Orlando avenged its 5-0 loss in Tennessee back on March 21.

“Very happy for everyone here in the club. I think this was a really good victory against a very difficult opponent,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Highlight the effort of our players and highlight the support of our people. Today they brought an amazing energy to the stadium. They filled the stadium. It was a really, really good night. We really enjoyed it.”

Perelman’s side changed out only two starters from Wednesday night’s win at San Jose. Luis Otavio stepped into the midfield for the suspended Eduard Atuesta (yellow card accumulation), while newly signed Homegrown Player Bernardo Rhein made his first MLS start in place of Adrian Marin.

Perleman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Ivan Angulo, Otavio, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago made up the midfield four, with Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

After both teams played Wednesday and traveled, it wasn’t surprising that the teams came out after the hour-long weather delay looking to stay organized and prevent chances, leading to a defensive opening half. The Lions started the game with some good pressure early but couldn’t fashion a clear-cut chance.

Nashville’s first opportunity came in the ninth minute, when Hany Mukhtar got forward down the right, but Jansson did well to track back and block his shot out for a corner. Orlando was able to clear the danger to end the threat.

Griezmann was active, spending much of his time out wide on the right, looking to find space to work in against the compact Nashville defense. The Frenchman served in a good cross in the 15th minute, looking for Ellis. The ball was headed weakly goalward by either Ellis or Andy Najar, allowing Brian Schwake to collect it. Ellis got a good look in the 22nd minute after taking a pass from Angulo, but the young forward didn’t make good contact on it. Schwake still had to make a good effort to keep it out, as the placement of the shot was good.

Rhein did well to force a turnover in the 28th minute and Griezmann found space on the left but he fired his shot over the bar.

Nashville came close in the 42nd minute after a long period of back-and-forth possession. He got in behind but Crepeau made himself big and blocked the shot at the end of a sequence in which Angulo looked to get clipped but no call was made, allowing the visitors to break in transition.

Ellis got the last decent look of the half a minute into first-half stoppage time, finding space outside the box. He put his shot on target but right at Schwake.

At the break, Nashville led in possession (51.1%-48.9%) and corners (3-1). Orlando City had the advantage in shots (8-3), shots on target (4-1), and passing accuracy (91.4%-88.8%).

As with the first half, the Lions came out and put Nashville under pressure to start the second half. Griezmann found room for a shot from the top of the box on the left side in the 48th minute but Maxwell Woledzi headed it away. Orlando quickly regained possession and Ellis tried a long-range effort but sent it sizzling over the crossbar.

A minute later, Ellis cut inside from the left and fired, but his shot hit Angulo on the way in.

Griezmann sent second-half sub Spicer down the left in the 57th minute. The speedy winger tried to pick out Dorsey in front but the defense arrived at the same time as Orlando’s right back and broke up the play.

Nashville’s first good look of the second half came in the 63rd minute when the visitors broke in transition and a ball deflected into the path of former Lion Shak Mohammed. He took his shot quickly and hit it well, but Crepeau made the save. Nashville broke again four minutes later and Rhein got caught too high, giving the guests numbers in transition. Ahmed Qasem fired from the right side but the defense deflected it just wide into the outside netting, and the Lions cleared the subsequent corner.

The Lions broke the scoreless deadlock moments later. Ellis did well to bring the ball forward and drew the defense before releasing it through traffic to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international angled in from the left and blasted a shot past Schwake and in to make it 1-0 in the 72nd minute.

“Leading up to the goal, I know Justin likes to dribble a lot, and I was just like, you know, let me give it to him and run in the space,” Spicer said. “But I know he was going to cut in, and I was just waiting for it. I was yelling his name as loud as I could, like just give it to me. And as soon as I got that ball, I know I had to go first (touch). It was just like muscle memory, there.”

From there, the Lions did well to see out the game, withstanding some Nashville pressure and several set pieces without allowing anything too dangerous to develop. There were a few nervy moments when clearance attempts didn’t quite go as planned, but it’s a testament to the Orlando City defensive effort that it held to just six shot attempts on the night. The high-scoring duo of Sam Surridge and Mukhtar combined did not manage a shot on target in the match.

In the end, Nashville controlled more of the possession (55.3%-44.7%) and won more corners (7-2), but Orlando City finished with more shots (12-6) and shots on target (6-3). Both teams passed at an 89.7% rate.

“Happy with the win. More than anything, I take away the effort from the whole team — the work we put in from the first minute until the end,” Griezmann said. “We played against the team at the top of the table, a great team. It was difficult for us to create chances because we came up against a very good defense, but we managed to score that goal.”

“I think this is a very big win,” Spicer said. “Just coming into the back to the league, facing San Jose, who was like second in the West, and then facing Nashville. I know we had like a big task against us, but leading up to the game, winning this game is a big momentum to carry us through the season.”

“I think at the end of the day, it is the the players. I mean, we coaches we can do many tactics, but at the end of the day, the protagonists are the players, and I think our players today, they performed really well,” Perelman said. “They did a huge effort both with and without the ball, and I think that’s the reason (for the win). If I need to find one (reason), then again we faced a really, really good opponent that we respect very much, and it was a really tough game. I’m happy we could win it.”

The Lions head back on the road for a match a week from tonight at New York Red Bulls before starting up Leagues Cup play through the middle of August.

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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to build on Wednesday’s impressive win at San Jose, but it won’t be easy against the MLS leaders.

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda dribbling the ball up the field against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (5-9-2, 17 points) and Nashville SC (12-1-3, 39 points) on the Lions’ home grounds (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in the 2026 regular season.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 5-4-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 7-6-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 3-2-1 at home in the regular season against Nashville and 4-3-4 in all competitions in the City Beautiful against tonight’s visitors.

It’s wrong to say the most recent meeting between the sides was a forgettable one for Orlando City fans, as 5-0 beatdowns tend to stick in the memory. That’s exactly what happened on March 21, as Martin Perelman suffered his first loss as Orlando’s interim head coach in his first road match and second game overall. Sam Surridge scored a hat trick, with Cristian Espinoza and Warren Madrigal also finding the net on a terrible night in Tennessee.

The last time these teams met in Orlando took place on Sept. 20, 2025, with the Lions winning 3-2. Martin Ojeda scored two goals two minutes apart to give Orlando a first-half lead, but Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg scored moments before and after halftime, respectively, to knot things up. Duncan McGuire’s goal deep in stoppage time lifted the Lions to all three points. Just a few weeks earlier in Nashville, on Aug. 23, things did not go well for the Lions as Nashville SC blasted Orlando 5-1. Surridge and Mukhtar netted braces and Jeisson Palacios added a late goal. Luis Muriel scored a consolation goal to spoil the shutout.

These teams faced each other in U.S. Open Cup play on May 21, 2025 with Nashville claiming a 3-2 road win. Marco Pasalic provided the Lions with an early lead before an own goal by Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal put Nashville ahead at the break. Ramiro Enrique equalized in the second half, but Wyatt Meyer’s goal knocked Orlando out of the competition.

The teams met at Inter&Co Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 with the Lions blasting Nashville 3-0. Facundo Torres’ brace and an opening goal by Ivan Angulo led Orlando City to the season sweep. Orlando City visited Nashville SC at Geodis Park on July 17, 2024, with the Lions cruising to a 3-0 road win. Goals by Cesar Araujo and Enrique sandwiched an Alex Muyl own goal as Orlando City got its fourth consecutive shutout victory over Nashville.

The teams met at the end of the previous season on Nov. 7, 2023 in the best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area provided the game’s only score.

The teams met in the 2023 regular season on Oct. 4, with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame. Nashville visited Orlando on April 1 of 2023 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in the regular season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-5.

These clubs met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team ahead in the second half. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss of the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar and Cadiz just before and into stoppage time turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended. That draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney opened the scoring for Nashville, but Orlando scored the last three. Dike scored a brace and Chris Mueller added a goal.

Overview

The Lions are coming off an impressive 4-0 win at San Jose in their first game after the World Cup break. Antoine Griezmann made his MLS debut and opened his Orlando City account, but it was a team effort. David Brekalo and Angulo gave the Lions the lead, with Griezmann and Braian Ojeda ensuring there would be no Quakes comeback. Maxime Crepeau had his best night in goal for Orlando to help the cause. While it was impressive that it happened at all, let alone without the injured Martin Ojeda, Designated Player Marco Pasalic, or newly re-signed Dike, it remains to be seen if it was a one-off after the layoff or the start of something for the Lions.

Orlando City is just 3-3-1 at home this season, but that’s still far better than its road record.

Nashville SC has been dominant all season — maybe not always quite as dominant as it was on March 21 against the Lions, but still quite good. The Coyotes are seven points clear in the Supporters’ Shielf race and lead MLS with both the most wins (12), fewest losses (1), and goal differential (+22). Tonight’s opponent has only dropped points on the road three times, going 4-1-2 away from Geodis Park. Nashville rides a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten run into tonight and hasn’t allowed a goal in its last two outings.

To get anything from this game, Orlando City must figure out a way to stop (or at least significantly slow down) Nashville’s star forwards, Surridge and Mukhtar (I would add Espinoza here but he’s ruled out with a lower body injury). Both Surridge and Mukhtar have absolutely destroyed Orlando City over the years. Surridge has scored 10 goals in MLS play this season, with Mukhtar chipping in six goals and five assists. At the other end, Palacios has paired with Maxwell Woledzi to form a solid central defense in front of emerging goalkeeper Brian Schwake. This second meeting is going to be another difficult matchup for the Lions, who will need their best performance to take anything from this game.

The Lions will be without Martin Ojeda (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Joran Gerbet (knee), Eduard Atuesta (yellow card suspension), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archange (international duty), however, Marco Pasalic has only recently returned to Orlando from the World Cup and Dike is still returning to match fitness, so they may also be missing when the lineup drops.

Nashville will be without Chris Applewhite (international duty), Espinoza (lower body), Madrigal (lower body), Joe Willis (lower body), and Patrick Yazbek (lower body), while Reed Baker-Whiting is questionable with (what else) a lower body injury.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Tiago.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer.

Nashville SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Brian Schwake.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jeison Palacios, Maxwell Woledzi, Josh Bauer.

Midfielders: Alex Muyl, Matthew Corcoran, Edvard Tagseth.

Forwards: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Shak Mohammed.

Bench: Joe Willis, Andy Najar, Jack Maher, Thomas Williams, Bryan Acosta, Woobens Pacios, Jordan Knight, Ahmed Qasem, Charles Brunet.

Referees

REF: Ramy Touchan.
AR1: Eric Weisbrod.
AR2: Meghan Mullen.
4TH: Carlos Rodriguez.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Kevin Huet.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go City!

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