The Lions found their scoring boots tonight at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and spent much of the 90 minutes applying those boots to the backsides of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Gustavo Caraballo’s brace led Orlando City, with Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson each adding a goal in a comprehensive road victory.

On the other end, Orlando allowed the host Rowdies very little, keeping the team’s sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, although this one was backstopped by Javier Otero rather than Pedro Gallese, who sat on the substitutes’ bench.

“I think scoring today was so healthy for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after his team’s five-goal outburst. “The first objective was trying to keep the pace that we had defensively on being solid, but at the same time, and just move on to that team that is scoring again. So we’re happy in that part, and in between the boxes, we played a good game. We saw the youngsters playing, some of the other players that were not regularly in the lineup, so it was very complete.”

Pareja’s lineup was heavily rotated from the side that played Saturday in Chicago, with Otero starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Nico Rodriguez, Martin Ojeda, and Caraballo, with Enrique up top.

It took Orlando City a while to get going, but once the Lions saw the ball in the net once, they looked dangerous for the remainder of the opening half.

Not much happened early for either side, other than some rough challenges by the Rowdies that were (eventually) punished by a single booking, but one in the opening moments to knock Freeman down while trying to get forward in transition would normally draw a yellow card.

Orlando’s first shot came in the ninth minute off a corner kick. The ball fell for Caraballo in the box and his shot hit a defender on the ground. Orlando players appealed for a handball, and it appeared the defender moved his hand on the ground up into the ball’s path, but referee Natalie Simon saw nothing wrong with it.

In the 13th minute, on what was probably the third bookable offense of the game by Tampa Bay, Simon finally showed a yellow card to Daniel Crisostomo for a hard challenge on Ojeda. Moments later, Araujo got his foot stomped on after releasing a pass but no card was given on a nasty challenge.

Enrique got into a good spot in the box in the 23rd minute and fired a shot that defender Forrest Lasso did well to block out for a corner kick. Lasso then cleared the ensuing set piece entry ball. Manuel Arteaga tried to catch Otero off his line from midfield after the clearance but the young goalkeeper wasn’t in danger of being beaten even if the attempt hadn’t been well off target.

Enrique’s flicked effort in the 26th minute was blocked by the defense, and an Ojeda attempt from a tight angle on the left in the 29th minute was well saved by goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi.

Tampa Bay got a rare shot in the 33rd minute from outside the area, but Schlegel blocked it at the top of the box. The ball sailed high into the air and served as catching practice for Otero.

Orlando City broke through a minute later. Ojeda took a good entry ball from Santos down the left and sent a low pass through the box. Caraballo got onto it and blasted it just under the bar to make it 1-0. It was the 16-year-old’s first goal with the first team, and he became the youngest player to score a first-team goal in a competitive match for Orlando City.

“It means a lot. I was able to rise to the opportunity that the coaching staff and my team gave me, and I was able to score in front of all the friends that came a long way to see us play and see us getting that very much important win to send us off to the next round,” Caraballo said.

“Congratulations to Gustavo, to the coaches in the academy, to the program that we have,” Pareja said. “I think that they have done a tremendous job on developing these kids and putting him in the first team for us is a privilege. And not just that, but to see those performances in a kid that is so young, still.”

Caraballo doubled the lead two minutes later. A takeaway in the attacking third ended up on Thorhallsson’s foot. The Icelandic midfielder cut across the box left to right. Just when it seemed he would fire a shot toward goal, he sent a diagonal pass to his right for Caraballo to run onto. The young midfielder slotted his shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute.

“I saw that there was space, that the left back wasn’t there, and if I attacked that space, I would be able to get the ball,” Caraballo said. “Thankfully, Dagur was able to see me and (it was) just a normal finish that we practice every day. And I’m just glad I was able to finish it.”

The Rowdies tried to pull one back in the 40th minute. Otero went up to catch a cross from his left and was barrelled over by Arteaga. Otero spilled the ball into his own net, but the whistle had gone for the obvious foul. A minute later, the Rowdies appealed for a penalty when a player went down in the box under contact, but Simon again wasn’t buying it.

Enrique made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Araujo sent a beautiful ball over the top that fell perfectly for Santos’ well-timed run. The Brazilian fullback slid a centering pass in front at the top of the six and Enrique flicked it through Campisi and in for the Lions’ third.

The last look of the first half was another good one for Orlando. Santos was sent down the left by Thorhallsson and was in a good position to shoot. The fullback sent a cannon shot over the bar from the left in stoppage time.

The Lions took their three-goal lead into the break. Orlando held the halftime advantage in possession (57.9%-42.1%), shots (9-3), shots on target (4-0), and corners (4-1).

“We needed to be patient just to open the first goal, or to get that first goal, and we scored in the right time, I think,” Pareja said of the team’s final 15 minutes of the half — between the hydration break and halftime. “I think in that moment we pushed the pedal and the other two goals came. But if there is one thing I said about what changed, it was that we moved the ball faster, and the dynamic that the boys had to connect that helped us just to land in the box with more numbers and with more options to score.”

With the three-goal lead, Pareja withdrew Ojeda and Freeman from the lineup before the restart, sending on Duncan McGuire and Colin Guske.

The second half, perhaps as a result of Orlando’s subs and a couple by the Rowdies, was disjointed just after the restart. Tampa Bay was able to stay on the ball a bit more.

Still, the first good look of the second half came in the 57th minute and was created by the Lions. Caraballo fizzed a good cross into the box that found Enrique. The Argentine sent a flicked header on goal, but Campisi made a good save.

The Lions added a fourth two minutes later anyway. McGuire headed down a ball from the back to Rodriguez on the right. The Colombian sent a good return ball over the top for McGuire, who used his strength to hold off his defender before blasting his first goal of the season past Campisi to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute. The pass was Rodriguez’s first assist as a Lion.

“Duncan has been in that long recovery process that he had on his shoulder, and just seeing him now getting his rhythm and his best version and scoring is so healthy for our team,” Pareja said. “And Ramiro similar, too.”

Tampa Bay started to create some half-chances past the hour mark, shortly after both teams had made more substitutions. Orlando withdrew Araujo and Schlegel, replacing them with Zakaria Taifi and David Brekalo.

The first decent look of the half for the Rowdies came in the 67th minute. Woobens Pacius received the ball at the top right corner of the Orlando box and made a good turn, firing a shot for the near post. Otero had the post covered and made a comfortable save.

After the second-half hydration break, the Rowdies put a couple of decent shots on goal but couldn’t beat Otero. The first of those came in the 78th minute from Alexander Rodriguez from the top of the box on the right. The shot had a lot of power on it, but Otero fought it off. A minute later, Smith and Santos were caught up the field, allowing Ollie Bassett to sneak in down the right. He took a pass and blasted a shot that Otero saved.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to add a fifth goal in the 86th minute. Colin Guske intercepted a pass near the top of his own penalty area and dribbled forward in transition. He did well to pick out Enrique making a run slightly right of center. The Argentine carried the ball into the box with McGuire on his left all alone. Enrique slowed and cut back to his left, firing a shot wide of the left post.

Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the 90th minute, getting onto a pass from late substitute Ivan Angulo in the semicircle just outside Tampa Bay’s penalty area and blasting a shot just inside the left post to make it 5-0. It gave Thorhallsson a goal to go with his earlier assist.

After just one minute of stoppage time, Simon blew the full-time whistle on a dominant win over a struggling USL Championship side. The first 30 minutes were tightly contested, but the rest of the match was owned by Orlando City.

In the end, Orlando held the advantage in possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (15-7), shots on target (7-3), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (91.8%-89.4%).

“We’re really excited now to put our mind into the next one against New England at home, but today it was a game that we needed,” Pareja said.

The Lions improved to 8-0-0 in all competitions against Tampa Bay.

Orlando City moves on to the Round of 16 to host Nashville SC with a date and time to be announced, but the window for that round is May 20 and 21. The Lions return to action at home Saturday against the New England Revolution.

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day as the Lions begin their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. I’ve repeatedly said on The Mane Land PawedCast that I want Oscar Pareja to focus on this competition more than another one (*cough* Leagues Cup *cough*). That all starts tonight, and I hope you’re as excited as I am. Let’s get to the links.

I-4 Derby Tonight

Orlando City enters the 2025 U.S. Open Cup tonight against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Lions make the perilous 112-mile trip along I-4 — which feels approximately like flying to Seattle — to take on an old geographical rival. We’re likely to see a rotated lineup for this match, but Pareja said he has confidence in the younger players to get the job done. If you’re not making the trip to Tampa here is how you can watch the match. We will have our normal match coverage for you tonight.

Nobody Likes Nil-Nil

You know something is going on when Orlando City attracts the attention of the national media. Unfortunately, that thing is the overabundance of 0-0 draws in four out of the last five matches. The theory is that the Lions aren’t getting enough service out of the midfield for the players up top. It may be as simple as players getting healthy for Orlando City to reignite the offense. For the sake of a certain The Mane Land editor’s sanity, I hope that is the case.

MLS News and Notes

Soccer’s popularity is growing in the United States. Are decades of being America’s next big sport finally paying off? It seems to actually be the case, at least when it comes to the sponsors. With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, brands are investing in MLS and soccer in America. EA Sports is in on the action, partnering with MLS and Apple TV to show four live matches within the EA FC mobile gaming app this season

NWSL Keeps Growing

Big things are also happening in the NWSL. The growth has prompted the league to move its headquarters from one New York office to a bigger New York office. Part of that growth comes from owners like the Washington Spirit’s Michelle Kang. The billionaire is investing in the NWSL, U.S. Soccer, and other leagues and countries throughout the world. On a slightly different scale, Mikaela Shiffrin — the most decorated alpine skier of all time — has invested in the Denver NWSL expansion side.

Free Kicks

• Club America and LAFC will play a match to see which club qualifies for the Club World Cup after the Club Leon/Pachuca/Alajuelense appeals were denied.

• Inter Milan defeated Barcelona 4-3 (7-6 on aggregate) to cap a wild two-legged tie to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. They will face either PSG or Arsenal.
• While not a done deal, it’s looking like Christian Pulisic will sign a new contract with AC Milan. Pulisic managed to have a good season, even though the club fell short of expectations.
• Pulisic isn’t the only USMNT player in demand. Weston McKennie may also put pen to paper to stay with Juventus for a while longer.

That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of tonight’s match as well as the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

Well it wasn’t the greatest weekend that Orlando’s soccer teams have ever had. The three squads picked up just one of the nine points on offer, and it was very much a trio of matches to forget. Luckily we won’t have to linger on them for very long, because the action continues almost immediately with Orlando City facing the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup. We have plenty of news to talk through today, so let’s jump into the links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Recognition

Pedro Gallese was outstanding while backstopping OCSC in its 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire over the weekend, and his performance earned him a place in the starting XI of the most recent edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Orlando’s octopus made eight saves on the night, including two double saves, and if not for him the Fire would have run away with the game long before they were eventually reduced to 10 men. He’s now just the fourth goalkeeper since 2020 to earn five straight clean sheets, His efforts earned him the Man of the Match award by a country mile in Andrew DeSalvo’s Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see him getting some love on the larger stage as well.

Zara Chavoshi Nominated for Save of the Week

In a piece of news that you don’t necessarily see every day, Orlando Pride defender Zara Chavoshi has been nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. You can’t say she doesn’t deserve it either, as Chavoshi made a goal-line clearance with the net empty in the 38th minute to keep the deficit at 1-0 against the Portland Thorns. While the Pride weren’t able take advantage of her efforts by making a comeback, it was still an outstanding hustle play. Hopefully she won’t need to make too many more of those as the season progresses, but congratulations are in order all the same!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, so let’s run down some games to keep an eye on. Diego Kochen will likely be on the bench for the second leg of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against Inter Milan later today. Wednesday has Alejandro Zendejas and Club America facing Pumas in the Liga MX Clausura playoff quarterfinal. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis traveling to Fiorentina in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals, in which they hold a 2-1 lead after the first leg. Things then wrap up on Friday with Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan hosting Bologna in Serie A.

Leon’s Club World Cup Verdict is Expected Today

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to deliver a verdict today on whether or not Leon will be able to participate in the upcoming Club World Cup this summer. As things currently stand, FIFA will not allow the Mexican side’s participation, and is preparing a one-off game between LAFC and Club America to determine which team will take Leon’s place. FIFA’s rules for the tournament prohibit more than one team having the same owners, but Leon and Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca. Leon were even drawn into a group with Chelsea, Esperance, and Flamengo at the end of last year, but FIFA excluded them during a ruling in March, which prompted Leon to appeal their case to the CAS.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride remained at the no.1 spot in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City rose one spot to no.13 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool when his contract expires in the summer and is widely expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.
• Ary Borges has been suspended an additional three games for making contact with an official.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!