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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC?

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9 months ago

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Image of Eduard Atuesta looking for a teammate to pass to.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City clawed its way back from a two-goal deficit Saturday night, earning a point after yet another draw on the road in Charlotte. The Lions looked listless during the first 65 minutes but sharp and formidable in the final 25, but with Charlotte missing several key players, the team probably should have done better than just a draw. That said, coming back from two goals down showed heart and pride, and math is math (I love math), and one point is better than zero points.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Orlando City’s No. 1 conceded the free kick that led to Charlotte’s second goal after coming way outside the box and trying to clear a ball with his head. The header did not go far enough, so he followed it up, committing a foul and giving Charlotte a free kick, which it took advantage of to double the lead. Conceding a free kick, however, is not the same as conceding a goal, and if the back line hadn’t been beaten over the top both on that play and multiple earlier ones, Gallese would likely not have felt the need to intervene. It is not Gallese’s fault Bill Tuiloma was not properly marked on the set piece, and there was little he could do to prevent the second goal from point-blank range on the free kick. The goal that put Charlotte on the board in the first half was not one that I think he should have saved, as Pep Biel’s shot was placed perfectly into the inside netting at the far post while curling away from Gallese’s outstretched fingertips. El Pulpo controlled the box and made three saves during the rest of the game, including a big stop on a rocketed volley by Kerwin Vargas halfway through the first half. He also completed a season-high 30 passes during this match, only misplaying one pass, for a 96.8% completion rate.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo was by far the most active Lion during his 45 minutes on the field, and was unlucky to receive what I believe was an inappropriately given yellow card, on a play when Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico actually fouled him. The foul knocked Brekalo off balance, and his arm flailed out as he tried to avoid falling, catching Bronico. That yellow card put him at risk of a second yellow. He was Orlando City’s most potent offensive threat in the first half, with three shots taken, including the team’s best opportunity — a header on a great ball from Marco Pašalić that forced Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina into a reaction save. Brekalo was also engaged defensively, making one tackle and four clearances, but he was slow to close down Nick Scardina on Charlotte’s first goal and owns some of the blame for the Lions falling behind late in the first half. He completed 86.1% of his passes during the first half, and came off for Rafael Santos at halftime, in an effort to get a wide player outside of Martin Ojeda, allowing the team’s No. 10 to move from the left flank to the channel between the wing and the middle, where he was able to pull the strings much more effectively.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The captain came off injured in the second half, making Saturday night’s game the first time all season that he did not play the entire game. Prior to that, he had been solid, but he was bailed out by Gallese in the first half when he was caught way upfield and Charlotte played a ball over the top that turned into a great scoring opportunity. Jansson completed 91.4% of his passes, including six accurate long balls, and contributed his usual variety of defensive actions, including two tackles, one interception, and three clearances. He also picked up a yellow card, which means whether injured or not, he will be out for Orlando City’s next game due to suspension for yellow card accumulation. Kyle Smith came on almost immediately after Jansson went down. Oscar Pareja said after the match that he believes Jansson’s knock is not serious, and hopefully the Beefy Swede returns to his customary place after sitting out just the next game.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel was the only starter on the back line to play the full 90 minutes, and by the time the game ended he was flanked by an unlikely back line partnership of Santos and Smith on his left and Iván Angulo on his right. The Argentine came close to a season high for completed passes, finishing with 71 on the night at a 93.4% completion rate, but with Orlando City trailing for most of the game and throwing the outside backs forward, most of those passes were simple redirects, as Schlegel was dropped deep next to Jansson or Smith. He added three tackles, one clearance, and one blocked shot on defense and was a calm quarterback for the back line for the final minutes of the game after Jansson had to go off due to his injury.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6 — The Icelandic defender made it bookend outside backs who did not go the full 90 minutes, as he came off after Charlotte’s second goal, having only played 65 minutes. This was not one of his better games, as although he completed 91.2% of his passes, he did not really contribute any threatening plays offensively. Defensively, Charlotte played more down the right than its left when he was on the field, so he did not have many chances to make tackles or interceptions and start a counterattack. He made one tackle but that was his only defensive action, and aside from that it was a relatively quiet evening for Thórhallsson before he was subbed out for Angulo with the Lions chasing a two-goal deficit.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — The Argentinean Designated Player racked up another two assists in this game, taking him to 18 goal contributions on the year with an even split of nine goals and nine assists. With Angulo starting on the bench, Ojeda shifted out to the left wing, and when Santos came on, he drifted inside more on the left, and that really opened up the team’s offense. In the first half, Ojeda really only created one chance, a driving ball across the middle that got past Kahlina but found no teammates at the back post, but in the second half he created many more opportunities, finishing with a game-leading six key passes and bringing Orlando City back into the game. He completed 84.6% of his passes and partnered well with Santos on the left side, a combination we may see again next week.

MF, César Araújo, 6.5 — Like many of his teammates, Araújo was much better in the second half than the first, in particular because the first goal the Lions allowed was due to a late recovery run by the Uruguayan, who was caught ball watching and was unable to get back to prevent Biel from taking an unencumbered shot to put Charlotte on the board. With Orlando City chasing the game, Araújo stepped up though, initiating more offense from a deeper role and even playing as almost a third center back at times, due to how far Santos and Angulo were pushed up as Orlando City tried to get back into the game. He completed a game-high 85 passes at a sparkling 92.4% completion rate, and the reason it was sparkling is that he was not just playing short, easy passes. He completed 15 progressive passes (passes of 10+ yards in the attacking area of the field), the second most of any Lion in any game this season. Araújo also drew a game-high five fouls and took a yellow card on a professional foul to prevent Charlotte from executing a late counterattack with only minutes remaining.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7.5 (MotM) — Despite not having a goal contribution, the Colombian midfielder was my Man of the Match (if you disagree I would love to know why in the comments), as he made play after play all over the field and should have had an assist on one of the best passes of the season when he played a wonderful through ball to Enrique, but a heavy touch allowed Scardina to sprint back in front of his goal and clear the shot off the line. Atuesta pulled the strings on the offense all game long, completing 94% of his passes, including five key passes and seven accurate long balls, while also winning five take-on attempts off the dribble. He put his only shot attempt on frame in the first half. On the defensive side of the ball, he made three tackles and added two clearances, and he added nine recoveries of loose balls as well. Late in the game his midfield partner Araújo started dropping deeper and deeper to help initiate the offense with the outside backs pushed way up, leaving Atuesta to fend for himself in the middle, and fend he did, as he bossed the middle just as much playing solo as he had been in tandem with Araújo. Atuesta was outstanding, and while I am sure some will quibble, I thought he was the best player on the field for the Lions.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 7 — Ho hum, another game and another goal for Pašalić, making that four goals in his last three games and an even 10 goals for the season. The Croatian did not bring his dazzling dribbling boots in this game, recording zero take-on wins, but he completed 90% of his passes, including one key pass and was a constant threat on offense. He showed once again that when he gets his shot off cleanly and on goal he is absolutely lethal. Pašalić does not seem to have the same chemistry with any of the right backs who have filled in for Alex Freeman while the young defender is with the U.S Men’s National Team, but that has not stopped him from contributing to the offense and tallying goals for the Lions. He looked threatening throughout the second half, and had Charlotte not blocked his shots, he may have scored more than once.

F, Luis Muriel, 7 — After a subdued first half, Muriel stepped up in the second half, assisting on both of Orlando City’s goals and looking threatening with the ball at his feet. The two assists he provided showed the depth of his abilities, as the first came on a perfectly placed one-two pass with Martín Ojeda, with Muriel spinning as he played Ojeda through, before his fellow Designated Player crossed the ball into the middle to Enrique get the Lions on the scoreboard. The second assist was likely one of the easiest of Muriel’s career but still required the perfect soft touch, as the Colombian laid the ball back to an onrushing Pašalić, who slammed the shot into the corner to tie the game. Muriel’s passing line was not great — only 24 completed passes at a 68.2% completion rate — but many of the passes that went incomplete were probing attempts to unlock the defense and that is a critical part of the Orlando City offense.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — The Mane Land’s Sean Rollins apparently had his crystal ball out earlier this week when he wrote about Enrique’s inconsistency, as the Argentine showed a great nose for the goal with his perfectly timed run to end up in the right spot for Orlando City’s first goal, but he also had a heavy touch on a breakaway that put him too far wide and allowed a recovery run by Charlotte to prevent a shot into an open net. That miss was costly, as Charlotte scored just moments later, a two-goal swing. I thought Enrique was mostly nonexistent in the first half aside from one great pass to Ojeda that led to a dangerous cross, but he was much better in the second half, and on another day he might have had multiple goals. He completed 89.5% of his passes and was the only Lion to put more than one shot on target. His goal changed the game for Orlando City as from that point on the Lions dominated play.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 6 — We saw the full Santos experience during this game, with some excellent offensive contributions in the attacking half of the field slightly offset by some abysmal marking in the box that led directly to Charlotte’s second goal. I thought Orlando City looked a lot more potent with him on the field, and it was his hustle to keep the ball inbounds that led to the team’s first goal. But his defensive performance, or lack thereof, meant that this was not a fully positive performance for the Brazilian left back. Santos played 45 minutes but did not register one defensive action, and while he was pushed way up the field and Orlando City had a lot of the ball, it is still not a great look to play 45 minutes at left back and have zero tackles, interceptions, and clearances. He was lively offensively though, completing 22 passes at an 81.5% completion rate while putting seven crosses into the box, and it will be interesting to see if he did enough to earn the start at left back next week with Jansson suspended and Brekalo presumably moving over to replace him.

D, Iván Angulo, (66′), 5.5 — After 55 straight MLS starts, Angulo came in off the bench in this match, and instead of his usual left wing position, he came in as the right back, replacing Thórhallsson. Back during the preseason I had wondered whether Angulo would be a candidate to play in a defensive role, using his speed in a way similar to how Ruan did when he was a Lion, and we saw that on display Saturday night when the Colombian came on and constantly pushed up the field with Orlando City chasing Charlotte. The Lions primarily attacked down the opposite side of the field while Angulo was on the field though, limiting him to only nine touches, but he used those touches to complete eight of his nine passes for an 88.9% completion rate.

D, Kyle Smith, (77’), N/A — Smith’s merry-go-round of defensive positions brought him to center back again during this game, coming in for Jansson after the captain suffered an injury. The Kyle-of-all-trades did what he always does, busting his butt on defense and playing solid soccer throughout his shift. Despite only playing 13 minutes, he completed more passes than Enrique and nearly as many as Santos, connecting on every one of his passes and going a cool 18 for 18. Orlando City had the ball for most of the final minutes of the game, so The Accountant was not called into action on defense at all, but he held his shape well in the middle of the field and helped the Lions salvage a point on the road.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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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?

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2 hours ago

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April 16, 2026

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Image of Eduard Atuesta looking for a teammate to pass to.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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!

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Lion Links: 4/16/26

Orlando City wins against FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup results, USWNT takeaways following loss, and more.

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5 hours ago

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April 16, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Hold on for Dear Life vs. USL League One Side

The Lions were badly outplayed for the final half hour by the USL League One side but did enough to secure a 1-0 road win in Open Cup play.

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15 hours ago

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April 15, 2026

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Image of Luis Otavio looking for a teammate to pass to against FC Naples.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

It was anything but crisp, but it was a win, as Orlando City advanced in the U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 win over FC Naples on the road at Paradise Coast Sports Complex. Tyrese Spicer scored the game’s only goal early in the first half and Javier Otero made several huge stops in a terrible final half hour for the Lions to preserve the win. The Lions probably owe the biggest thanks to rookie center back Nolan Miller, who cleared a sure goal off the line in the second half on a close play.

Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman rotated his squad heavily, starting Otero in goal behind a back line of three center backs Adrian Marin, Miller, and David Brekalo. Tahir Reid-Brown and Zakaria Taifi played in the wingback spots with Luis Otavio and Braian Ojeda pairing in the central midfield. Up top, the Lions went with an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Justin Ellis, and Spicer.

The teams took a few minutes to settle into the match. Orlando’s first attack came five minutes in, when Taifi sent a centering pass into the area, but the defense cleared it away.

Chris Garcia had the first dangerous movement for FC Naples, blowing past Reid-Brown and dribbling across the top of the area, trying to clear himself to shoot. The defense was eventually able to clear it out despite some nervy moments.

Ellis won a free kick from distance in the 13th minute, but Tsukada wasted the set piece, getting way underneath it and sending it well out of play with a towering ball well over the crossbar.

FC Naples generated a great chance off the ensuing goal kick. On a direct ball down the pitch, Andres Ferrin beat Taifi and smashed a shot on goal. Otero was able to fight off the dangerous attempt in the 15th minute. The Lions were less than convincing on the ensuing corner kick defense but the ball went just over the line. The goal kick allowed Orlando to relieve the pressure.

Ellis got the first real look at goal for Orlando in the 18th minute but he didn’t hit his shot well and it deflected off a defender, bouncing harmlessly to goalkeeper Edward “Lalo” Delgado. The Lions, however struck seconds later.

Orlando City recovered the ball near midfield and went on the attack. Ojeda picked out Spicer outside the semicircle in the attacking end. The Trinidad & Tobago international touched it to his left and smashed a rocket from distance that Delgado could do nothing about, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. The goal snapped FC Naples’ 358-minute shutout streak.

FC Naples created the game’s next scoring chance in the 26th minute off a corner kick. Otero punched the ball out of the box, where Garcia ran onto it and smashed a wicked shot on goal. The Homegrown goalkeeper parried away the near-post effort to preserve the lead.

Taifi, who struggled on the defensive end in the first half against Ferrin, was able to create in the attacking half the few times he got forward, including in the 31st minute, when he laid off a pass for Tsukada on the break. FC Naples’ defense got to the ball ahead of Tsukada, however, knocking it out for a corner kick. A minute later, on the set piece, Tsukada’s service fell in the box for Spicer, who turned and sent a rocket toward goal that might have beaten Delgado had Kevin O’Connor not headed it away. Tsukada’s service on the ensuing corner went over everyone and out for a goal kick.

FC Naples continued to create danger. Garcia sent a hard cross into the area in the 38th that was knocked outside the box to Aiden Mesias. The Englishman fired a hard shot but it was well wide of the net. A minute later, Ferrin beat Taifi badly with a fake and cut inside, smashing a shot just inches wide of the left post.

Tsukada made a nice move to dance through multiple defenders on the left side in the 41st minute, but his cross was to the back post and Spicer was too central. Spicer committed a foul trying to win the race to the loose ball on the right side of the area. In the 42nd minute, Spicer’s long throw-in deflected to Ellis, but his touch was poor and it was ultimately knocked out for a corner. Tsukada’s service was poor on the set piece, allowing FC Naples to clear. Ojeda tried to fire it on the half-volley from distance, but he sent his shot well over the bar in the 43rd minute.

Orlando City’s last chance of the first half came in the 45th minute. Tsukada led a 3-v-3 break and sent a dangerous cross in front of goal, but it was too far out in front for Ellis to get a touch on it to tap it home.

The last look at goal went FC Naples’ way. Brekalo’s poor clearance fell to Ferrin just outside the top of the box. The Colombian cut to his right but sent his shot wide.

FC Naples held the halftime advantage in possession (58%-42%). Aside from that, stats were fairly even. Orlando City earned more corners (4-1) and attempted more shots (7-6), while both teams put two on target and passed with just 73% accuracy.

Colin Guske replaced Brekalo at the half, as the Slovenian had picked up a yellow card for persistent infringement. Rather than changing shape, Guske played the right center back position.

The Lions started the second half on the front foot, looking to put some breathing room between themselves and the USL League One side. Ojeda sent an ambitious effort off target two minutes after the restart. Spicer then sent a left-footed shot off the left post a minute later, coming inches from a brace and from doubling the lead.

Otavio did well to pick out Tsukada on the left in the 52nd minute. The winger sent a cross through the area at the top of the six, but none of his teammates made the run. A minute later, a takeaway by Otavio led to a quick counter in the attacking third. Tsukada made a nice play to beat the only defender and got his shot on frame, but Delgado made a big save to keep it a one-goal game.

In the 55th minute, it was Taifi making a nice run and getting the ball into the area, but his cross was behind Ellis and the defense got to the ball before Tsukada could get to it at the back post.

Ferrin sent another shot wide in the 58th minute as he continued to be the game’s most dangerous player.

Perelman sent on a trio of subs in the 59th minute and from that point on, FC Naples dominated. That was despite the fact that the substitutes were MLS veterans Martin Ojeda, Ivan Angulo, and Eduard Atuesta. From the time they stepped onto the field, the Lions struggled to keep the ball, break out of their end cleanly, and to finish their own chances at the other end on transition opportunities.

Otero saved his teammates repeatedly for defensive failures over the final half hour, starting with a 62nd-minute shot by Kevin O’Connor. The Naples attacker stepped right and fired a shot that was heading inside the right post. Otero dove and made a vital save.

Martin Ojeda’s best chance to impact the game came in the 64th minute. Taking the ball into the box on the left, the Designated Player went for power but just missed the upper 90 at the near post, sending a swerving effort fizzing just over the bar.

From that point on, it was nearly all one-way traffic and an endless series of set pieces for the hosts. The onslaught began in the 65th minute when Naples won a corner. Orlando failed to clear it and Garcia picked it up, firing a shot that forced another big stop by Otero.

A minute later, the Lions turned it over and Angulo conceded a free kick on Naples’ attacking right when a cross attempt hit his arm. O’Connor went for goal on the set piece and Otero knocked it over his crossbar to set up another corner.

On the ensuing set piece, Otero appeared to have plenty of time and space to catch the high cross. He instead opted to punch it away, and it was a costly decision, as FC Naples quickly won back possession and kept the pressure on, winning a corner. That led to the game’s most controversial call, and one FC Naples will feel aggrieved by.

Otero again couldn’t catch the cross on the next corner, and he didn’t punch it either. He didn’t get much on it as he palmed it away. The ball came off Dominick Bachstein in front and bounced toward goal behind Otero. Miller cleared the ball off the line. FC Naples celebrated as if it had gone in, but it appeared from the admittedly poor camera angle of the broadcast that Miller got to it before the entire ball crossed the line. It was a close play, and without video review, the call on the field stood, as neither the referee nor the assistant referee saw it as a goal.

After the play, Otero went down, either legitimately hurting, simply needing a breather, or to take some of the air out of Naples’ dominance. Perelman subbed Tiago on for Spicer.

Naples kept coming. Ferrin tied Taifi in knots again, cut inside, and fired another hard shot toward goal in the 77th minute. The shot didn’t miss by much, skipping across the top of the net. A minute later, Taifi’s late challenge gifted Naples a free kick near the left sideline. Orlando didn’t clear it decisively and the ball found Garcia again. The forward smashed another shot toward goal and Otero saved it again, denying Garcia at the near post.

Orlando generated a half-chance in the 80th minute in a rare attacking moment, but Tiago’s header from the left sailed wide of the right post.

The hosts came right back the other way and this time Guske conceded an unnecessary set piece. The free kick resulted in a free header inside the area but it floated well over the crossbar in the 82nd minute.

Orlando couldnt get out of its own way, even when the Lions had the ball. Marin decided to dribble forward in the 85th minute, but as FC Naples’ press closed on him, the Spaniard kept the ball too long. His eventual pass attempt was blocked in behind him, igniting a quick Naples counter. Miller saved his teammate some blushes by blocking Ferrin’s shot.

Taylor Gray was left alone for a free header on the ensuing corner kick and he put his shot on target, but he hit it toward the center of goal, where Otero caught it to save his teammates again in the 86th minute.

Orlando did well down the stretch to waste some time on restarts and by winning a series of corner kicks and playing the ball back out off a Naples player. Gray’s header was the last good look at goal for either side and the Lions were able to see out seven minutes of stoppage time that grew to nearly 10 before the final whistle mercifully blew.

FC Naples finished with the advantage in possession (53%-47%), shots (20-17), shots on target (8-4). Orlando City passed slightly more accurately (77%-73%), and each team won eight corner kicks.

In the end, Otero’s eight saves and Miller’s last-ditch clearance combined with Spicer’s goal to make the difference, but had the Bachstein goal counted, it may have changed things dramatically. As it is, the Lions avoided a “cupset” and live to face MLS competition in the Round of 16.

The Lions are back in MLS action Saturday night at home when the Houston Dynamo visit Inter&Co Stadium. In the U.S. Open Cup, the Lions will travel to face the New England Revolution on April 28 or 29.

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