Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Claim Road Victory in Columbus

After a lackluster first 66 minutes, the Lions dominated the final 30 minutes to erase a 1-0 deficit and beat the Crew on the road.

Published

11 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City was dominated by the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field for more than an hour, but after falling behind, the Lions owned the final 30 minutes. Lion killer Diego Rossi spotted the hosts a 1-0 lead with a penalty kick goal, but Ramiro Enrique’s brace and Martin Ojeda’s insurance goal turned the game on its head late in a 3-1 OCSC road victory. Orlando City (11-6-8, 41 points) handed the Crew (12-5-8, 44 points) their second loss of the year as the home team and their first defeat of 2025 at Lower.com Field. The Crew had previously only lost as the “home” team in Cleveland.

Orlando won its second straight match β€” both on the road β€” on the heels of a four-game winless streak.

“Congratulations to the players for such an effort tonight,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The discipline, the willingness to do the task on the pitch, the tactical respect that they have for the game for the whole 90-plus minutes β€” almost 100 β€” was something that we were insisting during the week, and they won a very important game and very well deserved, too. So, again, congratulations to the players for such an important victory.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

The match was delayed about an hour due to storms in Columbus, and when things finally got underway, the hosts immediately got on the front foot. Rossi headed wide 12 seconds into the game and then fired a shot that Gallese had to save in the second minute. Nagbe saw his shot blocked in the eighth minute after a careless layoff by Muriel to nobody in the defensive third. Moments later, Jacen Russell-Rowe fired wide in transition.

Orlando struggled to maintain any pressure in the attacking third in the game’s first 10-15 minutes. The Lions finally got a shot off in the 21st minute when Pasalic did well to split defenders and fire, but his effort was blocked. The rebound caromed straight to Muriel with only Patrick Schulte to beat, but the Colombian couldn’t do it, leaving his shot close enough to the middle for the goalkeeper to save.

After that miss, the Crew had a shooting gallery for awhile, as the Lions refused to stop giving the ball away cheaply.

Daniel Gazdag headed just wide in the 23rd minute. Columbus did nothing with the ensuing corner, but the hosts kept the pressure on. Russell-Rowe sent a one-time shot off a Steven Moreira pass just wide of the left post in the 25th minute. Moments later, Angulo got torched by Ibrahim Aliyu, who found Russell-Rowe on the right. The forward fired a shot but Gallese was able to make a big save.

The Lions finally got another sight of goal at the half-hour mark, with Pasalic splitting defenders just outside the box and sending a shot on frame. Schulte made the save, but couldn’t control the rebound, which looked like it would fall for Muriel, but the Colombian was offside.

Three minutes after Pasalic’s half-chance, the Crew again got forward. Max Arfsten cut inside of Freeman and Schlegel overplayed his help defense. That allowed the fullback to get an open look at goal, but Arfsten sent his shot fizzing just wide of the right post. Orlando gave the ball right back after the goal kick and Dylan Chambost sent a shot right at Gallese from distance.

Brekalo sent a cross into the box for Ojeda in the 38th minute, but there wasn’t much on it and the Lions’ No. 10 tried heading a hopeful ball into space for a runner that never arrived. The best Orlando attacking buildup of the half ended up on Ojeda’s foot at the top of the box in the 45th minute, but the shot sailed wastefully over the bar.

Neither side could do much in the three added minutes and the teams went into halftime scoreless.

Columbus held the halftime advantage in possession (61.9%-38.1%), shots (10-4), shots on target (3-2), corners (4-0), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81%). Despite the Crew’s domination, the half ended with the same score as when the game began.

“We couldn’t retain the ball in the first half,” Pareja said. “Our sequences were very short. We didn’t find the spaces to provide a little bit of peace to our team. And Columbus, they know how to use the spaces, and they were creating a lot of trouble, especially on our left, despite the job that Ivan (Angulo) and Brekalo, and Robin (Jansson), and Cesar (Araujo) β€” they tried to stop them. But I have to admit that they have very good system and very good players on that side. We couldn’t stop it. But the worst thing for us was that we couldn’t retain the ball, because we couldn’t compete for the ball a little better.”

Not much changed at the break. Columbus continued to see way more of the ball and Orlando kept turning the ball over when the defense was able to snuff out attacks. The first came in the 46th minute when Atuesta was pulled down with no call from referee Timothy Ford, igniting the counter. Rossi fired just wide of the left post in transition.

Jansson’s poor clearance in the 52nd minute found Russell-Rowe at the top of the box. The Crew forward fired on target but Gallese made a big stop. Columbus then won a series of set pieces in the attacking third but could do nothing with them.

Orlando got a rare shot in the 60th minute when Muriel tried his luck from extreme range. The shot sailed well over the crossbar.

The Crew took the lead in the 66th minute. Pasalic somehow ended up on the opposite side of the pitch and a cross into the box grazed his hand. The ball didn’t change trajectory and came from close range, Ford went to the monitor and awarded a penalty for handball. Rossi sent Gallese the wrong way and scored.

Enrique replaced Muriel after the penalty.

Orlando had its own shout for a penalty in the 72nd minute. Angulo split two defenders to get into the box and Moreira grabbed him and pulled the arm. The Colombian went down but there was no call and the video assistant referee did not send Ford to the monitor.

“When Moreira grabbed his hand, it was so clear, and we couldn’t explain ourselves on the bench how that could not be (overturned),” Pareja said.

The Lions struck four minutes later anyway. Angulo beat Arfsten β€” who switched sides when Lassi Lappalainen came on for Russell-Rowe β€” down the left side and lifted a cross into the middle. Enrique was passively marked and took advantage, flicking a header inside the right post to tie the match in the 76th minute.

“Ramiro coming into the game really helped us a lot, because he came in with so much energy,” Angulo said. “And, you know, I think everybody just really pushed ahead. And of course, it changed the game.”

The same players hooked up three minutes later. Ojeda sent a great through ball on the left for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian winger sent a good centering pass across the top of the six and Enrique tapped it home to complete his brace with his seventh goal of the season in the 79th minute.

“It’s just a good example of his professionalism, his dedication, his patience,” Pareja said of Enrique. “The energy that he brought us today and not just the two goals that he scored, obviously are the most important, but I think the sensibility that he showed today with his group, coming from the bench and giving us the best. Again, big, big game for us and Ramiro did a phenomenal job today.”

Enrique now has five goals and an assist in five career matches against Columbus, starting only one of those games. With his second assist of the night, Angulo has three in the past two matches.

As time wound down, Zakaria Taifi and Kyle Smith replaced Pasalic and Angulo. Orlando had to face quite a bit of pressure and several Crew corners. Aliyu sent a shot on frame from the right in the 87th minute but it didn’t trouble Gallese.

It seemed excessive when the fourth official put 10 minutes on his board.

Aliyu was left unmarked in the second minute of stoppage time, but he sent a volley shot over the bar. Orlando then had to deal with a couple of corners as the Crew pushed for an equalizer.

Ojeda put the match away in the sixth minute of added time. Freeman broke in transition and cut inside in the attacking half. The fullback sent a good diagonal ball for Ojeda to run onto in stride, and the Argentine smashed a shot just inside the near post past Schulte to seal the win.

“We depend a lot on that different talent that the DPs (Designated Players) have, and Martin, what he has done over the year, he has proven himself, and has proven to everyone how important and how good he is,” Pareja said. “What I have to remark is that with Martin Ojeda, you warrant effort, talent, sacrifice, discipline. He’s not the one who needs the lights and attention. He just does the job the best he can for his team.”

With his 13th goal of the season and a secondary assist on each of Enrique’s goals, Ojeda now has a goal contribution in 10 straight matches. He also moved past Nani into sole possession for the most goal contributions in a season for the Lions, with 25.

Before the final whistle blew, Gallese made one more save on Rossi, and Ford brought the match to a close.

Columbus finished with the statistical advantage in possession (60.8%-39.2%), shots (18-10), shots on target (7-6), corners (9-1), and passing accuracy (88.4%-82.3%). However, the Lions were the more clinical team and their play over the final 30 minutes was the difference between a meek road loss and a vital three points against one of the conference’s best teams.

“It was a tough game, and we knew that it was going to be like that,” Angulo said. “Columbus is a great team, and they like to have the ball for a majority of the match. The first half, we suffered a lot because of that. But in the second half, we turned it around. We stuck with it, and we showed a lot of character to pull out the win tonight.”

MLS now breaks for Leagues Cup. The Lions will be back in action at home Wednesday night against Liga MX side Pumas.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

Published

2 days ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

Free Kicks

  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

July 2, 2026

By

Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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!

Continue Reading

Trending