Orlando City
Orlando City’s Usage Rate and Shot Creation Through Seven Games
An analysis of Orlando City’s usage and shot-creation rates and a comparison of their top performers to the rest of MLS.
As so often happens in articles about soccer, I am going to open by writing about…not soccer. The NBA regular season is in its final days, and so a lot of the discourse on podcasts or TV shows about basketball is about who deserves what awards for the 2024-2025 season. This is not the place for that discussion, though I do think my son’s favorite Orlando Magic player, Paolo Banchero, has had a great season. What I want to explore as it relates to basketball awards is how the concept of “usage” plays a big role when comparing players against one another.
Usage in basketball is essentially a measure of what percent of a team’s possessions were finished by a given player, whether it was via a shot, turnover, or offensive foul. There are different formulas for usage, as some get even more intricate as it relates to the definition of a possession, but we are going to change the subject to soccer momentarily so let’s not dwell on the basketball metric any longer than necessary. The critical part of usage is that it is easier to put up scoring numbers — the numbers fans often default to when evaluating who are the best players, when you have a much higher usage rate. If most possessions end with the ball in your hands, then the offense is likely designed around you, and the opportunities will be there for more baskets.
In soccer, usage can be looked at similarly, with goals instead of baskets, and I will draw on the work of several other authors in how they have calculated usage, or, as they often refer to it, possession-ending actions. In soccer it is similar to basketball, but we will get more nuanced with the definition. Here are the possession-ending actions I used, with all data coming from Opta’s tracking on fbref.com:
- Shots
- Incomplete passes
- Failed Ttake-ons
- Dispossessions
- Miscontrols
I looked at this data in two ways: first by normalizing the data by taking the total number of possession-ending actions and calculating it on a per-90-minutes-played basis (PEA / 90) , and then also by taking a player’s possession-ending actions and dividing them by the total number of possession-ending actions for the whole team, to see their percentage (usage rate). Here is a look at Orlando City’s performance thus far this season (I’m only including field players who have played at least 300 minutes, but a quick shout out to Gustavo Caraballo for generating a PEA per 90 minutes of 40 in his nine minutes played thus far this season. Gustavo was really goosing the throttle when he had the ball. I’ll see myself out.):
| Player | Mins Played | PEA / 90 | Usage Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 630 | 7.3 | 5.5% |
| Alex Freeman | 575 | 15.2 | 10.5% |
| Martín Ojeda | 571 | 15.4 | 10.5% |
| Marco Pašalić | 550 | 15.4 | 10.2% |
| Iván Angulo | 523 | 12.9 | 8.1% |
| Eduard Atuesta | 514 | 16.1 | 9.9% |
| Luis Muriel | 490 | 16.3 | 9.5% |
| César Araujo | 450 | 5.6 | 3.0% |
| Robin Jansson | 450 | 6.6 | 3.6% |
| Rafael Santos | 420 | 18.5 | 9.4% |
It is nice when data backs up the eye test, and the eye test thus far this season definitely shows that Cesar Araujo, Robin Jansson, and Rodrigo Schlegel play conservative soccer, which is critical being that they generally possess the ball in the center of the field near their own goal, whereas the attacking players and the fullbacks are much more likely to be trying to create something on offense, and therefore ending a possession.
I was a little surprised to see Rafael Santos as the player who is ending the most possessions on a per-90-minute basis, but he is someone who is constantly looking to switch the field or play in a cross, and those are low-probability passes that have a low completion rate, meaning they often end a possession.
Usage rate depends heavily on minutes played, as despite the name, it has elements of a counting statistic in it, and it was not surprising to see the top three players in usage rate being non-central defenders who had played a lot of minutes. Santos is again high here because of his style of play, but as it appears that he may be fighting for his starting position, that number will likely drop over the next few games, unless he wins back the left back role.
As a quick aside, only one Orlando City player had a usage rate in double digits during MLS regular-season play in 2024, and as you may have guessed, that player was indeed Facundo Torres, with exactly 10%.
Usage rate is really a statistic that helps identify players who are trying to make something happen (shots, incomplete passes, failed take-ons, dispossessions) or who are targets for teammates trying to make something happen (miscontrols of a ball passed to them), but ultimately what is the most impactful when trying to make something happen is whether a shot gets created, because shots turn into goals, and that is how games are won. If we look at the same group of Lions and focus specifically on creating shots (shot-creating actions + shots taken), the story looks a little different in terms of where those come from:
| Player | Mins Played | Shots Created / 90 | Shots Created % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 630 | 1.0 | 2.4% |
| Alex Freeman | 575 | 4.2 | 9.4% |
| Martín Ojeda | 571 | 8.6 | 18.9% |
| Marco Pašalić | 550 | 5.7 | 12.2% |
| Iván Angulo | 523 | 3.1 | 6.3% |
| Eduard Atuesta | 514 | 6.0 | 11.9% |
| Luis Muriel | 490 | 7.0 | 13.3% |
| César Araujo | 450 | 2.8 | 4.9% |
| Robin Jansson | 450 | 0.2 | 0.3% |
| Rafael Santos | 420 | 3.8 | 6.3% |
Alex Freeman, Martin Ojeda and Marco Pašalić lead the way in usage rate, but they are closely grouped together, and Eduard Atuesta, Luis Muriel, and Santos were not too far behind. Ojeda is in a class by himself when it comes to creating shots though — significantly ahead of Muriel and Pašalić. Freeman is well ahead of his defensive teammates too, and if you look at the scatterplot below of all MLS defenders from 2024 and 2025, you can see that there are very few defenders who are as attack minded and who help create as high a percentage of their team’s shots as he does (Freeman’s 2025 season is in the purple bullseye, 2024 defenders played at least 500 minutes and 2025 defenders played at least 300 minutes):
I know someone who was driving the Freeman bandwagon last year, and that person, who may or may not have written the words you are are reading right now, is pretty fired up about how much he is contributing for the Lions this season.
I mentioned earlier that Ojeda is well ahead of his teammates in 2025 in shot-creation percentage, but there are some other MLS players who are far more of a focal point of their team’s offense than he is. The below chart is formatted similarly (the y-axis is on the same scale but the x-axis is not, as attacking players generally create a much higher percentage of shots), and is for midfielders and strikers for for the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons (Ojeda’s 2025 season is in the purple bullseye, and the same minimum minutes played requirements are in place):
As you might have guessed from the pink bullseye, that is indeed Lionel Messi, with his 25.6 possession-ending actions per 90 minutes and 24% of his team’s shots created thus far this season. Messi’s metrics existing above and to the right of Ojeda’s on this chart is not an indication that he is better than Ojeda (although to be fair, he might be), but what it shows is that he initiates more attacking plays and is involved in more of Miami’s shots than Ojeda is in Orlando City’s.
The age-old quantity vs. quality conversation exists as it relates to looking at usage rate and the percentage of shots created by a player. Whether it be basketball or soccer, teams are not looking for players who create or take shots. They want players who will create and make shots. Taking on defenders every time you receive the ball or constantly trying to hit risky passes will increase the various counting and rate stats, but unless a player is successful with those take-ons and passes, what they will more likely get is a seat on the bench and a pause on accumulating any new stats.
I will be tracking the usage numbers throughout the season, and we will revisit them later in the year to see what has changed. With the return of Duncan McGuire to fitness, it will be interesting to see what that does to Ojeda’s usage if he starts to play more minutes out on the wing — and also to that of Muriel if he more frequently plays as the number 10 instead of playing as a striker. The insertion of David Brekalo into the starting lineup may unleash Freeman even more and evoke more comparisons to his wide receiver father as he flies up the sideline looking to receive a long bomb and turn it into a score.
In the end, the stats from this article are not ones that players will be trying to improve. They are more descriptive statistics that explain how the team — and particularly the offense — has interacted thus far this season. Usage rate may be important, but what is more important is that Orlando City gives the opposing net some serious usage in the match this weekend.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes
A big first half filled with breakaway opportunities helped Orlando City knock Atlanta out of the U.S. Open Cup.
Orlando City ran wild over Atlanta United in the first half, building a huge advantage in what was ultimately a 4-1 victory over their Southeast rivals at Inter&Co Stadium in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals tonight. David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey, and Tiago (twice) provided the fireworks in a wild first half that could have seen Orlando ahead by even more goals if not for the offside flag and good goalkeeping by Atlanta’s Jayden Hibbert.
“I’m happy, of course, for the result, as well for the performance. But more than anything, I’m happy first of all for our group of players, because they do a huge effort every day,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “From the very beginning they have been fighting and I’m happy they were able to gift us a performance like this.”
Perelman’s lineup included Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack up top.
The Lions decimated Atlanta in the opening 45 minutes to build a huge 4-0 halftime lead that could have been more if not for Tiago and Angulo being offside on breaks that they finished and a couple of huge saves by Hibbert. Orlando City ripped the Atlanta defense to shreds either by moving the ball quickly or simply placing perfect through balls or long balls into the gaps in the visitors’ three-man back line.
However, the first goal of the game came off a set piece. Atlanta cleared a corner kick in the fifth minute, but Braian Ojeda sent in a good ball on the recycle and Brekalo was able to sneak in behind by timing his run well, nodding home for his first goal of the year to get the scoring party started.
“I’m so relieved that it happened, and it happened in this kind of game, magnitude of importance, and I hope this is the first of many this season, because I know I’m capable of scoring more goals,” Brekalo said.
Three minutes after the opening goal, Dorsey came forward and beat Hibbert but the defense cleared the shot off the line.
Atlanta’s first good look at goal came in the 14th minute on across from the left that found Aleksey Miranchuk on the right. The Atlanta attacker sent his header just wide of the left post.
Tiago nearly got in behind in the 15th minute but the defense knocked the ball away for Hibbert to collect. Orlando scored a minute later anyway. Marin sent a good ball forward for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian got down the left and centered a pass for Dorsey to tap home to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute.
Ellis played Martin Ojeda in behind in the 20th minute. The Argentine put his shot on goal and Hibbert made a good save, but the flag came up for offside anyway, although that one looked clean to me.
Atlanta United could have cut the lead in half a minute later when Emmanuel Latte Lath caught Otero off his line but the chip shot hit the right post.
It was a costly miss for Latte Lath, because Tiago made it 3-0 in the 24th minute on a good hustle play. The Brazilian pressed high and blocked Hibbert’s pass attempt. Martin Ojeda was offside, so he let the ball go and Tiago recovered and fired past Hibbert to triple the lead.
Like Dorsey just did recently, Tiago celebrated with the traditional ball under the shirt to honor his pregnant wife.
“It was recent news that we found out my wife was pregnant, obviously very happy about it, and today we actually found out it’s a boy,” Tiago said. “So, that’s what kind of gave me extra motivation for the goals, for my wife and now my son. They’re the two most important people in my life.”
Angulo got in behind and scored in the 33rd minute but the flag came up for offside again.
Miranchuk redirected a cross on goal in the 34th minute but sent his effort straight at Otero for a comfortable save.
The Lions then had more excellent chances to extend the lead just after Atlanta’s chance. Hibbert made an excellent save to deny Tiago in the 36th minute, getting his hand up just in time to keep it out of the net. Two minutes later, Dorsey bombed forward again on the break but the defense forced him wide. The fullback chipped it toward goal anyway and the defense cleared it off the line just before it could cross. In the 39th minute, Martin Ojeda got behind on a pass from Angulo but Hibbert made another solid save to keep the game at 3-0.
Brekalo got his head to the ensuing corner kick cross but the post denied the center back a brace in the 40th minute. A minute after that, Dorsey blasted a hard shot that Hibbert palmed over the crossbar.
Tiago thought he had his brace in the 44th minute, getting in behind and firing past Hibbert, but the flag came up once more.
Otero made a good save to stop Jay Fortune’s shot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time on one of Atlanta’s best chances of the game.
The Lions went the other way and made it 4-0. Braian Ojeda sent a good through ball to unlock Tiago. The Brazilian put the ball past Hibbert again to bag his first brace in an Orlando City uniform in the fifth minute of stoppage time on the last chance of the half.
“Extremely happy,” Tiago said of his brace. “I know the quality of the player that I am. I’ve spoken to Coach Martin (Perelman) during the week, and he told me the runs I should make, so naturally the goals came out of it.”
At the end of the first half, the Lions had the advantage in shots (11-7), shots on target (9-3), and corners (4-0). Atlanta led in possession (60%-40%) and passing accuracy (85%-80%).
“We were obviously extremely focused on the game,” Tiago said. “We know Atlanta is a tough team. We played them over the weekend, obviously we drew them, so we came into this game very focused, and we knew the quality of the group and knew we could advance.”
“I think I have to give credit to the coaching staff here, where they prepared the plan really well,” Brekalo said. “That was the main point: either take the ball super high or super low when we’re defending and counterattack them, so it worked exactly like the planned, and like we saw first half, I think many times, three or four times, that didn’t result in a goal, could be a goal, I think by a few inches or something. So, I would say that that was the whole plan, so it was either take it super low when in the our last third or super high up, and obviously the hard work of everybody, you know, defenders shifting, midfielders running like crazy. Everybody worked so hard today.”
Atlanta made four substitutions at the break and went to four at the back. This prevented Orlando City from getting the numerous breakaways the Lions enjoyed in the first half. Saba Lobjanidze’s introduction also gave the Five Stripes more bite in the attack.
The Five Stripes offense looked better right from the jump as the visitors looked to get something on the board to make a game of it. Matias Galarza fired just off target in the 49th minute on the good first look of the second half.
Orlando’s first look at goal came three minutes later, when Martin Ojeda fired a hard shot straight down the middle at Hibbert.
Lobjanidze just missed the left post from the right side in the 54th minute as Atlanta pressed numbers forward. Two minutes later, Lobjanidze dropped a cross onto Miranchuk’s head but the redirection went wide.
Tristan Muyumba volleyed a cleared corner kick toward goal in the 68th minute but missed the target badly.
“I think the challenge when we went out in the halftime, we imagined that they were going to make substitutions and strong players were going to come in, because they have a really good roster and talented players,” Perelman said. “And we knew the first 15 minutes were going to be very important. We tried to maintain the plan. I think we were able to do it, maybe not the first five minutes of the second half, but yes, we knew we needed to go over those first 15 minutes, and fortunately we could.”
Having weathered the early second-half storm, Orlando settled into protection mode, still looking to get forward when it could, but not taking many chances in possession. The Lions won a couple of corner kicks in the 72nd and 73rd minutes but couldn’t do anything with them.
Galarza again fired over the bar in the 75th minute, and Lobjanidze missed on a good opportunity in the 83rd minute as the visitors kept coming. A minute later, Latte Lath spoiled the shutout by volleying a beautiful shot just under the crossbar from the top of the box to make it 4-1.
Angulo got forward and fired over the bar in the 88th minute in the first good look for Orlando in quite some time. Two minutes later, the Lions broke forward and Braian Ojeda looked for a passing route, but the defense kept the channels blocked, so the midfielder went for goal himself. It was a good effort, but Hibbert made a nice save to push it wide. The corner kick was cleared out to second-half sub Wilder Cartagena in space. The Peruvian fired from outside the box but sent it right at Hibbert at the near post.
The match ended without another look at goal for either team and the Lions advanced past their rivals.
Atlanta’s second-half surge allowed the visitors to finish with the advantage in possession (59.5%-40.5%), shots (16-13), and passing accuracy (84.7%-79.4%). The Lions finished with more shots on target (10-4) and corners (6-1). Most importantly, Orlando won on the scoreboard by a wide margin.
“I’m happy to move forward in this competition, to put the team in a semifinal, which is important for us, for our club,” Perelman said. “I’m happy for our fans, because they deserve it. They support us always in the good ones and in those ones that are not that good ones. And of course, I’m happy for the entire club, managers, owner, Ricardo (Moreira), everybody here. We work really hard, so I think today is a good day for us and I’m happy for us.”
“I’m so happy that we advanced to the semifinals,” Brekalo said. “The team performed really well. We know we played against the same opponent, a tough game three days ago, so it was not easy, like energy-wise. And yeah, I’m so happy and proud of this team.”
The Lions advance to play the winner of tomorrow’s match between New York City FC and the Columbus Crew on the road on Sept. 15 or 16. Orlando City returns to league action Saturday on the road against FC Cincinnati. After that, the team is off for the World Cup break until late July.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to bounce back after conceding late Saturday in their draw vs. Atlanta in tonight’s knockout game against the Five Stripes.
Welcome to your match thread for a Tuesday night U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network). It’s the second of three scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals — the second in three days — with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 9 in MLS play.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.
History
The Lions are 5-11-8 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 3-6-4 at home. Orlando City is 6-12-8 against tonight’s visitors in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup), 4-7-4 at home in all games played, and 0-1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup against the Five Stripes.
Orlando City and Atlanta United met just three nights ago on Saturday, playing to a 1-1 draw. Griffin Dorsey gave Orlando the lead early but the Lions squandered chances to extend the lead, allowing Jay Fortune’s late goal to steal a point for the visitors.
The Lions led 2-1 in Atlanta on May 28, 2025, on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams just met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.
The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.
Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.
The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.
Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.
Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.
The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.
The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.
Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.
Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.
Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.
Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.
Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.
Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.
Overview
The Lions and Atlanta obviously played just a few days ago and walked away splitting the points, but not all draws are created equal. The Five Stripes rotated more than Orlando City did, which should position them better for tonight. They were already better rested than the Lions and all Orlando did was add more miles to legs that have logged a lot of them this month. To make matters worse, captain Robin Jansson left with a knock at halftime on Saturday.
Orlando got to this point in the tournament by squeaking past two opponents it should have overpowered. The Lions were fortunate to get a 1-0 road win at FC Naples on April 15, with a Nolan Miller goal-line clearance that was perhaps fortunate to not have to stand up to video review. Naples outplayed Orlando City by a wide margin in the game, especially in the second half, but the Lions got the game’s only goal.
In the Round of 16, Orlando went north to face New England and was met by a youthful Revolution side made up almost entirely of prospects. The Revs didn’t even dress stars like Carles Gil and Matt Turner. City fell behind that makeshift lineup three times but fought back to ultimately win it 4-3 on April 29.
Atlanta is 3-0-1 in its last four road games in all competitions (two U.S. Open Cup, two MLS). The Five Stripes got to this point in the competition by beating Chattanooga FC 3-1 in the Round of 32 and Charlotte FC 2-0 in the Round of 16.
Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze and Miranchuk in particular, but the Lions can’t switch off in their own end regardless of who is on the pitch and what the score is. OCSC has been fragile with late leads and even bringing on defense-for-offense substitutions has not helped. If they again don’t rotate much, the Lions will also need to conserve energy and pick their spots to make long runs as they are playing in their third match in seven days.
Match Content
- Our Intelligence Report features info on tonight’s opponent from Sydney Hunte, one of the co-founders of Atlanta blog Scarves and Spikes.
- The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the match.
- Our David Rohe provided his three keys to an Orlando City victory over Atlanta United.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.
Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.
Bench: Maxime Crepeau, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic, Duncan McGuire.
Atlanta United (4-4-1-1)
Goalkeeper: Jayden Hibbert.
Defenders: Elias Baez, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador, Ronald Hernandez.
Midfielders: Cooper Sanchez, Jay Fortune, Will Reilly, Matthew Edwards.
Attacking Midfielder: Aleksey Miranchuk.
Forward: Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Bench: Lucas Hoyos, Juan Berrocal, Tomas Jacob, Tristan Muyumba, Matias Galarza, Sergio Santos, Saba Lobjanidze.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Live Stream: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network.
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 match. Go City!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/19/26
Lions set for international duty, lessons from MLS matchday 14, Austin FC makes changes at the top, and more.
Good morning, everyone! It wasn’t a particularly successful weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but we don’t have time to dwell on the past. Orlando City is set for a big U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Atlanta United tonight, and all three teams will be back in action over the weekend. We’ve got a whole host of things to talk about today, so let’s jump straight into the links.
Lions Called Up for International Duty
A busy summer break from MLS is almost upon us, and that means that the international call-ups are starting to roll in. Gustavo Caraballo will be joining Venezuela’s U-20 outfit as it gets ready for an upcoming youth tournament.
In addition, Marco Pasalic has been named to Croatia’s World Cup squad, so Orlando City will be represented on the biggest stage.
Congrats to both players!
Lessons from Matchday 14
Matchday 14 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so let’s take a look at what we learned from the weekend’s action. For one thing, despite a slightly slow start to the season by his high standards, Hany Mukhtar’s hat trick against LAFC proved that he should still be considered among the league’s elite. Marco Reus flashed his versatility in the LA Galaxy’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, as he played striker and got an assist on LA’s first goal. Finally, while its too early to say things are definitely turned around for Sporting Kansas City, back-to-back wins means that there’s at least something to get excited about, and that’s very welcome in a season that’s been difficult for the most part. The spine of Sporting’s midfield looked improved on Saturday, and having Dejan Jovelic up top is never going to hurt a team’s chances.
Austin FC Makes Personnel Changes
Austin FC followed in the footsteps of the Columbus Crew by announcing the firing of head coach Nico Estevez on Monday. Where Austin went a step further was by also firing sporting director Rodolfo Borrell. The team has begun searches for permanent appointments to both positions immediately, while naming Davy Arnaud as interim manager in what will be his second stint in that role with the club. Austin has endured a difficult start to the season and is currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 3-6-5 and 14 points from 14 matches. The 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday seems to have been the final straw, and Austin will now be seeking its third permanent head coach since becoming an MLS club.
Americans in Midweek Action
Most major European seasons have already wrapped up or will be doing so shortly, but there’s still a number of Americans who will be competing during the working week. Things get started later today when Tyler Adams and Bournemouth play host to Manchester City in Premier League action. The stakes ratchet up considerably on Thursday when Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg play Paderborn in the first leg of the Bundesliga’s promotion/relegation tie. Things then finish up on Friday when Yunus Musah and Atalanta travel to take on Fiorentina in Serie A.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B’s Aug. 19 home match against Chattanooga FC has been rescheduled for May 31.
- The Orlando Pride could be a good landing spot for Sam Kerr, as pairing her with Barbra Banda would instantly elevate the team’s attack and keep it competitive in a league that’s getting tougher every year.
- Orlando City held fast at no.27 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
- The Orlando Pride dropped three spots to no.13 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
- Neymar has been named to Brazil’s World Cup squad, putting months of speculation to rest.
- Pep Guardiola will reportedly leave Manchester City at the end of the season after 10 campaigns in charge.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
PawedCast Episode 533: Philly & Atlanta Rewinds, Atlanta USOC Preview, OCB, and More
Orlando Pride vs. Denver Summit FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Atlanta United
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. CF Montreal: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoJustin Ellis Off to Hot Start in 2026 on Multiple Levels
-
Orlando City6 days agoOrlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-3 as Lions Outlast Union in Wild Game
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Concede Two Late Goals in Loss
-
Orlando City6 days agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory
-
Orlando City7 days agoOrlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More