Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Erase Late Two-Goal Deficit
The Lions looked dead when staring at a 2-0 road deficit and not creating much offensively, but Orlando punched back twice to steal a road point.
Trailing 2-0 with less than 25 minutes remaining, Orlando City fought back for a 2-2 road draw against Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium tonight. Pep Biel scored late in the first half to put the hosts ahead, and Bill Tuiloma doubled the lead after the break. Ramiro Enrique pulled one back for Orlando City (9-5-7, 34 points), and Marco Pasalic fired home late to give Orlando a hard-fought, come-from-behind draw at Charlotte (8-11-2, 26 points). Martin Ojeda assisted on both goals.
The Lions are unbeaten in their last three road matches (2-0-1), but are winless in two straight overall after last week’s home loss to FC Cincinnati and tonight’s draw (0-1-1).
“The feeling is we could have, or we should, have got three points here in Charlotte,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after this game. “But we paid the price to our distractions on those two goals that was much more our responsibility there on our duties there that we have to control. And then we have to push in many different ways to find that equalizer and try to get the winning goal. But it was not enough.”
Pareja’s starting lineup included goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ojeda and Pasalic, with Enrique and Luis Muriel up top.
Charlotte opened the game pressing high up the field, forcing Orlando City to be precise to play out. The Lions did just that early on, winning a free kick just inside Charlotte’s half of the field. Orlando switched the field on the set piece, with Thorhallsson finding Pasalic after drawing two defenders to himself. The Croatian did well to work the ball into the box before being cut off. The ball fell between Enrique and Atuesta, with the latter sending a soft shot toward the near post that didn’t have enough power to bother Kristijan Kahlina.
Brekalo was able to sneak in behind the defense on the left in the 13th minute, getting onto a beautiful back-post ball from Pasalic, but the Slovenian’s header for the near post was saved by Kahlina.
Moments later, Brekalo was fouled by Brandt Bronico just inside Charlotte territory. The defender was knocked off balance by the foul and his flailing arm caught the midfielder, drawing blood. Brekalo was curiously shown a yellow card for an elbow that the foul by Bronico created.
Charlotte’s first look at goal came in the 26th minute. Jansson got caught forward after knocking a ball away and trying to chase it down. The hosts took possession and a quick ball over the top found Kerwin Vargas, who was kept onside by Schlegel. Vargas went for goal but Gallese did well to fight it off with a vital save.
A couple of set pieces and an Ojeda cross in for nobody attacking the goal later preceded a decent spell of possession by Charlotte. The hosts were able to keep the Lions pinned in their end for a few minutes, as Orlando couldn’t find precision in trying to break out. That eventually resulted in a couple of poor clearance attempts pinging around and finding Nicholas Scardina, who fired well wide of the left post.
Charlotte scored five minutes later. Bill Tuiloma had the ball on his foot in Charlotte’s defensive third and sent a great diagonal ball to Scardina, who was given plenty of space all throughout the first half by Brekalo. Biel cut from the middle toward the right, beating Araujo to Scardina’s pass before firing in an inch-perfect shot just out of Gallese’s reach and inside the back post to make it 1-0 in the 40th minute.
“The first goal, I think we had a second of distractions when they switched the point of the attack,” Pareja said. “It should have been positionally better, and our shape should have been better in those circumstances when they played that long ball to Scardina.”
Pasalic tried an audacious shot from distance in the 43rd minute, but he didn’t clear his defender and it was easily blocked. The ball went behind for a corner, and Pasalic went to the flag to take the kick. The Croatian’s cross found Brekalo, but the defender sent his shot wide of the target.
Orlando City moved the ball too slowly in stoppage time to create any final chances and went to the break down a goal on the road.
At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (61.4%-38.6%), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (89.5%-80.5%). Both teams attempted four shots and put two on target, but the hosts had the all-important goal.
“I think they played a very good first half tactically,” Atuesta said. “The chance that they had, they scored. But in the second half, we knew what to do maybe to make them suffer a little bit more, and we did it. Almost we won the three points.”
Pareja subbed on Rafael Santos for Brekalo at the break, looking to get more width from the fullback position to allow Ojeda to come inside more. It eventually worked and allowed the Lions to become dangerous from their left side.
“I think we unlocked the team with that movement,” Pareja said. “We wanted to see different connections on the left when we lined up Martin (Ojeda), Ramiro (Enrique), Luis (Muriel), I think we were very aggressive the way we lined up the group. I really think we should have had much more volume. Just bringing Rafa in the second half, I think immediately everybody just got back into the confidence and the better spots, and we looked a much, much (more) dangerous team.”
However, whatever was said at halftime in the Orlando City locker room was not immediately successful. Biel fired a shot on goal from Charlotte’s attacking right within a minute of the restart that required a Gallese save. Orlando quickly gave the ball right back and Biel was left in too much space just outside the box. He fired just over Gallese’s crossbar in the 47th minute.
The Lions were bereft of ideas in the attacking third and started trying to strike from distance. Muriel fired a couple of yards wide from range in the 51st minute, and Santos smashed a shot wide of the same right post in the 53rd on an impatient play that appeared to have promise with numbers. Three minutes later, Muriel did well to give Ojeda the ball in the box at pace, but the Argentine took a touch and that allowed the Charlotte defense to converge and prevent a scoring chance.
Enrique should have put the Lions on the board in the 62nd minute. Sent over the top, the forward did well to round Kahlina, but he couldn’t pick up the ball cleanly and by the time he fired his shot, Scardina had gotten back and blocked it off the line. Araujo sent a weak header at Kahlina on the ensuing corner kick.
Gallese came out of the box to try to prevent a transition over the top but he didn’t get enough on his clearance and he committed a foul, taking a booking for it. He’ll miss the next match due to yellow card accumulation. Charlotte made the ensuing set piece pay off when Santos failed to stay tight to Tuiloma, who headed it in at the back post to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute.
“On the second one, I think we’re all conscious that the ball should have been cleared and it ended up just giving up (a goal) on a set play,” Pareja said. “In those moments I feel that we should have done better.”
The way Orlando had been playing to that point, it seemed the game was done and dusted, but the Lions scratched their way back into the match out of nowhere. A nice give-and-go between Muriel and Ojeda ended up with the latter sending a ball across the six for Enrique to tap home for his fifth goal of the MLS season. It was game on in the 69th minute.
As the Lions chased the game, they were bound to give up some space, and second-half sub Liel Abada found himself in acres of it near the top of the area in the 71st minute, but Gallese was able to make the save.
Ojeda did well to set up Pasalic in the 73rd minute on the right, but the winger missed the target just wide to the right on a golden opportunity to tie the game.
Jansson picked up a yellow breaking up a transition in the 75th minute and he will join Gallese in missing the next match because of yellow card accumulation. However, the captain picked up a knock on a collision two minutes later and had to sub off for Kyle Smith, ending his night early. Pareja said after the match that Jansson should be fine after serving the suspension.
Pasalic tied things up in the 80th minute, taking a layoff from Muriel in the box and smashing his shot just inside the right post. Improbably, the Lions were level with 10 minutes plus injury time remaining after Pasalic’s 10th goal of the season.
Both teams looked for the winning goal down the stretch, but Orlando held more of the ball. Abada fired wide in the 84th minute on one of Charlotte’s few looks in the final minutes.
Atuesta did well to walk through the defense into the box moments later, eventually turning down a shot to give the ball to Enrique, but the forward couldn’t collect it until he had his back to goal and couldn’t work his way into position to shoot. Atuesta said the artificial turf had played a role in the lack of sharpness at times in the attacking third, and it was a factor on that play.
“I had the opportunity there to have the chance to shoot, and I saw the defender comes with with everything to not let me should shoot,” Atuesta said. “I cut, then I did another. The ball goes through (the defender’s legs), and I saw (Enrique) ready to just kick the ball inside the net. But it’s not easy, this field, to be sharp in those little details. It’s not the same as grass. Maybe that’s why we missed a little bit some chances in the box.”
Ojeda had a shot from outside the area blocked in the sixth minute of injury time, and neither side came closer than that in the final minutes. The teams had to settle for splitting the points.
Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (62.2%-37.8%), shots (16-11), shots on target (6-5), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (89.8%-81.3%). Had Enrique or Pasalic been able to convert for a brace with their golden opportunities, the one point may have been three, but the Lions are likely glad to take home anything after trailing by two goals on the road past the hour mark.
“I thought we accomplished the fact that we tied the game in a very difficult scenario for us, just losing 2-0 away,” Pareja said. “So credit (to) the players that never gave up that intention. Even if we had a few minutes more, I’m pretty sure that the result was ours. But we take this point. There’s some things that we still feel that we should have done better, but it will tell us in the next two games at home, if we get our results, that this point is valuable.”
“I’m very proud of my team,” Atuesta said. “Because it’s not easy losing 2-0 and then drawing the game like that. It’s good to have that feeling that we almost won the game.”
The Lions will return home to face CF Montreal a week from tonight at Inter&Co Stadium.
Opinion
Four Games I Have Circled on Orlando City’s 2026 Schedule
Let’s have a peek at some games that I’m really looking forward to in 2026.
Orlando City’s 2026 schedule has been out for a little over two weeks now, and I’ve had ample time to look over it, analyze it, and zero in on some games that I’m really looking forward to next year. There are always the usual suspects in the mix like home rivalry matches against the likes of Atlanta and Miami, but I didn’t want to focus on those obvious ones, so they won’t be included here.
Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. New York Red Bulls
Orlando City’s streak of playing a home match to open the season will somehow reach 12 seasons in a row when the Lions kick off the 2026 season against the New York Red Bulls. It’ll be our first chance to see OCSC in a competitive game during the new season, and after an off-season that will likely contain a fair amount of turnover, I for one will be even more anxious than usual to get a look at what sort of product we’ll be seeing on the field. The Red Bulls will also look different, as they’ll have a new manager and a good amount of new players after missing the postseason for the first time since 2009. This is probably my most obvious choice of the bunch, but I think it’s hard to fault me for being excited about a new season!
TBD U.S. Open Cup Match
There’s only a 50% chance that this will be a home game, but personally I’m just glad to see Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup again. There’s obviously some good history with the club in the competition, but aside from that, I just generally think that the tournament should get more love and a bigger platform than it currently does. While I’d have obviously been thrilled if OCSC had managed to win Leagues Cup in 2025 and come away with a trophy, I’d have much preferred the Lions to make a deep run in the Open Cup, considering the rich history of the competition as a whole, in addition to what it means to Orlando specifically. The fact that defending champion Nashville SC isn’t in the field is mind boggling to me, but I’m damn happy that the Lions are.
Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Toronto FC
Now I can understand why you might be surprised by this one, as Toronto isn’t exactly considered one of Orlando City’s rivals. This year’s Decision Day match left a bad taste in my mouth though. Was it less about what Toronto did on the field, and more about OCSC basically neglecting to show up to the field to begin with? Maybe. Do I care? No. Do I want vengeance and the ability to erase a pitiful performance from my mind all in one fell swoop? Absolutely. I need the scales to be balanced and for my own personal demons from the final day of the season to be exorcised, and the fact that I’ll be able to be in the stands to have that chance is all the more appealing.
Saturday, Nov. 7 vs. New England Revolution
Decision Day is (usually) a fun affair regardless of whether the match is home or away. Wild swings in the standings from minute to minute, nerves, and hopefully reason to celebrate when it’s all over. There’s just something about having all that happen at home, though. I’ve been in The Wall for plenty of Decision Days at this point, and the energy is just a little different than a normal regular-season game. Similar to home openers, the air almost crackles with the excitement of possibility and anticipation of what things are going to look like when the dust settles. Of course, there’s always the possibility of things going wrong and the Lions ending up low in the playoff standings or out of the postseason altogether, but we’ll cross that bridge if/when we come to it.
What games are you especially looking forward to next season? Be sure to let us know down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/5/25
Format for 2025 U.S. Open Cup revealed, Orlando Pride players land on top 100 list, Bay FC hires Emma Coates, and more.
Happy Friday! We’ve already made it to the first weekend of December, which is either good news or a worrying reminder that less than four weeks remain of 2025. I’ll be spending the next few days working and getting some more shopping done, but I’m hoping to enjoy some rest and relaxation along the way. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!
U.S. Open Cup Format Shrinks for 2026
The layout for next year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was announced and Orlando City will once again be participating. Orlando is one of 16 MLS teams in the tournament, which has been reduced to just seven rounds instead of eight. As a result, only 48 professional teams from around the country will be included and MLS teams join the fray in the round of 32. Orlando City and FC Naples are the only professional Floridian teams taking part next year and it will be weird not seeing the Lions beat the brakes off of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Also, FC America CFL Spurs, which is based in Orlando, is one of three amateur sides from Florida to keep an eye out for when the first round kicks off in March.
Orlando Pride Trio Make Guardian’s Top 100 Players List
The Guardian released its annual list of the top 100 women’s soccer players in the world and Orlando Pride stars Barbra Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle all made an appearance on it. Banda was 14th and only second to Temwa Chawinga, who placed sixth, among NWSL players on this year’s list. Marta isn’t far behind in 19th, which is eight spots higher than last year. Ovalle’s still settling in with Orlando after dominating with Tigres and was 94th on the list.
For the data addicts out there, you can see how voting for this list shook out, but it’s not much of a surprise at this point that the judges valued players plying their trade in Europe highly. Of the Americans listed, Arsenal’s Emily Fox and OL Lyonnes’ Lindsey Heaps were ranked the highest at 24th and 27th, respectively. The Kansas City Current had one of the best seasons in NWSL history, but only four players made the list and Chawinga is the only one in the top 50. Still, it’s cool to keep up with some of the biggest names across the pond, especially with a Women’s World Cup on the horizon.
Bay FC Hires Emma Coates as Head Coach
Bay FC announced Emma Coates as its next head coach, with Gemma Davies joining as an assistant coach. Coates has been the manager of England’s U-23 team since 2023, developing players for the senior team while excelling in the U-23 European League. She and Davies were part of England’s extended technical staff for the past two Euros and the 2023 World Cup. Bay FC missed the playoffs this year and finished the season on an 11-game winless streak, so Coates will have her work cut out for her in regards to turning things around.
NWSLPA Files Grievance Against the League
The NWSL rejected a contract offer by the Washington Spirit to Trinity Rodman and the NWSL Players’ Association has filed a grievance with the league, alleging that the denial violates the collective bargaining agreement.
“Trinity Rodman agreed to a compensation structure in good faith that would allow her to remain loyal to her first professional club, consistent with both the CBA and NWSL Competition Rules,” union executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement provided to The Associated Press on Thursday. “The NWSLPA has challenged the League’s rejection of this agreement on the grounds that it violates her free agency rights, but this isn’t about Trinity Rodman. If NWSL can deny her free agency rights, they can deny anyone’s. The NWSLPA will not allow it.”
The deal offered by the Spirit is reportedly for four years, with backloaded compensation for 2028 and 2029. Rodman is a free agent after five seasons with the Spirit and there’s worry that she will be the latest young American to leave the NWSL for Europe. The league’s position in rejecting the deal was that the offer violated the spirit of the NWSL salary cap.
Free Kicks
- Here’s a preview of Saturday’s MLS Cup final between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami. From the star players to the unsung heroes, it should be a good match to end the MLS season.
- Hugo Lloris signed a contract extension with LAFC through 2026, with an option for 2027. The 38-year-old has made 91 appearances across all competitions for LAFC since joining the club.
- The North Carolina Courage have signed forward Ally Schlegel to a three-year contract. Schlegel scored eight goals for the Chicago Stars during the 2025 season.
- NJ/NY Gotham FC announced its end-of-season roster decisions and forward Ella Stevens is a free agent and not re-signing with the club. Midge Purce is also a free agent, but she and Gotham are in negotiations for her return.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/4/25
Haley Carter joins the Washington Spirit, Celtic hires Wilfried Nancy, Philadelphia Union sign Ezekiel Allodah, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a bit of a hectic week for me, but I’ve at least been able to get quite enough done that should take out some of the stress that usually comes around this time of the year.
Haley Carter Joins the Enemy
Haley Carter, who departed the Pride on Nov. 18 to pursue new career opportunities, was announced as the Washington Spirit’s president of soccer operations. She joins an organization that’s come up short in the past two NWSL Championship and one of Carter’s top priorities will be retaining American forward Trinity Rodman. Helping the Spirit get over the hump will be a different kind of task than the rebuild she orchestrated with the Pride, so it will be interesting to see how she does.
Celtic Hires Wilfried Nancy
Wilfried Nancy is officially headed to Europe, with Celtic hiring him as its next manager. The Scottish club signed him to a two-and-a-half year contract and he’ll start today. Nancy leaves MLS after success with CF Montreal and the Columbus Crew, winning the MLS Coach of the Year award with the Crew in 2024. Celtic has won its past five games across all competitions and is currently tied on points with Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership. It will be Nancy’s first time coaching in Europe and we’ll see if he can help Celtic secure a spot in the next round of the Europa League.
Philadelphia Union Sign Ezekiel Allodah
The Philadelphia Union didn’t waste much time adding some firepower to the club’s roster for the 2026 season, signing Ezekiel Allodah from IF Brommapojkarna for a club record fee. The 20-year-old forward joins on a contract through 2028 with options for 2029 and 2030. Allodah has recorded eight goals and added an assist in 32 appearances with Brommapojkarna, which plays in Sweden’s top flight. Although I’m not looking forward to Orlando City having to deal with him on the field, it’s nice to see more young talent coming to the league.
Preparing for the World Cup Draw
The draw for next summer’s World Cup is on Friday and we’ll get to see just how unlucky the United States Men’s National Team is when the groups are revealed. The U.S., like Canada and Mexico, is in the first pot and gets to avoid some of the biggest contenders, but dangerous teams like Croatia, Morocco, and Norway are possible opponents. Drawing Ghana from the fourth pot seems inevitable to me. The lack of clarity in who will advance out of the playoffs adds some mystery and worry to it all as well. Fingers crossed!
Free Kicks
- Jordi Alba was fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for violating the league’s policy regarding hands to the face, head, and neck in Inter Miami’s game against New York City FC.
- American forward Cade Cowell is reportedly set to join the New York Red Bulls on loan from Chivas.
- Harry Kane scored twice in Bayern Munich’s 3-2 win over Union Berlin to help his side reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup.
- Germany was selected as the host for the 2029 UEFA European Women’s Championship, beating a bid by Poland and a joint bid by Sweden and Denmark.
That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
2025 Orlando Pride Season In Review: Anna Moorhouse
2025 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Barbra Banda
Four Games I Have Circled on Orlando City’s 2026 Schedule
-
Local Soccer Events1 week agoUnited States Women’s National Team vs. Italy: Final Score 3-0 as USWNT Stays Unbeaten at Inter&Co Stadium
-
Lion Links1 week agoLion Links: 11/28/25
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago2025 Orlando Pride Season In Review: Summer Yates
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 11/24/25
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 11/26/25
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 11/25/25
-
Lion Links1 week agoLion Links: 11/27/25
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago2025 Orlando Pride Season In Review: Simone Jackson