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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-3 as Lions Squander Lead Twice at Home

The Lions finally had an offensive outburst like they had earlier in the year, but the defense was as leaky as the attack was strong in a wasteful home loss.

Published

1 year ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City led twice — by two goals in the first half and again by a goal inside the final 10 minutes of normal time, but the Lions couldn’t hold onto either lead in a frustrating 3-3 draw at Inter&Co Stadium. Martin Ojeda fired home Orlando’s first hat trick in a decade, and the first of his professional career, but it wasn’t enough for the Lions (4-2-6, 18 points) to get all three points against the New England Revolution (5-4-2, 17 points) in front of an announced crowd of 18,505 on a rainy night.

Alhassan Yusuf and Matt Polster brought the Revs back from 2-0 down in the final minutes of the first half, and a Carles Gil penalty just moments before the end of normal time allowed the visitors to steal a point in Orlando and deny two more to the Lions’ tally in a game reminiscent of the start of the season.

“I think it was obviously very entertaining for the intensity of the game to people that came to the stadium, but at the end, the frustration is the same.,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “What we left on the field was another two points that we let go in a game that I think we had all (the opportunities) to close it and win it. But this is the game. We’re scoring goals but we conceded too. But I have to say as well that our team was always bringing the initiative. I think we really proposed the game all the time.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet were the central midfielders supporting attacking midfielders Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

The Lions opened the match as the protagonists of the game, winning the ball and finding spaces to send Angulo down the left or Freeman (surprisingly) down the middle up top. Ojeda, Muriel, and Pasalic facilitated moving the ball and then themselves up the field to join the play. However, once Orlando City built its two-goal lead, there were breakdowns on the defensive end that allowed the visitors to climb back into it before halftime.

Ignatius Ganago got the first sight of goal in the match in the fifth minute, firing shot from the top of the box, but Jansson was there to block it for Orlando.

The first good look for the Lions came four minutest later. Pasalic did well to slip Freeman behind the defense through the right half of the box. Freeman fired a shot that forced a good diving save from Aljaz Ivacic. The goalkeeper could not control the rebound, but the ball was offline for a charging Angulo to finish into the empty net.

That kicked off a good spell for Orlando. Araujo fired a blast from outside the area in the 11th minute, but Ivacic again made a good diving save, sending it out for a corner, but the Lions couldn’t pay off the set piece, as Brekalo got under his header attempt.

New England struggled early to break down Orlando’s defense. Campana fired a shot from outside the area in the 15th minute. The former Inter Miami striker hit it well, but Gallese did well to get to his left and make the save.

A minute later, Pasalic unlocked New England’s defense down the left, sending Angulo down the flank. Angulo picked out Ojeda at the top of the box, but the Argentine blasted his shot over the bar. Pasalic should have opened the scoring four minutes later. In the 20th minute, Muriel nodded a cross in the box down for the Croatian, who had time and space, but opted to hit the shot with power, fizzing it just over the crossbar.

Ojeda earned a corner in the 23rd minute that the Revs cleared but only out to Pasalic, who fired a shot back through. It took a deflection off a defender and went out for a corner. The Lions made the second set piece pay off. Ivacic made a big save on Araujo’s shot and the follow from Gerbet was blocked by the defense. Ojeda picked it up, dribbled toward goal and smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar and in to make it 1-0 in the 24th minute with his fifth goal of the season — one more than he scored in MLS all of last season and equaling his 2023 output.

Moments after the goal, the Revs won a corner and it was nearly a costly one, with Ganago getting his head to it at the near post. However, the header went wide.

Ojeda doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. Gerbet sent the ball over the top, putting Ojeda in a 1-v-1 with the defense. A second New England defender recovered, but Ojeda did well to pull the ball back and fire it inside the right post to make it 2-0. His sixth of the year was the most he’s scored in a season for Orlando City.

“We’ve watched their film. When we review those opponents, I like to look for the spaces that I can try and find to create an advantage for us in the games,” Ojeda said. “And so, you know that was key tonight, to being able to find those spaces. But also what was key was my teammates finding spaces of their own and creating additional spaces for me in the run of play.”

The two-goal lead lasted only five minutes. After Orlando City ended New England’s long shutout streak, it was only fair for the Revs to return the favor. Ganago ended up with the ball out wide on the left and made a dangerous cross between the back line and Gallese that went through to the right side. Ilay Feingold was first to it, centering for Yusuf to blast home past a helpless Gallese from point-blank range in the 38th minute, halting the shutout streak in MLS play at 563 minutes and 653 minutes in all competitions.

“After the (game was) 2-0, we had low energy for some reason,” Gerbet said. “So like, we conceded two goals, which we shouldn’t. The guy, like, crossed it. He put it back on top of the box. So, like, that’s maybe also my zone. So, I didn’t watch back.”

Buoyed by the goal, New England stayed on the front foot for most of the remainder of the first half. However, it was at the end of the first period when the next chance came, and the Revolution made the most of it. New England earned a late penalty and took it short. The cross went to the back post, where Polster got his head to it and nodded home to make it 2-2 in the 45th minute.

“I think the first two goals that they scored was essentially a lack of concentration on all of our parts,” Ojeda said. “After the 30 minutes that we had played, and we went up two goals, we started to let them hit transitions on our defense, in areas that I myself take charge of. As attackers, we have to make sure that we’re helping out our defenders, that we’re helping out Pedro, and I think in those in those minutes, the we faltered in that.”

Neither side was able to produce a goal in three minutes of injury time and the teams went to the break tied at 2-2.

At the break, the Revs had the advantage in possession (57%-43%) and passing accuracy (85.5%-82.6%). Orlando City finished the first half with more shots (11-6), shots on target (4-3), and corner kicks (3-2).

“One of the games that we took advantage of those spaces that we create,” Pareja said. “And sometimes we create (space) but we don’t use it. But tonight, we created and used it all the game, and especially in that first half.”

Ojeda’s hat trick nearly came in the 47th minute when he took a pass on the left and fired quickly. He would have had the goalkeeper beaten, but Brayan Ceballos made a huge play to stick out a leg and block the shot.

The Lions kept coming. Muriel showed off some excellent skill to round his defender on the left, setting up Ojeda at the near post. Ojeda’s first touch was a shot but he pulled it wide of the left upright in the 48th minute. Seconds later, Brekalo brought the ball up the middle and continued his run. The Lions built the attack well and the ball ended up back on Brekalo’s foot. The defender slipped in and fired a shot that a defender blocked onto the post and out for a corner. Orlando couldn’t make the set piece pay off.

Gerbet took a high boot from Mamadou Fofana in the box moments later. Nothing was initially called, but referee Rubiel Vazquez was sent to the monitor for a second look. The penalty was correctly given.

Ojeda took the spot kick, waited for Ivacic to make his move, and fired down the middle to make it 3-2 in the 55th minute with his seventh goal of the MLS season. The successful penalty moved Ojeda to within one of the golden boot lead.

The goal gave Orlando City its first hat trick since September of 2015, when Cyle Larin netted three times against the New York Red Bulls. It was also Orlando’s first hat trick at home in the club’s MLS era in all competitions, as the previous three took place at New York City FC, at the Red Bulls, and at the Charleston Battery in U.S. Open Cup play — all in 2015.

“I think he came up in a very good moment,” Pareja said of his No. 10. “He was facing some tightness in his body, and we rested him and let him recover. And last game in the Cup game that we played, we started seeing that spark on him again. And today, it was a phenomenal game for Martin. I think he’s showing us all those things that he can do more frequently, but my admiration for such a game that he played today for us, it was great.”

The game stayed somewhoat open after the third goal. The Revolution nearly found a gift in the 62nd minute on a long-range free kick from Gil that was nodded toward goal from the top of the box. Gallese was alert and was able to make the stop.

Orlando should have done better with a chance in the 68th minute that Ojeda set up with an incredible pass to send Muriel in transition. The Colombian took too many touches to try to finesse around Ivacic instead of shooting, and the goalkeeper was able to take the ball right off his foot.

“We should have been lethal when we were (up) 3-2, and we had a few chances just to put the game away, and we let it go,” Pareja said.

Both teams begane making substitutions shortly after that opportunity, and New England’s worked out a bit better than Orlando’s. Ramiro Enrique, in particular, got into good areas but either couldn’t get good contact on his shot or turned the ball over trying to pass to a teammate. A good cross found Enrique on a corner kick in the 76th minute. The Argentine got his head to it and got it on goal, but his downward headed shot was soft enough for Ivacic to get a hand on it to keep it out.

The Lions tried to slow the match down and see out the win, while the Revs tried to push numbers forward. Orlando drew several yellow cards from Vazquez, who had been lenient most of the night both with foul calls and bookings. Still, things seemed to be under control until the 82nd minute. Ganago cut in front of Jansson in the box, while running away from goal on the right. Jansson was trying to play the ball but made light contact with the Revs forward with his foot. Ganago went down and Vazquez immediately pointed to the spot to award the penalty. Unlike the Gerbet play, video assistant referee Daniel Radford did not send Vazquez to the monitor for a second look, despite a lengthy check.

Gil took the spot kick and beat Gallese to score the game’s final goal in the 85th minute.

Orlando had some half chances to find a winner but could not convert. Second-half sub Duncan McGuire fired over the bar in the 87th minute from a shot outside the area. Two minutes later, McGuire got down the right flank and picked out a pass for Enrique in front, but he got well under the ball on his shot and sent it high over the goal and into The Wall. In the 90th minute, Enrique mishit his shot from the top of the box that hit McGuire and went in, but the big striker was offside when the ball found him and the goal was immediately disallowed.

Neither side created much in the 10 minutes of stoppage time. Substitute Rafael Santos was beaten badly by Luis Diaz Espinoza, who fired from outside the area. It was an awkward shot for Gallese, but the Peruvian made the save and his defense was able to clear the rebound in the second minute of injury time.

Orlando came close in the sixth added minute. Pasalic lined up a shot from well outside the area that Ivacic could only fight off. Freeman picked up the rebound on the right side and did well to lift a cross in front for Ojeda. The Argentine came close to a fourth goal, but a defender deflected the shot just wide of the right post. Nothing came of the corner kick and that was it for the good opportunites in the match.

New England finished with the advantage in possession (53.1%-46.9%) and passing accuracy (85.7%-85.2%). Orlando City ended the game with the edge in shots (23-16), shots on target (8-6), and corners (6-3).

“The pain that we have is the game allowed us to kill the game and we let it go on key moments that we have to do better,” Pareja said. “But there is a bunch of positive things. I see a team, probably the way we attacked today and the way we proposed it, this is the team that we want to see.”

“It’s a shame that tonight we we gave up three goals, because we had come in with with five games, six games of clean sheets,” Ojeda said. “And so, it’s a surprise to see three goals (conceded), but we go back into the week to work and to try and fix those errors that cause those goals on our side.”

The Lions are back in action Wednesday night when Charlotte FC visits Inter&Co Stadium.

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Lion Links: 6/1/26

Pride and OCB win, Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau called up, USMNT beats Senegal, and more.

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13 hours ago

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June 1, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work and just wrapped up covering high school spring season sports for the school year up here in Chicago. We had the Pride, OCB, and the USMNT all in action, and we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Beat Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday. Barbra Banda scored the opener early in the first half for Orlando, but Bay FC’s Caroline Conti scored the equalizer. In the second half, Banda scored her second goal of the night and added an assist on Cori Dyke’s goal in the 55th minute. Banda went down with an injury late in the match and had to leave the pitch. Since Orlando had already used all its substitutions, the team had to play the final 15 minutes of the match, including stoppage time, down to 10 players, but the Pride held on for the win. Banda has been called up to the Zambia Women’s National Team for the Four Nations Tournament, with the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations set to kick off next month in Morocco.

The Pride will be off until early July due to the NWSL World Cup break. Their next match will be on the road at BMO Stadium against Angel City FC on July 3.

OCB Defeats Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B defeated Chattanooga FC 5-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday. Ignacio Gomez scored for the Young Lions six minutes into the match. Chattanooga FC responded with two goals later in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, it was all OCB as Pedro Leao, Harvey Sarajian, and Justin Hylton each added a goal to extend the Young Lions’ lead to 4-2. Leao added a penalty kick goal as OCB secured back-to-back wins in league play and moved to fourth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 22 points. OCB will face Carolina Core FC Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau Called Up

Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau have been called up to their respective national teams. Reid-Brown will be joining the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team for upcoming friendlies against Georgia and North Macedonia in Bulgaria.

Crepeau will be with the Canadian Men’s National Team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canada has two international friendlies this week, facing Uzbekistan today and taking on Ireland Friday. Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch stated that he has not yet decided which goalkeeper will start in his team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, but Crepeau and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair will split time in goal against Uzbekistan.

USMNT Defeats Senegal in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Senegal 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, Sunday in an international friendly. Former Lion Alex Freeman started the match and played 45 minutes. Sergino Dest struck first to give the Yanks an early lead, and Christian Pulisic scored his first international goal since November 2024 for the U.S. to take a 2-0 lead in the first half. Sadio Mane pulled one back for Senegal to make it 2-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Mane added another goal to level the match, but Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored the final goal of the match to seal the win for the Americans. The USMNT will face Germany Saturday in another international friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, before opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, taking on Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Paris Saint-Germain Repeats as UEFA Champions League Winner in Penalties

Paris Saint-Germain edged Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw Saturday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to win the UEFA Champions League title for the second time in a row. Kai Havertz scored the first goal six minutes into the match to give Arsenal the lead in the first half. However, in the second half, Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, resulting in a penalty for Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot to tie the match. After 120 minutes of play, the match went to penalties, where Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made one save, but Paris Saint-Germain still scored four goals. In the final round, Arsenal defender Gabriel sailed his shot over the net, and Paris Saint-Germain became just the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles in the modern era, since 1992. The other club was Real Madrid, which won three consecutive titles from 2015-2016 through 2017-2018.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando City Academy U-14 squad defeated Inter Miami 3-1 Sunday to win the MLS Next Cup.
  • According to Sportico, Major League Soccer viewership has risen significantly in the first three months of the season.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

An Early Look at Orlando City’s Contract Decisions

Here is an early look at the decisions the club will have to make regarding the roster at the end of the 2026 season.

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2 days ago

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May 30, 2026

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Image of Wilder Cartagena controlling the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we head into a dead period of Major League Soccer with the arrival of the World Cup break, it’s worth looking into the future to see how the roster may look in the future. Orlando City has one player out of contract after the 2026 season and several that are on the last guaranteed year of their deal but have option years the club could exercise. Let’s take a look at the decisions Orlando City has to make at season’s end.

Ivan Angulo — Attacking Midfielder

The Colombian midfielder has been a tireless worker and a good soldier for Orlando City since his arrival in July of 2022. Regardless of what you think of his finishing (and it hasn’t been good the last two years after back-to-back seasons with five goals in 2023 and 2024 and 15 total goal contributions in the latter of those years) or those games in which he turns the ball over repeatedly, Angulo has generally been an asset to the team. What he lacks in goal production he makes up for in important hustle plays to break up opposition attacks and with his high pressure.

Angulo is out of contract after the 2026 season after signing through the 2025 season in January of 2024. Orlando City exercised his option year for 2026 last November. He could leave on a free transfer and there will be clubs interested in the 27-year-old, who will likely be one of the fastest players in whatever league he’s in for the next several seasons. At a total guaranteed compensation of $582,656, he’s not terribly expensive for a starting-caliber winger. Orlando City should re-sign Angulo or upgrade the position, and perhaps the club wants Tyrese Spicer to show he can take that spot. Spicer has been inconsistent as a starter but generally better off the bench. He hasn’t yet shown himself to be an everyday option.

Wilder Cartagena — Midfielder

The Peruvian midfield stopper has, like Angulo, been a solid performer for the Lions since signing with Orlando City in August of 2022. Last season’s Achilles injury derailed the club’s best-ever midfield double pivot, as Cartagena and Cesar Araujo combined to make life miserable for Orlando’s opponents and did a great job of shielding the back line. He even filled in admirably on the back line whenever Oscar Pareja went to five at the back as an extra center back. Cartagena suffered another injury in the 2026 season opener and is just getting back up to speed, but it seems as if he’s having difficulty breaking through to get enough minutes to round back into form.

Cartagena is on a contract through the end of 2026, which he signed last November, but there is an option year on his deal. At 31 years old and making a guaranteed $530,250 per year, it may be time to move on from the veteran defensive midfielder unless he can regain his form before the end of the season. The hope is that Luis Otavio can develop into a similar midfield stopper and the club has invested in the Brazilian. The Lions also seem more interested in the kind of offense that favors more attack-minded players in the central midfield, which has proven successful in scoring goals so far this year but has failed miserably at preventing them.

Joran Gerbet — Midfielder

The French-born product out of Clemson University signed in February 2025 after being drafted in the first round (No. 27 overall) in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. He had a promising rookie campaign going until sustaining a serious knee injury last October against Columbus and had season-ending surgery. Gerbet will likely be able to return to game action after the World Cup break, and perhaps he could even play some games with OCB during the pause.

He’ll be out of contract at the end of 2026 but there are options for 2027 and 2028 on his rookie deal. If he can return to full speed and produce, the club would likely bring him back. With total guaranteed compensation of $113,400, Gerbet is an inexpensive piece of the roster, and he’ll be eager to earn a new deal. Plus, he’ll have at least one new French-speaking teammate as soon as Antoine Griezmann arrives. Gerbet’s return could mitigate the loss of Cartagena if the club parts ways with the Peruvian international.

Adrian Marin — Defender

The Spaniard arrived in August of 2025 on a deal through this season with a club option for 2027. He wasn’t able to quite jell or acclimate well to Major League Soccer over the course of last season. He entered 2026 looking to lock down the starting left back spot and can play as a center back in a three-man back line, but so far this season he’s been inconsistent at best. While he can send the occasional excellent cross or long ball in to create a scoring chance, contributing three assists already this season, he’s not been quite able to consistently operate at an MLS level.

A good left back can be pricey, so his guaranteed pay of $577,972 isn’t terrible, but he’s not quite lived up to it either. It will be interesting to see if Marin can finish out the 2026 campaign strong and if it’s enough to warrant picking up his contract option or offering him a new deal.

Nolan Miller — Defender

The rookie out of Michigan had a strong start to his first professional year but then showed some growing pains. He signed through the 2026 season back in early February but the club holds options for Miller for the 2027 sprint season, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029. Miller most recently played with Orlando City B on Sunday, helping the Young Lions defeat Inter Miami CF II 4-1 at home. There’s a lot of season left for Miller to make his mark, and playing with OCB during the World Cup break is a good way to get him minutes in a developmental setting.

All indications from the club are that the technical staff believe Miller has enough upside to potentially become an MLS starter. The 22-year-old will be given an opportunity to develop, and it seems likely Orlando City will exercise his option unless the player asks for his release to pursue other opportunities.

Javier Otero — Goalkeeper

If there’s one thing that’s been clear for years, it’s that Orlando City likes to have one primary goalkeeper and a young, inexpensive backup who plays only sparingly, whether it’s Mason Stajduhar, Adam Grinwis, or Otero. The Lions signed Otero to a new contract through 2026 just a year ago in May 2025, with option years for 2027 and 2028. Otero has played well at times and gotten shelled a few times in his MLS career, but he’s filled his role well and is inexpensive at $163,750 in guaranteed annual compensation. Orlando will likely exercise the option on Otero’s deal unless the 23-year-old Venezuelan wants to go elsewhere.

Nicolas Rodriguez — Attacking Midfield

While not technically out of contract, the club may have to do something with Rodriguez, who is currently on loan with Atletico Nacional in Colombia through 2026. The Colombian side has an option to purchase, but it’s unclear whether that will be exercised. The former MLS U22 Initiative signing was suspended in March for an alleged sexual assault earlier this year — charges that Rodriguez denies. He returned to the pitch in May in a loss to Once Caldas.

With the commitment Orlando City made to Otavio, Iago, and Tiago, it’s unlikely the club will bring back Rodriguez unless one of the Brazilians is sold. Rodriguez struggled to get on the pitch with the first team last year, and Tiago seems light years ahead of the Colombian in his development. It seems likely the club will hope Nacional purchases Rodriguez, and if not, the Lions will probably try to sell him or loan him out again. Rodriguez’s contract expires at the end of 2027.

Zakaria Taifi — Fullback/Midfielder

Homegrown defender/winger Taifi is signed through 2026 with club options for 2027, 2028, and 2029. The 20-year-old has shown great promise and made the jump to the first team midway through 2025, although he played sparingly. Taifi already has career highs with the first team in 2026 in games played (10), starts (3), and assists (2). If not for Griffin Dorsey’s play, Taifi might otherwise be seeing regular minutes, although there is work to be done in developing his defending. At present, he projects more as a wingback than a fullback, but the same was once true of Alex Freeman, who improved his one-on-one defending by leaps and bounds.

As a Homegrown Player starting to bear fruit, it is a no-brainer for the club to pick up Taifi’s option after the 2026 season.

Yutaro Tsukada — Attacking Midfielder

Orlando City selected Tsukada with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft in December of 2023. The club signed Tsukada to an MLS NEXT Pro deal through 2024 and then signed him through 2025 with option years for 2026 and 2027, so he’s currently in the first of those two option years.

The young winger has shown some glimpses of quality in both dead-ball delivery and his crafty one-on-one moves out wide, but he’s not been able to break through just yet and he was left off both the senior team and OCB matchday rosters since April 26, despite a club spokesman telling me he wasn’t injured. Tsukada’s budget charge isn’t big ($113,400), but at 24, he’s entering his prime years and hasn’t yet developed into an MLS player. Whether he’s back next year may be up to the player in Tsukada’s case.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: May 31, 2017 vs. D.C. United

Hop in the time machine and relive a wet, weird Orlando City game from almost nine years ago.

Published

3 days ago

on

May 29, 2026

By

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

With no Orlando City match to entertain us for almost two months during the World Cup break, this is an optimal time to reflect on some of the team’s history and enjoy a trip down memory lane. We’re taking one hell of a trip today, as we go almost nine years into the past to reminisce on the Lions taking on D.C. United all the way back on May 31, 2017.

Just how different were things as OCSC got ready to take the field against D.C. that Wednesday? Well for one thing, the ground now known as Inter&Co Stadium had just opened a little over two months previously, and it was still called Orlando City Stadium. Jason Kreis had the reins as the team’s second full-time head coach, and teams were only allowed to make three substitutions per game instead of five.

Kreis set up his team in a 4-4-2 that had Joe Bendik in goal, a back line of Scott Sutter, Jose Aja, Jonathan Spector, and Donny Toia; Matias Perez Garcia, Will Johnson, Cristian Higuita, and Luis Gil in the midfield; and Cyle Larin alongside Carlos Rivas up top.

The defining characteristic of the game in the first half was the conditions in which it was played. The stadium was pounded by rain in the leadup to kickoff, and the wet weather continued during the opening 45 minutes. The Lions had the better of things in the first half, but things could have been different if Larin had been called for a handball in the box in the 15th minute, but the referee didn’t see it, the D.C. players didn’t call for it, and video review wouldn’t be introduced to MLS until later in the season.

D.C. went close through Julian Buscher in the 43rd minute when he turned well at the top of the box and sent a left footed shot toward goal, but Bendik did well to get down and push the ball away with his right hand. Orlando’s best chance of the half came as the first 45 minutes were winding down, when Gil sprung Larin on the break, but the Canadian had to shoot from an angle and Bill Hamid was able to deal with it fairly comfortably in the D.C. net. Before the half could end, OCSC had a penalty shout of its own as Sutter felt he was clipped from behind by Buscher in stoppage time, but referee Allen Chapman disagreed and the game went to halftime scoreless.

The Lions finished the first half with 59% possession and took nine shots but only put three on target, while D.C. totaled three shots with two on target, and 41% of the ball.

The rain mercifully subsided at halftime, but the game continued to be a sloppy affair as the second half got underway. D.C really should have opened the scoring in the 56th minute when a ball played down the right found Lamar Neagle near the penalty spot. He turned and played a great pass into space for Buscher, who was unmarked roughly 10 yards from goal on the left side of the box. Luckily for the Lions, with just Bendik to beat, the midfielder somehow contrived to blast his first-time shot over the bar so badly that it just missed the Heineken sign by a couple of inches.

That scare spurred Kreis into action, as he brought on Giles Barnes for Gil just three minutes later. It proved to be an inspired move, as the Jamaican provided an immediate spark and won a free kick in a dangerous area in the 65th minute after slaloming through several defenders. It fell to Johnson to take the resulting set piece, and he dialed up a doozy, curling a ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Larin fought through heavy contact from Steve Birnbaum and headed the ball into the net beyond a helpless Hamid to open the scoring for Orlando.

The strike ended a scoreless drought of 266 minutes for Orlando, and the team continued to look invigorated after the introduction of Barnes. He played a great cutback pass for Larin just two minutes after the goal, and the Canadian might have scored had D.C. not gotten bodies in the way and blocked it. He then played Rivas in on goal in the 71st minute, but Kofi Opare made a great last-ditch tackle to prevent a shot and MPG wasn’t able to bundle the loose ball over the line as Hamid came out to contest.

That was Perez-Garcia’s last meaningful action of the evening, as he made way for Tony Rocha two minutes later.

In the 74th minute, Orlando had another almighty scare and D.C. wasted its second excellent chance of the game. Aja played a badly underhit pass back to Bendik, and Neagle got to it first as the goalkeeper charged out to try to clear the danger. Neagle took it around him and had only Spector to beat as the last man back, but he put his shot entirely too close to the center back, who was able to make himself big and keep the effort out. The rebound then spun into the air and looked to be falling kindly for Sebastien Le Toux to head into the empty net, but Bendik parachuted in at the last second and acrobatically punched the danger clear.

The two teams then traded decent chances over the next 10 minutes, but a combination of blocks, misses, and a Bendik save kept things at 1-0. Kreis then made his final move of the game in the 83rd minute when Antonio Nocerino entered the game for Rivas.

OCSC looked all set to go more conservative and try to escape with a 1-0 win when it got a fortunate break just two minutes from the end of regulation. Barnes lined up a shot from roughly 25 yards out, and while it was hit with venom, it looked to be straight at Hamid and relatively straightforward. That made it all the more surprising when D.C.’s goalkeeper got two hands on it but either fluffed his attempt at a catch or whiffed on a punch, and the ball squirted past him into the back of the net. Barnes was rewarded for an energetic, game-changing substitute appearance, and the Lions got an insurance goal.

Four minutes of stoppage time passed without incident, and the Lions finished a dominant, but ultimately slightly nervy, performance with a 2-0 victory. Orlando ended the game with an edge in possession (57%-43%), shots (20-10), shots on target (5-4), and passing accuracy (81%-71%).

Current Orlando City staffer Austin David was on our staff and handed out player grades for the game, and he gave Barnes the Man of the Match award with an 8 out of 10. The other high performers on the night were Bendik and Spector, who were both awarded a 7.5 out of 10.

Larin’s goal was his eighth of the campaign, and the victory ended a six-game winless run for Orlando. Sadly, it wasn’t a sign of good things to come, as OCSC immediately endured another five-game winless run that included the infamous 3-1 loss to Miami FC that saw a Stefano Pinho hat trick earn him a move to the Lions at the end of the season. Orlando went on to win just three games the rest of the season, and finished 10th in the 11-team Eastern Conference with 39 points, ahead of only D.C. United.

With any luck, this season will follow a much different arc. Antoine Griezmann will be here before we know it, and the Lions have some time to make some tweaks to the roster, work on things in training, and will have an opportunity to make a cup final in the fall. Here’s to remembering the good parts of the past, and not repeating the bad ones. Vamos Orlando!

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