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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Implode, Lose at Home

Once again, the Lions failed on many opportunities to score a second goal and puked up points at home in an embarrassing final few minutes.

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11 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

If Saturday’s 1-1 draw against bottom-feeding Montreal was embarrassing, there might not be an adjective adequate enough to describe tonight’s 2-1 home loss to New York City FC. The Lions (9-6-8, 35 points) led 1-0 late but scored an own goal and then gave up a transition game winner off their own corner kick, failing to win for the fourth straight time at Inter&Co Stadium.

NYCFC (10-8-4, 34) got a late unfortunate own goal from Kyle Smith and Alonso Martinez scored in transition off an Orlando corner kick to erase a 1-0 deficit and steal all three points. It was just the Pigeons’ second road win all season.

“The final just shows us one more time that we’re not a team that can close those games and that just gets us in such frustration at this point,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We highlight the negativity of feeling that the game just slipped from our hands again. I’m responsible for the performance of the group, and today we’re still not finishing the games, and we need to fix that.”

Pareja put Ivan Angulo back in the starting lineup, moving Martin Ojeda back up top with Luis Muriel and sending Ramiro Enrique to the bench. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of David Brekalo, Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield with wingers Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Ojeda and Muriel in the forward positions.

Inclement weather delayed the start of the match by about half an hour. Once things got going, Orlando City dominated in creating chances, but as has been the case in recent home matches, the Lions struggled to connect on the final pass or shot.

The teams traded early corners but did nothing with them. Ojeda fired the game’s first shot off of Orlando’s first corner — one of four won by Freeman in the first half — but he sent his effort well wide of goal in the fifth minute.

Angulo was active in his return to the starting lineup, nearly taking the ball from NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese in the seventh minute, but the ball skipped out of play off of his deflection.

Muriel got into the box in the 11th minute, trying a shot for the near post, but Freese made the save. Pasalic had a shot blocked high in the box in the 17th minute off an Angulo pass across the area, and three minutes later, Muriel was sent in on a lovely ball but fired his shot right at Freese. Freeman’s shot was blocked out for a corner three minutes later, as Orlando continued to pour forward.

Angulo again set up Pasalic in the 26th minute with a nifty move to get through traffic, but the Croatian’s shot was just wide of the right post. Brekalo had a soft header easily saved by Freese off a corner and Pasalic had another shot partially blocked over the next several minutes, but Orlando couldn’t quite find the last bit of quality.

That changed on another set piece in the 36th minute. Off a corner kick won by Pasalic’s deflected shot, Ojeda sent a ball into the area for Brekalo, who sent it toward goal. Jansson chested it down after being kept onside by Aiden O’Neill, and he turned and beat Freese to make it 1-0. Brekalo and Ojeda assisted on the goal, with the latter picking up a goal contribution for his eighth consecutive MLS game.

After the goal, Orlando won a few set pieces but did little with them. Pasalic had an opportunity to double the lead in the 45th minute, but he got under his left-footed blast and sent it high into The Wall. That was the last decent look of the half and Orlando took its 1-0 lead to the locker room.

At the break, NYCFC had the advantage in possession (51.9%-48.1%), but the Lions had the edge in shots (14-3), shots on target (4-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (86.5%-85.8%).

Ojeda should have doubled the lead early in the second half. With a takeaway in the box, Ojeda had the ball with only Freese to beat around the penalty spot, but he sent his right-footed effort wide of the left post in the 47th minute.

“If you see the volume of the entrances and the clear chances that we had tonight, we have to mention that and say we couldn’t finish,” Pareja said. “I think we need to be more lethal and more precise on finishing those.”

Two minutes later, Ojeda was sent in behind the defense but shot right at Freese and the flag came up.

New York City FC’s Julian Fernandez got the visitors’ first shot on target in the 53rd minute, cutting in from the right and firing. Gallese got down to make the save. Moments later, former Lion Andres Perea got in behind the defense but he was offside and hit his shot at Gallese

Freeman intercepted a pass and started the break in the 58th minute. He ended up getting the ball back after continuing his run. The young fullback faked his defender to the ground, cut inside and sent a shot fizzing over the crossbar.

The visitors should have scored in the 63rd minute. Perea got down the left side and sent in a beautiful curling entry ball for Martinez, who beat Gallese but hit the left post.

Angulo cut inside and fired from just outside the area in the 71st minute, but he sent his shot wide of the right post to spoil another promising attack with a wasteful final ball.

New York City FC began to get more of a hold of the game late, pushing more players forward and getting more opportunities. Mounsef Bakrar got down the right side in the 72nd minute but sent his shot wide of the left post.

Two minutes later, Pareja sent Smith and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson into the game for Pasalic and Angulo, sacrificing some of the team’s creativity in favor of solidity.

Orlando wasted yet another great opportunity in the 79th minute, when second-half sub Ramiro Enrique fired wide of the right post from about nine yards out in front of goal.

New York City came the other way and Bakrar headed a cross straight to Gallese in the 81st minute. Six minutes later, the game turned on a terrible mistake by the Lions.

The visitors won a corner kick on their attacking right side. The cross found Perea’s head, but Gallese got a piece of it, knocking it off the left post. Schlegel swept in to clear the ball, but he smashed it off of Smith and into the net to make it a 1-1 game in the 87th minute. It was the second straight game in which a Schlegel howler proved costly.

Atuesta found space in the 89th minute and fired with his left foot, but he sent his shot well wide of the left post. Orlando won a late corner, but instead of paying it off to regain the lead, the Lions handed New York City FC a breakaway game winner.

The Pigeons cleared and broke quickly with numbers, catching Orlando completely asleep. Thorhallsson was the only player back. He swept at the loose ball and missed, giving Martinez a breakaway. Gallese came out and made himself big, but Martinez beat him and scored the game winner in the first minute of stoppage time.

“I think we obviously were searching for the win on that corner kick. Maybe we just didn’t have the counterattack in mind there, which is obviously wrong not to be cautious on that side,” Angulo said. “We just have to work through it, analyze the game, and correct that.”

Orlando City didn’t exactly fight back. The Lions created nothing in the final three minutes of stoppage time and dropped all three points.

NYCFC finished with more possession (52.1%-47.9%) and better passing accuracy (85%-83.8%). Orlando City had the advantage in shots (25-11), shots on target (7-4), and corners (9-4).

“Difficult to find the words right now,” Angulo said. “It’s a hard game, a loss that hurts us. I think it was a game that we controlled.”

“It doesn’t come from luck, and it has to come from something that we’re not doing right,” Pareja said. “And we have to be responsible for that.”

“Obviously, we conceded their corner, and then on the other side, it was on the set piece as well, just the counter attack,” Freeman said. “So I feel like, you know, those are the things that we need to be more sharp.”

The Lions are 0-3-1 in their last four home matches and have scored just one goal in each of their last five at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando is 0-5-2 in its last seven matches against NYCFC.

Orlando City will hit the road next for an away game at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution on Saturday.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/16/26

Alex Freeman’s impact, World Cup results roundup, Tunisia makes coaching change, and more.

Published

14 hours ago

on

June 16, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone! I write to you from Seattle, where I touched down last night ahead of attending the United States Men’s National Team’s second group game against Australia on Friday. I’ll spend the early part of this week getting out into some nature with my family, before returning to the city on Thursday to cheer on our boys against the Aussies. We’ve got lots to talk about today, so let’s get into the links!

Alex Freeman’s Impact

By now, I’m sure you know that the USMNT opened its time at the World Cup with a rousing 4-1 shellacking of Paraguay. What you might not know is the role that former Orlando City fullback Alex Freeman played in the victory. He continued his meteoric rise since debuting for OCSC’s senior side last season, as he went the full 90 minutes against Paraguay and racked up an assist, two interceptions, and five recoveries. He also pushed forward and took up positions in the half spaces that cause plenty of problems for the opponent’s defense and was mostly sharp with his positioning defensively. Here’s hoping he continues that sort of form!

World Cup Results Roundup

It was another engrossing day of World Cup action on Monday, and things got off to a very strong start. Debutants Cape Verde played Spain to a scoreless draw in Atlanta, as the 64th-ranked team in the world picked up its first World Cup point in its first-ever match. The second game of the day saw Egypt take a surprising lead over Belgium before the introduction of Romelu Lukaku off the bench forced an own goal that leveled the score and saw the game end 1-1. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia made it three draws in three games, as the underdogs once again took the lead before Uruguay fought back well in the second half. The final game of the day between Iran and New Zealand concluded after our editorial deadline.

Tunisia Fires Head Coach

It only took four days of games for this World Cup to get its first managerial change, as Tunisia fired head coach Sabri Lamouchi on Monday morning. Tunisia wrapped up Sunday’s action by being on the wrong end of a 5-1 hammering against Sweden to open tournament play on a less-than-ideal note. The loss meant Tunisia has won just one of its last eight games, and the team has given up five goals in two straight games after slumping to a 5-0 loss to Belgium in its final pre-tournament friendly. Mondher Kebaier will take over as interim head coach and has a lot to fix before Tunisia faces Japan in its second group game on Saturday.

Global Transfer Summary

Under cover of the World Cup, transfers are still flying thick and fast around the world. We begin with Real Madrid, which announced the signing of fullback Marc Cucurella from Chelsea on Monday morning. Elsewhere, former Lens manager Pierre Sage was named Oliver Glasner’s successor as the head coach of Crystal Palace. Moving into the realm of rumor, winger Ismael Saibari is reportedly close to joining Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven, with a medical the only thing left standing in the way from putting pen to paper. Finally, new Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is said to be keen on signing midfielder Felix Nmecha from Borussia Dortmund, but he will likely face stiff competition from Premier League sides and Dortmund itself.

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  • Cape Verde’s goalkeeper was superb in the team’s draw against Spain and has seen his online popularity explode as a result.

Great game here today at Field

— Jon Marthaler (@jonmarthaler.com) 2026-06-15T21:34:03.199Z

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/15/26

OCB beats Huntsville City, OCB signs Parker Amoo-Mensah, USMNT defeats Paraguay in World Cup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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June 15, 2026

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Image of Matthew Belgodere of OCB against Huntsville City.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work but tried to catch as many World Cup matches as possible. I did get to check out the Mumford & Sons and Rufus Du Sol concerts at Wrigley Field up here in Chicago. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

OCB Defeats Huntsville City FC on the Road

Orlando City B completed the comeback, overturning a 1-0 deficit to beat Huntsville City FC 2-1 at Wicks Family Field Saturday. Huntsville struck first to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Matthew Belgodere buried the equalizer for the Young Lions. Jacob Ramirez scored the final goal of the match for OCB to seal the win on the road and extend its winning streak to four games. That result lifts the Young Lions to third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 28 points. OCB will return home to face Philadelphia Union II Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

OCB Signs Parker Amoo-Mensah

Orlando City B has signed academy defender Parker Amoo-Mensah to an MLS NEXT Pro contract. The club announced the signing Friday with the deal running through the 2028 season. Amoo-Mensah has made 12 appearances for the Young Lions during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, starting eight matches, and has one assist.

USMNT Defeats Paraguay in World Cup Opener

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, to win its opening match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Former Lion Alex Freeman played a full 90 minutes and recorded an assist in the match, while Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda was on Paraguay’s bench but did not play. The USMNT’s opening goal was an own goal from Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla to give the Yanks the lead in the first half. Falorin Balogun scored twice for the U.S to take a 3-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Paraguay pulled one back, but Gio Reyna added the insurance goal. The USMNT will face Australia in its second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday.

2026 FIFA World Cup Recap

On Friday, Canada drew Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau started the match and had two clutch saves while former Lions Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea were also in action. Larin scored the equalizer for the Canadian Men’s National Team, securing a draw and earning its first-ever point in a World Cup match. On Saturday, Qatar and Switzerland played to a 1-1 draw, Brazil and Morocco settled for a 1-1 draw, Scotland secured its first World Cup win in 36 years with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, and Australia defeated Turkey 2-0. On Sunday, Kai Havertz scored twice for Germany in a 7-1 win over Curacao, Japan trailed twice and fought back for a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, Amad Diallo scored a late winner for Ivory Coast in a 1-0 win over Ecuador, and Sweden and Tunisia kicked off late. Today’s matches will feature Spain facing Cape Verde, Belgium taking on Egypt, Saudi Arabia facing Uruguay, and Iran taking on New Zealand.

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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 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

4 days ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

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