Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 0-0 as 10-Man Lions Held at Home

Rodrigo Schlegel’s second yellow card early in the second half derailed a good performance and forced the Lions to hold on for a single point at home.

Published

1 year ago

on

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

A great (but wasteful) performance at home was ruined in the 56th minute when Rodrigo Schlegel picked up a second yellow card, forcing the Lions to hold on for a 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando City (3-2-3, 12 points) was the better side and created by far the most chances than New York (3-2-3, 12 points) up to that point in the game, but the manpower disadvantage eventually took its toll, and the Lions were holding on at the end.

The Lions extended their unbeaten run to five games (2-0-3) but are also winless in two (0-0-2). Meanwhile, the Red Bulls are still winless on the road (0-2-2). It was the first time Orlando City had experienced two consecutive scoreless draws since the start of the 2023 season, when the Lions drew FC Cincinnati and Tigres each 0-0 at home on March 4 and 7 in MLS and Concacaf Champions League play, respectively.

“I thought after the performance, especially that we had in the first half and part of the second half until the red card came, we felt that we lost those two points, and it was a team that that we dominated,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But this is another experience that we have to learn from, and how can we kill those games when we have the chances and be precise and be lethal. We’re good when we’re in that mode. Unfortunately, today we weren’t.”

Pareja made no changes from last week’s lineup at Philadelphia, although Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta were available off the bench. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

Orlando created a great chance almost immediately. Freeman threaded a pass through traffic to Thorhallsson to break the defensive line and the Lions came forward with numbers. Ojeda slipped a ball in behind to Muriel, but the Colombian sent his shot too close to Carlos Coronel, who made the save.

Two minutes later, Eric Choupo-Moting scored off a pass from Emil Forsberg, but he was well offside on the through ball and the flag came up.

Orlando held more of the ball in the opening minutes and Pasalic shook free at the top of the area in the 12th minute with enough space for a shot. The Croatian fired a blast toward the near post from the right side but it caught outside netting after fizzing just wide of the right post.

New York’s next chance came in the 18th minute, when Felipe Carballo fired from about 25 yards out from goal. He didn’t miss by much, sizzling a shot just wide of the left post.

It was Muriel’s turn to hit the outside netting in the 22nd minute. Three minutes later, the ball found Angulo at the top of the area. The left wing spun around and fired, but hit his shot just wide of the right post.

Ojeda got a good shot on target in the 33rd minute, but he tried to go near post on Coronel, who was well positioned to make the save.

The Lions did nothing with the ensuing corner. Pasalic sent a weak dribbler right at Coronel in the 38th minute, as the Lions kept pressing the attack but not finishing it. Two minutes later, Muriel nearly jumped on a gift turnover in front of goal but Coronel got a touch on it and the chance evaporated.

Jansson was left in front on a recycled set piece in the 43rd minute and had a free header, but he too hit his shot right at Coronel, who fought it off with a good reaction save.

That was the last good look at the half, as the wasteful Lions were level with the Red Bulls at the break. Orlando City finished the half with the advantage in possession (64%-36%), shots (9-1), shots on target (4-0), corners (4-0), and passing accuracy (83.8%-71.1%). However, the Lions did not take their chances, which helped the visitors stay in the game.

“I think the elaboration of our game today was cleaner,” Pareja said when asked about what was different in this match than previous recent games against the Red Bulls. “I have to recognize and highlight the performance of those two midfielders that we had today with Joran (Gerbet) and Dagur (Dan Thorhallsson). They absorbed that pressure and they cleaned it up in a way that we could advance to the next phase of the game, or put a team in deeper situations. We were a cleaner team with the ball. It was something that we’re going to appreciate much more during the week, now that we’re not happy with the result, but that phase just makes our team go to the next level.”

Orlando continued to press forward after the restart. Gerbet sent a header across for Brekalo on a set piece but the defender was falling under contact and couldn’t get on the ball. Moments later, Pasalic fired a shot that a defender blocked out for a corner. Brekalo got his head to the cross on the corner kick but he was turned around and couldn’t get it on target in the 54th minute.

The match changed in the visitors’ favor in the 56th minute. Schlegel picked up a second yellow card and Chris Penso sent him off, putting the Lions down a man for the rest of the game.

“I felt early in that game, you have to be careful, because it’s still 30 minutes (left) and 10 men, we know, is a lot of running for everyone,” Gerbet said. “So, you have to cover more space from everyone, so I felt like you have to be cautious. But we want the result at home, so I felt like we did a pretty good job until the last 10 minutes in the game, like trying to push, trying to push, trying to score, but after, at some point, you also have to be true with yourself that you have to (not) lose the game. If you cannot win, you don’t need to lose. So, I felt the team responded really well. I mean, we’re disappointed, but we take it.”

New York quickly created danger after Schlegel’s dismissal and won a corner as Jansson was forced to knock a dangerous cross behind and out of play. The Lions countered after clearing the set piece, with Angulo winning an Orlando corner. However, nothing came of it.

The game setled into a back-and-forth affair for about a quarter of an hour before the Red Bulls started keeping more of the ball after the Lions subbed off a few attacking midfielders. Wikelman Carmona got in front and redirected a ball on frame that forced a save from Gallese in the 76th minute.

Second-half sub Atuesta committed a foul moments later to set up a dangerous set piece. The cross found Carballo at the near post but his free header sailed wide. Moments later, Dylan Nealis fired from long range but his shot was always rising and sailed well over the bar in the 87th minute.

Omar Valencia went down looking for a penalty call in the 89th minute, but all he drew was a yellow card for simulation.

Orlando was unable to fashion an attack of any kind in the seven minutes of stoppage time, but at least the Lions were fundamentally sound on the defensive end. New York’s only half chance came in the fifth added minute, when a good ball from the right nearly found Choupo-Moting at the back post. Freeman did just enough to keep the opposing striker from getting to the cross.

The whistle blew on Orlando’s second consecutive 0-0 draw moments later, as the second Schlegel yellow card spoiled an opportunity for the Lions to get all three points from the match.

Despite being a man down for most of the second half, Orlando City still finished with the advantage in possession (50.7%-49.3%), shots (14-10), shots on target (4-1), and corners (7-2). The Red Bulls finished with better passing accuracy (82.8%-79.1%).

“I felt like we played an awesome game,” Brekalo said. “We were dominating most of it, just disappointing that we didn’t get three points today. But I think with this attitude, these qualities that we’ve shown today, we are going to be successful in the long term. We knew that most of the dangerous balls that come are through balls from Forsberg, so just being close to him and expecting the through balls to (Choupo-Moting). Obviously, I think we did well. I don’t think until the red card, they got any clear chances of scoring.”

“I have to say that the willingness of the players and the commitment with the game, and you saw all the metrics and and that performance, is probably the best that we have had against this club, New York,” Pareja said. “And we really, really feel that (lack of) precision, it just kept us away from winning our three points, and obviously it is another story when the red card came, and obviously they push, and then we had just to congest a little bit the middle. And then it was another game played there. It was not the same game.”

The Lions go right back on the road for their fifth away match in seven games when they visit Montreal on Saturday.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

5 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Trending