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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Crash Out of the Cup

The Lions are out of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup after just two matches, looking leggy and tired against a fresher Nashville side.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City took an early lead, gave up a couple of poor first-half goals, and then conceded a late game winner in a 3-2 loss to Nashville SC in U.S. Open Cup play at Inter&Co Stadium. Head Coach Oscar Pareja fielded a strong lineup while the visitors rotated heavily, and the fresher legs won despite the travel.

Marco Pasalic provided an early lead before an own goal on Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal put Nashville ahead at the break. Ramiro Enrique equalized in the second half, but a blast from fullback Wyatt Meyer ultimately knocked Orlando out of the competition. Nashville did it without star forwards Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge or starting goalkeeper Joe Willis.

“I think it was a good match for two teams who have an offensive proposal or initiative,” Pareja said after the match. “I think early in the game we found a team that wanted to use the spaces offensively, and we didn’t find a team who wants to drop, and I have to say they did a good job on that part. So, we ended up playing the first half lower than we wanted, and despite our goal, our offensive was not as frequent as we wanted.”

Pareja fielded nearly a complete first-choice lineup for this Round of 16 matchup, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield with attacking midfielders Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Martin Ojeda, and Pasalic, with Enrique up top.

At the start of the game, it was easy to tell which was the fresher team. Nashville rotated its lineup heavily and had more jump in the opening minutes. Orlando nevertheless was able to create some transition opportunities and earned a couple of early corners, but the Lions could not do anything with them. The closest opportunity was a header well over the bar from Schlegel on the second such opportunity.

Nashville had a warning shot in the 16th minute as a corner kick cross was deflected out in front of Gallese’s goal and floated off the right post.

Orlando opened the scoring a minute later. Pasalic cut in from the right side and smashed a shot from 30 yards out that gave Brian Schwake no chance to stop it, putting the Lions up 1-0 in the 17th minute. It was the Croatian’s first U.S. Open Cup goal in his first appearance in the competition.

“Sometimes it’s better to shoot faster, because maybe the goalkeeper is not prepared,” Pasalic said of his long-range bomb. “So, today was was my chance.”

The celebration was short-lived, as Nashville tied the game just six minutes later. Ahmed Qasem got down the left past Brekalo and Jansson and centered a ball for Bunbury, who was tangling in front with Schlegel. The ball, which may have gone over the end line before the cross (there is no video review in the U.S. Open Cup), deflected just over the line off Schlegel for an own goal, tying the game in the 23rd minute.

“We started good in the game, played really good. The tactic was also really good, and then came the first goal,” Pasalic said. “Then we conceded the goal of Nashville really fast, and this was a big problem.”

Freeman had a chance to mimic Pasalic’s goal in the 30th minute, only from a bit closer to goal at the top of the box. The right back didn’t get his hips turned enough on the shot and sent it wide to the left of goal.

The visitors took the lead on an embarrassing goal in the 40th minute. Qasem wasn’t in a particularly threatening position 25 yards out from goal off to the left, but when Araujo ignored him and left him in space, he sent a shot from distance that didn’t have a ton of pace on it, and Schlegel opted not to try to block it. The shot somehow just found its way through the box diagonally and inside the right post to make it 2-1.

Schlegel had a late opportunity to make up for some defensive lapses late in the half when Orlando won a corner. The defender did well to get across his mark, but he headed his shot wide in the 45the minute.

Enrique sent another header wide off a corner in stoppage time and the Lions went to the break trailing on two of the more preventable goals they’ve conceded all season.

Nashville held the halftime edge in possession (57.5%-42.5%), and passing accuracy (88%-85%), while Orlando led in shots (8-4) and corners (6-2). Each team put one shot on frame.

Orlando tried to tie the match right out of the break, sending Freeman a ball over the top. The fullback tracked it down and fired, but his shot was wide of the right post in the 46th minute. The Lions scored on their next shot. Freeman opened the play up in the middle of the pitch and made a nice pass to Pasalic, who slipped in a perfect ball for Enrique to run onto. Enrique finished his shot through Schwake in the 58th minute to tie the game at 2-2.

Orlando had a chance to take the lead just two minutes later when Brekalo made a fantastic pass to send Pasalic down the right. The Croatian tried to cut a pass back into the middle, where Thorhallsson and Enrique were making runs, but the attempt was just behind both, and Nashville cleared the danger.

Pasalic went for his brace in the 63rd minute, firing a shot inside the box that fizzed over the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, the Lions — vehemently — felt they should have had a penalty. What appeared to be a clear handball in the box was let go by referee Joshua Encarnacion. Orlando City players protested to no avail, and it was a play that weighed heavily on Pareja’s mind after the match, as the play could have been a huge difference maker in a tie game.

“I hate to say this, but the (lack of a) PK was incredible,” Pareja said. “We reviewed it, and it’s impossible that a referee cannot see that handball. This is a tournament where we’re investing. This is a tournament that we’re (taking) serious. It’s a tournament that our club wanted to be well represented. It’s incredible for me that a referee of this category cannot see that PK. It is impossible because I know that he saw it. Obviously we take our part, but the (no call on) the PK was incredible — not conceding something that is so clear.”

Five minutes after the no-call in Orlando’s attacking end, there was a no-call in the Lions’ defensive end, as Freeman appeared to be fouled just outside his defensive penalty area. Encarnacion allowed play to go on as Nashville recovered the loose ball in the left corner and sent it across the face of goal. Qasem picked it up in the right corner, muscled his way free of second-half sub Ivan Angulo, and passed to Patrick Yazbek just inside the top of the box. Yazbek had traffic in front of him, so he sent a backheel drop pass to Meyer, who fired a laser just inside the right post for what turned out to be the game winner.

“I think we had the game under control,” Pasalic said. “One moment we are not paying attention. (Nashville gets) the goal and the luck. We missed the luck at the end. And I think it hurts a lot.”

“Today, the game showed us that we have to be on our toes all the time,” Pareja said. “When you see that something is fixed, and something is good, and the game comes and exposes you in this manner. It just tells us that we have to keep going.”

Substitute Luis Muriel blasted a shot just wide of the left post in the 84th minute as Nashville dropped its block low to protect the lead. The effort was a good one, but Schwake had it covered if it had been on frame.

Pareja sent Duncan McGuire and Rafael Santos on to add more attacking players. Moments later, Angulo sent a cross into the box for a visibly tiring Freeman. The cross was a little behind the fullback, who still managed to get his head to it but couldn’t generate enough power on the shot to beat Schwake in the 86th minute. Two minutes later, Pasalic put the ball on his left foot again and blasted another shot over the bar.

Orlando City had seven minutes of stoppage time to score a goal to stay in the tournament, but the Lions couldn’t even generate a scoring chance.

The Lions ended up with the advantage in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (15-7), corners (8-4), and passing accuracy (86.5%-85%). Both teams put three shots on target, and the lack of precision was one of the reasons Orlando City is out of the tournament.

Despite having traveled, Nashville looked fresher, especially down the stretch. Araujo and Ojeda looked tired before the first half ended, and Freeman looked shattered down the stretch. But Pareja and Pasalic did not use tired legs as an excuse. Pareja said he wanted to keep the defensive solidity of the most recent games while rotating a bit in the attack. He also said that some injuries prevented him from rotating more, as Eduard Atuesta was still unavailable despite being back in training.

“I think along the game we played well,” Pareja said. “We should have more energy at the beginning of the second half. I thought the boys started with that energy, but we didn’t keep it.”

It’ll be another short turnaround for Orlando City, as the team’s regular season resumes Saturday at home against the Portland Timbers.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/8/26

OCB beats Carolina Core, Barbra Banda named to NWSL May Best XI, USMNT and USWNT lose, and more.

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3 hours ago

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June 8, 2026

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Image of Matthew Belgodere celebrating his game-winning goal against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work over the weekend, and like many of you, I’m looking forward to the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicking off later this week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Belgodere’s Late Winner Lifts OCB over Carolina Core FC

Orlando City B overturned a 2-0 deficit to defeat Carolina Core FC 3-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday. Arnaud Tattevin struck first for Carolina, giving the visitors and early lead. Carolina added another goal to go up 2-0 before defender Jair Caiza received a red card for violent conduct against Issah Haruna in the penalty area, and OCB was awarded a penalty kick. Pedro Leao converted from the spot to pull the Young Lions within one before halftime. In the second half, Leao added another goal to tie the match for OCB. Matthew Belgodere came off the bench and scored the late winner for the Young Lions, who earned all three points at home and extended their winning streak to three games. OCB will be on the road to take on Huntsville City FC Saturday at Wicks Family Field.

Barbra Banda Named to NWSL Best XI for May

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was named to the National Women’s Soccer League Best XI for the month of May. It’s the third monthly Best XI of the year award for Banda this season. She recorded six goals and added one assist in May. Two of those goals were winners against the North Carolina Courage and Bay FC. Banda leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 matches during the 2026 campaign.

OCB Transfers Jaylen Yearwood to FC Naples

Orlando City B announced Friday that the club has transferred defender Jaylen Yearwood to USL League One side FC Naples. OCB will retain a sell-on percentage if FC Naples transfers Yearwood to another club in the future. Yearwood, Orlando City’s No. 14 overall draft pick in the first round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, made 10 appearances for the Young Lions during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, starting six matches, and made two appearances for the Trinidad & Tobago Men’s National Team.

USMNT Falls 2-1 to Germany in World Cup Send-Off Match

The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 to Germany at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, Saturday in an international friendly. Former Lion Alex Freeman started the match and played 72 minutes. Kai Havertz scored the opening goal two minutes into the match to give Germany the lead. Antonee Robinson scored the equalizer for the Yanks before halftime. In the second half, Leroy Sane added the winning goal for Germany. The USMNT will take on Paraguay Friday in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

USWNT Loses Road Friendly at Brazil

The U.S. Women’s National Team fell 2-1 to Brazil at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday in an international friendly. Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina started the match for Brazil, playing 68 minutes, while defender Rafaelle came off the bench in the second half and played 10 minutes. Orlando Pride forward Marta was on Brazil’s bench but did not play. Sophia Wilson scored her first goal for the USWNT since 2024 early in the first half. However, Brazil scored two quick goals from Taina Maranhao and Bia Zaneratto to take a 2-1 lead and held on for the win. The USWNT will face Brazil on the road again on Tuesday at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza.

Free Kicks

  • In case you missed it Friday, check out this amazing save by Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau for the Canadian Men’s National Team in its friendly against Ireland.
  • Former Lion Cyle Larin is staying with EFL Championship side Southampton after the club announced his loan from Mallorca had been converted into a permanent transfer.
  • NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, a limited partner in the ownership group for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, was interviewed by Yahoo Sports and shared insights into his experience investing in soccer, growing up playing soccer in Northern Virginia, his thoughts on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and more.
  • Major League Soccer announced its First XI players named to the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, which will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, on July 29. None were Lions.
  • EFL Championship side Derby County has reportedly reached an agreement with the Vancouver Whitecaps to sign midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
  • The USL Super League will reportedly flip its calendar to begin play in the spring and end its season in the fall beginning in 2027 to align with the NWSL. The league will play a fall season in 2026 before transitioning to the new calendar.
  • The Iranian soccer federation has accused the United States of “vindictive behavior” after stating that visas were denied to key administrative and managerial officials. The Iranian Men’s National Team will only be allowed to travel to the U.S. on matchdays and must leave the country after each match.
  • Midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed during the match for Denmark in an international friendly against Ukraine Sunday. The match was abandoned, and the national team shared an update. We here at The Mane Land wish Eriksen a speedy recovery.

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

Flashback Friday: June 3, 2023 vs. New York Red Bulls

Let’s rewind to an eventful match on the road up in New Jersey that took place just over three years ago.

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3 days ago

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June 5, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With Orlando City on break for the foreseeable future, it falls to me to keep bringing you fond memories from OCSC games of years gone by. We won’t be going quite as deep into the vault as we did last week, when we rewound to nine years ago and relived a wet and weird win over D.C. United. Today, we’ll go a little over three years into the past to June 3, 2023, when the Lions hit the road to take on the New York Red Bulls.

As Orlando prepared to face the Red Bulls after opening the season against them at home, things were going pretty well for the Lions. They were riding a four-game unbeaten streak that included some solid results on the road and sought to continue that trend up in Harrison, NJ.

To do that, then-coach Oscar Pareja sent out the team in his traditional 4-2-3-1. Pedro Gallese was in net, while Kyle Smith, Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Rafael Santos manned the back line. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena sat in deep midfield as the double pivots, Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the tip of the proverbial spear.

By and large, the first half wasn’t the most engaging 45 minutes of soccer that Orlando City has ever graced us with. The first 15 minutes saw a lot of fouls and fairly sloppy play, with the game lacking any real rhythm but featuring plenty of stops, starts, and turnovers. That all changed in the 18th minute when Orlando broke the deadlock through an unlikely source. The Lions managed to break New York’s press, and Cartagena took advantage of an out-of-position John Tolkin to play Angulo behind the defense with a great ball. The Colombian carried the ball into the box, cut onto his left foot to avoid the sliding challenge of Dylan Nealis, and beat goalkeeper Carlos Coronel to score his third goal of the season.

The Red Bulls had a great opportunity to tie the game in the 30th minute after a bad Pereyra giveaway at midfield, but Luquinhas hit a tame shot at Gallese and failed to capitalize. Smith of all people had a crack at goal from inside the box just a few minutes before halftime, but he sent his effort wide of the post when he really should have hit the target. Tom Barlow then wasted another chance to put the game at 1-1 going into halftime but contrived to fire over the bar from the top of the area when all he had to do was hit the empty net.

That proved to be the last action of the half, and it was surprising to see Orlando in the lead based on the stats. Orlando held slightly more possession (52.1%-47.9%) and passed marginally better (76.1%-74.9%) but those were the only categories in which it led. The Lions were outshot (7-2), had fewer shots on goal (2-1), and took no corner kicks while the Red Bulls had one.

Fortunately, the Lions got a break just a couple minutes into the second half. Kara ran onto a ball over the top and New York center back Andres Reyes pulled him back, picked up a deserved second yellow card, and hit the showers early in the 47th minute.

New York cleared the danger from the ensuing free kick, but referee Victor Rivas was advised to go to the monitor and check for a foul during the play. Further examination revealed that Sean Nealis took Jansson down from behind as the ball was in the air, and he rightfully pointed to the spot. Enter Torres, who stepped up and beat Coronel (who guessed the right way), to double Orlando’s advantage despite the Paraguayan trying to get in his head beforehand.

The good vibes were dented slightly when Araujo went down injured in the 57th minute, with Felipe coming on in his place. The Red Bulls kept up their traditional high pressing despite being down a man, and with the Lions continuing to be sloppy in possession, it was hard to blame them. The teams traded chances right after Araujo made his exit, and some close calls for New York spurred Pareja into further changes, with Duncan McGuire and Martin Ojeda entering the fray for Kara and Pereyra in the 62nd minute.

Angulo squeezed off a shot from an acute angle three minutes later and Coronel saved it well, with the game entering a bit of a lull after he did so as the teams traded fouls and McGuire was caught offside.

Things sprang back into life in the 72nd minute. Ojeda cleared his lines and managed to find Angulo in the process, who absolutely torched Frankie Amaya down the left wing. The Colombian carried the ball into the box, drew Tolkin to him, and crossed perfectly for the unmarked Torres, who fired low and hard past Coronel with conviction to put the game away for good.

Despite being down 3-0, the Red Bulls kept up the fight and Jansson was forced into a good block just four minutes after Facu bagged his brace. The Lions spurned a few more half chances as the game wound down, and there was a scary moment in the 82nd minute when Dylan Nealis fell into Gallese’s leg, but the goalkeeper was able to soldier on after getting some treatment, although he looked a little shaky.

That more or less did it for the notable moments of action, as Orlando saw out a healthy eight minutes of stoppage time to make it five games unbeaten. The Lions finished with more possession (51.2%-48.8%) and more shots on target (5-2), but New York was crisper with its passing (79.2%-78%), took more shots (14-7), and won more corners (8-2).

David Rohe was on hand for our Player Grades column in this one, and Angulo took Man of the Match honors with an 8 out of 10 for his one-goal, one-assist performance that also included three completed dribbles, two tackles, and an interception. Torres unsurprisingly also graded out high with a 7.5 out of 10, as did Cartagena, who received the same grade.

The Lions went on to grab one more victory before the undefeated streak ended at six up in Foxborough against the New England Revolution. Fortunately, they started picking up points again immediately afterward and had a largely strong summer and back half of the year that saw them finish second in both the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield race. Hopefully, this year’s side can take some cues from the 2023 squad and start stacking points with more regularity once the season resumes in July. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 6/5/26

Maxime Crepeau named Canada’s starter, analyzing Germany before USMNT friendly, USWNT prepares for Brazil, and more.

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3 days ago

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June 5, 2026

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Image of Maxime Crepeau making a save against the New York Red Bulls.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty hectic week for me, but I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with soccer and celebrating with some friends. It should be a nice next couple of days before the World Cup is here in full force next week. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Canada Chooses Maxime Crepeau as Starting Goalkeeper

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was named as the starter for Canada for the upcoming World Cup. The 32-year-old has been in a tight battle with Dayne St. Clair for the starting job for quite some time and he’s done well enough for Jesse Marsch to choose him for the role. This will be Crepeau’s first World Cup since he wasn’t able to take part in the 2022 competition due to a broken leg. Canada will play Ireland today in a friendly before hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup on June 12.

Analyzing Germany Ahead of USMNT Clash

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Germany on Saturday in Chicago in its final friendly before the World Cup starts next week. This will be the 13th match between the two nations, with the most recent one being a 3-1 loss by the U.S. in October of 2023. Manuel Neuer is Germany’s starting goalkeeper, but he’s dealing with an injury and backup Oliver Baumann could play on Saturday in his place. Hopefully the U.S. can make his life difficult, but Germany has tough defenders in Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck. Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, and Leroy Sane are dangerous attacking threats, while Nick Woltemade brings both height and solid ball movement at the top of the formation. It should be a great test for the USMNT before the games get serious.

USWNT Prepares for Brazil

The United States Women’s National Team is in action on Saturday as well, with the team set to play Brazil in Sao Paulo in the first of two friendlies. Plenty of attention will be on the reunited attacking trio of Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson that combined for 10 goals and five assists in the 2024 Summer Olympics. As for Brazil, the Orlando Pride are well represented, with Marta, Angelina, and Rafaelle all called up for these friendlies. There’s plenty of competing talent on Brazil’s roster, so it will be interesting to see who starts on Saturday. I’m most interested to see how the U.S. defense manages against Brazilian attackers like Ludmila, Dudinha, and Kerolin without having Naomi Girma on the back line.

Liverpool Hires Andoni Iraola as Next Manager

Liverpool didn’t waste much time finding a new manager after firing Arne Slot last week, hiring Andoni Iraola as his replacement. Iraola joins Liverpool after three years with Bournemouth that included securing Europa League qualification for the first time in club history this past season. He now joins a Liverpool team that qualified for the Champions League, but lost 12 league games after winning the league title in 2025. It will be interesting to see how Iraola does at one of England’s biggest clubs, particularly in regards to how his high-octane approach is applied.

Free Kicks

  • While the Pride haven’t provided an injury update on Barbra Banda according to reporter Jeff Kassouf, she did reportedly travel for Zambia’s friendlies against Kenya and Burkina Faso as the team prepares for next month’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

I checked in with the Orlando Pride: no official update on Barbra Banda after sustaining an injury over the weekend in #NWSL play. A spokesperson confirmed that Banda did travel to join Zambia for international duty. Hopefully more answers soon. No NWSL games until July 3.

— Jeff Kassouf (@jeffkassouf.bsky.social) 2026-06-04T19:11:37.433Z

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

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