Orlando City vs. Pumas UNAM, Leagues Cup: Final Score 1-1 (3-4) as Lions Blow Another Home Lead

Orlando City’s bad habit of blowing late leads at Inter&Co Stadium continued tonight as the Lions played Pumas UNAM to a 1-1 draw before falling 4-3 in a penalty shootout in their Leagues Cup opener. Officially the road team for this match, Orlando City got an early goal from the unlikely source of Rodrigo Schlegel early in the match, but failed to create much against the Liga MX side throughout the game, attempting just seven shots, with only Schlegel’s threatening the target.

Pumas took advantage of the Lions failing to put them away, with former Houston Dynamo star Adalberto Carrasquilla scoring a late goal to end normal time at 1-1 and sending the match to penalties.

It was the third consecutive match in this stadium in which Orlando led 1-0 late and failed to win the match.

“We had a good first half, very competitive, and we didn’t have plenty control of the game, but we did have ideas,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And we not just scored first, but I thought we have much more volume in attack. That gave us the sensation that we could increase (the lead) in the second half. The second half…they started pushing and we lost control of the ball. We started using the long balls and we couldn’t find a way to get out of that pressure.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured only one change from the team that took the field Saturday in Columbus. Ramiro Enrique replaced Luis Muriel in the starting XI. Pedro Gallese started 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 Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.

Pumas started with some energy, going on the attack in the first moments of the game, with Alvaro Angulo flashing a shot from the left just wide of the right post in the second minute.

Orlando’s first foray up the field nearly put Ojeda in alone on goal, but his first touch was a bit off and all he could do was win a corner kick. That turned out to be a good thing. Ojeda took the set piece himself and found Schlegel in the mass of bodies in front of goal. The center back got his head to the cross and knocked it in off the right post past Keylor Navas to give the Lions a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.

“Happy to score again but a little bit heated for what happened with not being able to score after that,” Schlegel said.

It was Schlegel’s first goal in any competition since scoring against FC Dallas on Sept. 28, 2024.

The game settled into a bit more of a chess match over the next 30 minutes after the goal, with each side winning set pieces here and there but doing nothing with them. The Lions always seemed about to create a dangerous chance, only to have an untidy touch blow up the attack.

Eventually the Liga MX side started growing more into the game and created some chances. Jorgen Ruvalcaba fired from the top of the area off a partially cleared corner kick in the 32nd minute, but the Lions blocked the shot out in front.

A minute later, Pasalic sent a beautiful ball from right to left for Ivan Angulo, who did well with his first touch but sailed his cross over an open Freeman at the back post.

Pumas started getting more bite into the attack as the rain began to fall in Orlando, with Pedro Vite having a shot blocked wide in the 37th minute. Alvaro Angulo’s shot took a deflection a minute later and was on target, but Gallese was able to recover from his initial movement to make a vital save. Guillermo Martinez fizzed a header over the bar in the 40th minute.

Near the end of the half, things got chippy. Freeman was wrestled to the ground by Ruvalcaba behind the play as Pumas attacked in the 44th minute and referee Adonai Escobedo let play go on for some reason. When Freeman retaliated, he cautioned both players, so if the first one was a yellow card offense, play should have stopped and a free kick awarded to Orlando.

Two minutes later, Brekalo was fouled from behind in an obvious attempt to slow down play. The Slovenian tried to fight off his opponent only for his hand to get up in the head and neck area, and he was the second OCSC player into the books. Ivan Angulo then got booked during the same stoppage. The Pumas player who committed the foul got nothing.

Ojeda had his shot blocked in front deep in stoppage time and Orlando could do nothing with a pair of corners on the final attacking sequences of the first half.

At the break, Pumas had the advantage in possession (50.4%-49.6%) and shots (7-3). Orlando City led in corners (5-4) and passing accuracy (92.5%-86.7%). Each team put one shot on target.

“I think we played a great first half, and we were really dominating the game within the game,” Schlegel said. “And then the second half, we had a little bit more difficulty, just due to the situation in the game. They were down. They had to start coming out of their area more, and I think it made things difficult on us.”

Pumas owned the second half. Orlando didn’t play like a team interested in adding to its lead for the first 15 minutes, and after that, the Lions dropped deep and allowed the Liga MX side to have the ball, which never seemed like a good idea, and it turned out not to be. Pumas grew confident and created, while easily carving out any counter opportunities Orlando City had in mind.

The Lions took the first shot of the second half but created no danger from it. Ojeda tried to chip Navas from the left side in the 47th minute, but his shot sailed high over the goal.

Two minutes later, Alvaro Angulo fired the first warning shot of the second half, blasting an effort from distance on the left that Gallese fought off. Ruvalcaba fired wide to the right in the 59th minute when given too much space. Pumas scored in the 65th minute, but the play was obviously offside and the flag came up quickly. The flag saved Freeman some blushes, as the young fullback had a chance to clear just prior to that but turned the ball over in the defensive third.

Orlando worked a rare counterattack in the 68th minute that ended up on Pasalic’s foot just outside the area. The Croatian fired but his shot fizzed over the crossbar on his last involvement of the match. He and Enrique were soon replaced by Kyle Smith and Muriel.

Pumas fired another warning shot in the 73rd minute, getting in behind the defense for a 1-v-1 opportunity against Gallese, who made the save, but the flag again came up, nullifying the play.

Carrasquilla scored the goal that always seemed likely in the 80th minute. Playing a quick give-and-go with Piero Quispe, the Panamanian international made a quick, darting run to get onto the return ball and fired it just inside the right post to tie the match at 1-1. The Lions felt Jansson had been held on the play, preventing him from peeling off of his man to intervene, but no foul was given and there didn’t appear to be a review.

“I couldn’t see (the goal) too well from from where I was, but from my perspective, they committed a foul on Robin,” Schlegel said. “But, you know, it’s past. We have to focus on the next game now to go out and get as many points as we can.”

Pumas added another offside goal in the 88th minute, but it was a close play. There was a close call in the buildup that looked just off on the replay, and the flag had come up immediately. Video assistant referee Diana Perez Borja took a lengthy look at it, but ultimately the call on the field stood, and it appeared to be the right call.

Neither team managed another decent sight of goal in normal time and the game went to penalties to determine which team left the match with the additional shootout point.

At full time, Pumas held the advantage in possession (53.6%-46.4%), shots (17-7), and shots on target (4-1), Orlando City passed more accurately (88.6%-87.7%). Both teams won six corners.

Although Leagues Cup rules claim there are no draws, each team had a point, which would suggest there are draws, as there are in MLS NEXT Pro. The games go immediately to penalty shootouts with the winner of the spot kicks awarded a second point in the League Phase standings.

The shootout started much like the game itself. Orlando City dominated the first round, with Ojeda blasting his spot kick into the upper right corner to make it 1-0 with the first shot. Gallese then made a terrific diving save to deny Martinez.

The Lions quickly threw their advantage away. Eduard Atuesta, who has not been the most lethal finisher this season, was Orlando’s second shooter. To his credit, he beat Navas. However, he hit his shot too high and his penalty smashed off the crossbar and bounced back toward him. Alvaro Angulo leveled the shootout after two rounds, and Smith and Nathan Silva both scored in the third round.

Araujo was Orlando’s fourth shooter, making it three consecutive defensive midfielders. The Uruguayan’s penalty was poor, as he fired at a comfortable height for Navas, who read him correctly and made the save look easy. Quispe scored to put Orlando on the brink.

Muriel kept the Lions’ hopes alive by burying his kick, but Carrasquilla made no mistake, scoring on the final shot to claim the second point for Pumas.

“We cannot get that close of the game with more personality,” Pareja said. “That’s why I’m frustrated now. But I have to see the whole game. Very competitive against a good rival, and the boys did a bunch of good things.”

“I think it was a good game, until the last minutes, when we lost the focus and concentration,” Pasalic said. “We had a good feeling. The last game result was really good. Really good chemistry. But this is football and this happens.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround, hosting Atlas in the second League Phase match of Leagues Cup on Saturday at 6 p.m.