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.
Orlando City
Why Three Could Be Greater Than Four In Orlando City’s Back Line
An analysis of MLS teams using three, four, and five-man back lines and whether it would benefit Orlando City to use a three-man grouping going forwards.
Orlando City rolled out a three-man back line during last Sunday night’s game against Columbus, and while that formation alone is not responsible for the Lions leading for most of the game and getting their first point of the season on the road, it definitely played a role. During the Óscar Pareja era, Orlando City nearly always played with a four-man back line, but with a lot of roster turnover from last season and new leadership on the sideline, it could be time to give the three-man group a look, as the Lions try to climb out from the bottom of the standings and make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
We will explore whether a three-man back line is worth pursuing below, but making the playoffs is definitely a five-star idea and highly recommended.
Soccer back lines, and formations in general, are fluid. Baseball is static before every play, so you can see exactly where every fielder (defender) was and evaluate offensive and defensive performances against shifts or alignments. American football is not exactly static, but it is closer to baseball than soccer, with most players being still as the play is initiated. Soccer is most similar to hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, where even though players are nominally playing set positions, those positions can constantly change throughout a play and throughout the entirety of the game.
That said, most players generally play in a specific position for much of the game, so we can look at some tracking data and make generalizations about the formations. Opta’s tracking analysts list a primary formation for each team in every game, and while it is not perfect, it is correct more often than not for the general formation used by that team in that game.
Opta’s tracking on fbref.com gives the following table for every formation used in MLS play so far this year, and I have added the associated points earned, goals scored, and goals allowed by each team while in that formation. Make sure you are taking the formation with somewhere between a grain of salt and the bottom third of the salt shaker, but this is the unedited data:
| Formation | Games Used | Avg. Points Earned | Avg. Goals For | Avg. Goals Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 | 77 | 1.58 | 1.74 | 1.44 |
| 4-3-3 | 48 | 1.35 | 1.67 | 1.65 |
| 4-4-2 | 32 | 0.97 | 0.84 | 1.41 |
| 3-4-3 | 30 | 1.47 | 1.57 | 1.83 |
| 3-5-2 | 7 | 1.43 | 1.57 | 1.57 |
| 5-4-1 | 4 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 0.75 |
| 4-1-4-1 | 3 | 1.33 | 1.67 | 1.33 |
| 3-4-1-2 | 3 | 1.67 | 2.00 | 1.67 |
| 3-5-1-1 | 1 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
| 4-4-1-1 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
I think it is probably easier to just bucket the different formations into simpler sets, using the number of defenders to segment the formations:
| Back Line | Games Used | Avg. Points Earned | Avg. Goals For | Avg. Goals Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three-man | 41 | 1.51 | 1.66 | 1.81 |
| Four-man | 161 | 1.38 | 1.53 | 1.50 |
| Five-man | 4 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 0.75 |
Most teams in MLS, and also around the world, utilize four-player back lines. Coaches are pragmatists, and some combination between using a lineup that feels more secure (i.e. usually one with more defenders) and one that will not get ridiculed by players, pundits, fans, owners, and writers (the audacity of someone to analyze and comment on lineup choices, how dare they?) drives a hefty portion of the decision making for those making lineup decisions.
Orlando City used a three-man back line in the game against Columbus, though there were parts of the game when it looked much more like a five-man back line with Griffin Dorsey and Iván Angulo dropped all the way back on defense. The sofascore.com heatmaps for all five (Angulo, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Dorsey) are listed below in order from left to right, and you can see where all five have a good amount of touches in the defensive third. Angulo and Dorsey played far higher than the middle three, however, which is why the formation Opta assigned to Orlando City was a back three. Imperfect, but directionally it makes sense.
With the players on the current roster, a back three may well be the right lineup to use until the next transfer window. There is a not a lot of blazing speed among Orlando City’s defensive group, but most of the defenders have decent size and are good in the air, so protecting the heart of the defense with Brekalo, Jansson, and Iago as the starters and Adrián Marín and Tahir Reid-Brown as backups gives the team some decent depth without sacrificing size. Alas, this comes one year too late for former Lion Thomas Williams, who probably would have been better suited to a back three than a back four.
In addition to having a good set of center back candidates, Angulo, Dorsey, Zakaria Taifi, and Marín are all good wingback options as well, and players who have the skills and pace to get up into the attack while also recovering back to help out the defensive line.
Orlando City’s current personnel fits the three-man back line well, and considering most teams in MLS are using four-man back lines, that decision also bodes well considering how three-man back lines have done this season when playing against four- or five-man back lines. Three-man back lines have been used against four- or five-man back lines 31 times thus far this season, and those teams are earning 1.58 points per match during those games. That amount of points per match would have been in the top half of MLS last season (13th), right above the actual 2025 Orlando City team, which finished on 1.56 points per match.
Orlando City hosts Houston this weekend, and the Dynamo have primarily used a four-man back line (featuring former Lion Antonio Carlos) thus far this season. On Saturday night we will see if the three-man back line was just for the Columbus game or if it is something that the Lions will trot out again in hopes of continuing the league-wide trend of teams finding success when playing three in the back against teams playing four in the back.
I do not really care whether it is three or four in the back, as long as that by the end of the game Orlando City has done better than Houston at putting more in the back…of the opposition’s net.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points against the Dynamo this weekend?
Orlando City returns home to Inter&Co Stadium to take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Lions are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew on Sunday, and a 1-0 road win against FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday in a busy week. Hopefully, Orlando City can keep the good time rolling with another positive result this weekend. What must the Lions do to earn all three points against Houston Saturday night?
The Midfield (Part 1)
Houston has a pretty good midfield with Hector Herrera, Mateusz Bogusz, and Lawrence Ennali. Ennali has two of the Dynamo’s 10 goals this season. Controlling these players and thus controlling possession in the middle of the pitch will make a difference in how the match plays out. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta are not midfield destroyers and that has hurt Orlando City this season. If at all possible, the Lions need to be more physical in the defensive midfield to limit Houston’s ability to build the attack.
More on Herrera: In his first stint with the Dynamo he was a Designated Player and considered one of the best midfielders in the league. He helped lead Houston to a U.S. Open Cup title in 2024. Despite having only played limited minutes this season, he already has two assists and will present problems in the midfield.
The Midfield (Part Deux)
Traffic flows both ways on a soccer pitch, and while Orlando City hasn’t been good about taking on and stopping attacks in the defensive midfield, the players have also struggled to break through the opposition’s lines. This has been in large part due to very poor passing, and I’m not certain how to fix “stop passing the ball to the opponent,” but that is what the team will need to do.
Having Robin Jansson as the safety outlet for the others on the back line, and by extension the midfield, helps, as does his ability to send accurate long balls down the field. It would also be good if the rest of the players could connect on their passes. Not only will it allow Orlando City to move the ball down the pitch and connect the defense to the attack, but it will limit the amount of time Houston is on the ball. Passing shouldn’t be a key I write about, but here we are.
Finish Them
Orlando City struck first against the Columbus Crew and then wasted every other chance — that is, while there were chances still being created. It was like a switch was turned off. “Hey, we got a goal. Let’s go back to how we were playing when we weren’t scoring goals,” is how I think it went. That cannot happen against Houston — or any team for that matter. I’m not even talking about how sometimes a team will get more defensive with a lead, or the other team makes adjustments. There was some sort of mentality switch, and it needs to be fixed.
If Orlando City is able to score first, then someone needs to get a second goal. The Lions have only scored two goals in a match twice this season. The first was against Inter Miami, and we know what happened in that one. The other time was against CF Montreal — Orlando City’s only win so far. Houston isn’t as good as Miami but is probably better than Montreal. My point is the Lions most likely need multiple goals to win this match, and it starts with finishing.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/16/26
Orlando City wins against FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup results, USWNT takeaways following loss, and more.
This Thursday might feel a little more like a Friday thanks to Orlando City winning a game last night. Sure, it was more like the Lions failed to complete an implosion, but we’ll take what we can get at this point. Another MLS match is on the horizon this weekend, so if you crafted any lucky charms, make sure to keep them out for a few more days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Match
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Orlando City went on the road and beat FC Naples 1-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to advance to the round of 16. The Lions opted for a fairly young roster to start and managed to take the lead in the first half. The defense started to fall apart as the match wore on, but it managed to hold on by a matter of inches against the USL League One side for its first clean sheet of the year. Orlando is the last Floridian team standing in the tournament and its next match will be on the road against the New England Revolution on either April 28 or 29.
MLS Mostly Avoids Cupsets in Round of 32
There weren’t too many shocking results in the round of 32 of this year’s U.S. Open Cup, with the MLS clubs taking care of business for the most part. Charlotte FC crushed the Charlotte Independence 6-0, the Columbus Crew shut out the Richmond Kickers in a 3-0 win, and the New York Red Bulls beat the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-1. St. Louis City and the Houston Dynamo also cruised to comfortable wins. D.C. United was defeated though, losing the penalty shootout to One Knoxville SC after a thrilling game. Last year’s tournament didn’t include any teams from outside MLS in the quarterfinals. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Louisville City also managed to take down their MLS opponents earlier this week, so we’ll see if they can keep making noise later this month.
Takeaways From USWNT Loss to Japan
The United States Women’s National Team lost 1-0 to Japan in the second of three friendlies between the two this month, snapping its 10-game win streak. Head Coach Emma Hayes went with a young roster, with 20-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton becoming the team’s youngest captain since 2001. The team’s inexperience showed at times, particularly when it came to struggling to produce chances despite plenty of possession, but these were valuable minutes against one of the top teams in the world. We’ll see how the team responds on Friday when the two play again in Denver.
UEFA Champions League Semifinals Set
Only four teams remain in the UEFA Champions League after an exciting series of quarterfinals. Bayern Munich advanced after beating Real Madrid 4-3 in a rollercoaster of a match that included five goals in the first half. Arda Guler had a brace within the first 30 minutes, but Bayern kept things close and then scored two late goals after Eduardo Camavinga was shown a red card in the 86th minute. The match between Arsenal and Sporting was a quieter affair, with Arsenal advancing on aggregate after a scoreless draw.
The semifinals don’t feature any teams from the same country and should be a fun round of matches. Atletico Madrid will square off against Arsenal, while Bayern will play against Paris Saint-Germain.
Free Kicks
- LAFC midfielder Jude Terry won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his curled shot from outside of the box against the Portland Timbers. It was the 17-year-old’s first goal in MLS and a pretty impressive way for him to open his account.
- In case you missed it, LAFC drew 1-1 against Cruz Azul to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Nashville SC also advanced, beating Club America 1-0 at the Azteca in a huge win.
- You’ll need to get past the paywall for the full details, but the NWSL is reportedly working on a league-wide exposure agreement policy that would force players to cover up logos of non-sponsored brands.
- New Zealand qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after winning 1-0 against Papua New Guinea.
- French forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the World Cup due to a leg injury sustained during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Why Three Could Be Greater Than Four In Orlando City’s Back Line
Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Three Keys to Victory
Lion Links: 4/16/26
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Finally Earn Road Point
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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