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Orlando City vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup: Final Score 5-1 as Muriel’s Hat Trick Leads Lions to Dominant Victory

Lions run rampant over Necaxa in a dominating win led by Luis Muriel’s hat trick and two more goals from Martin Ojeda.

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11 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City needed to win and get help entering the last match day of the opening phase of Leagues Cup, and the Lions played like a desperate team in a 5-1 destruction of Liga MX side Necaxa at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Luis Muriel scored a hat trick in a span of 11 minutes to close the first half, with Martin Ojeda contributing a brace in a dominating display to finish the League Phase of the competition at 2-0-1. The Lions did what they had to do and must now wait for other results to see if they can advance to the quarterfinals.

Orlando City improved to 3-2-6 in competitive matches against Liga MX sides and the club put itself in position to advance to the quarterfinals if other results can go the Lions’ way.

“I think their commitment with the game I saw, with the opportunity that we had, and I saw the group with a lot of desire not just to win it but trying to push as hard as they have done,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Today things bounced our way. We were lethal in our chances. We had our players with a lot of clarity and that gave us this opportunity to keep going.”

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

There wasn’t much action before the opening goal, with each team taking turns possessing the ball but breaking down in the attacking third.

Ojeda opened the scoring at the quarter-hour mark on one of the best-struck goals of the season. Freeman sent a cross from the right to the Argentine, who volleyed it first touch and sent a screamer into the top left corner to make it 1-0.

“Me and Martin were talking about it before game, just our connection. I had given him like two assists in last three games,” Freeman said. “I was looking for him. I chipped it to him and he made one of the best goals I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“The service on that first goal, it was as good as Martin’s finishing, for sure,” Pareja said of Freeman’s effort on the assist. “That quality of how Alex plays that ball, it was great to see it, and not to mention that keeps on elevating Martin’s confidence.”

Just two minutes later, Ojeda came close to doubling the lead, making a good move to blow past a defender on the left and firing on target, but Necaxa goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain made the save.

Gallese made his only save of the first half on a header from TomΓ‘s Badaloni in the 18th minute.

Freeman tried a volley of his own off an Ojeda service on a long-range free kick in the 20th minute, but the young fullback sent his shot off the left post and it stayed out.

AgustΓ­n Palavecino tried his luck from long range with a sneaky fast shot in the 21st minute, sending it just wide of the right post.

Orlando should have doubled the lead in the 23rd minute when Angulo got down the left and found Muriel in front. The Colombian’s shot dinked off the left post and stayed out. Pasalic then picked up the rebound near the top of the box and fired, but his shot was saved.

The Lions nearly paid for not taking that chance when Johan Rojas sent a shot that deflected off Brekalo in the 24th minute. The rebound carried over Gallese but went wide to the left of goal. Necaxa couldn’t do anything with the ensuing corner. DΓ­ber Cambindo then fired wide in the 30th minute and Kevin Rosero missed wide in the 34th as the visitors seemed likely to equalize.

Muriel then began to assert himself a minute later.

Freeman made a nice move and brought the ball up the left channel before finding Araujo out wide. The Uruguayan saw Muriel making a run and delivered a perfect ball for the Colombian to head home, making it 2-0 in the 35th minute.

“I see every day in training that (Muriel) has talent. You know, he has the possibility of scoring every game, getting opportunities and just creating what he can do,” Freeman said. “And today he just displayed it. He was very clinical in the final third.”

The buzz from the crowd had hardly abated when Muriel did it again. Ojeda took the ball into the corner and dropped it off for Angulo out on the left. The winger made a shake-and-bake move to lose two defenders and then found Muriel, who had gotten lost between the two center backs. The cross was perfect and Muriel’s second headed goal in two minutes made it 3-0 in the 37th minute.

“The occupation of the area from Luis is what we need to keep doing more often,” Pareja said, “because his quality outside the box is clear. But the occupation that he did tonight in the box, scoring, heading like a true number nine is great and keeps us very optimistic.”

Orlando City’s No. 9 wasn’t done. In the first minute of first-half injury time, Ojeda picked up the ball in the center of the pitch and broke forward. Waiting as long as he could, Ojeda finally sent a ball to Muriel on the left side and the striker hit the ball first time with his right foot, sending it past Unsain and in to complete his hat trick.

“Martin and I had the fortune to score the goals tonight, but I think the work that the team did was so important,” Muriel said. “The assist from Cesar on my first goal was perfect. The assist from Alex on, Martin’s goal was perfect. The assists from Ivan were perfect, and the assist from Martin on my goal was perfect. So I think, you know, the work of the team is just incredible. I think this team is doing things so well and in such a good form, and I really hope that it’s able to continue, because we can achieve a lot of things together, and we deserve to with the way that we’re working together.”

“We are trying to split the energies in those jobs with Ramiro what has come in the games where he has been a tremendous key for us to achieve the results. And tonight, we felt that Luis was the one who came fresh from the past two games,” Pareja said about returning the Colombian to the starting lineup. “I thought it was that quality that he has that we needed. The response from him tonight was exceptional. His quality in that finishing tonight elevated our level as a group. We’re so pleased and I want to congratulate Luis as well. He’s always a good teammate.”

Moments later, the Lions took their 4-0 lead into halftime.

Necaxa held the halftime advantage in possession (54%-46%), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (84.5%-81%), while the Lions fired more shots (8-7) and shots on target (6-2). Orlando was the much more clinical side, despite hitting the post twice, and therefore held the four-goal lead at the break.

The visitors made five substitutions at the break, and Necaxa was able to get a couple of early shot attempts off. Pavel Perez fired just over the crossbar in the 46th minute and Badaloni missed wide to the right moments later.

Orlando’s lead, however, bulged to 5-0 just after the Badaloni miss. Angulo took the ball down the left and slipped a pass in for Ojeda, who held off a defender and then smashed his shot past Unsain in the 51st minute to complete his brace.

“The response from Martin in the second half when he scored the fifth goal in the moment that we needed β€” because we were losing again territory and we needed something else and he came up with that one goal,” Pareja said.

After the fifth Orlando goal, the Lions seemed to struggle getting the ball out of their end for a long spell. Necaxa won some corner kicks and sent a couple of shots off target. Rosero and Diego de Buen each missed the target in the buildup to the hour mark.

Pena put Necaxa on the board in the 71st minute off another corner kick. The visitors played it short this time and Franco Rossano played a good cross into the box from the left. Pena outjumped everyone and nodded it just inside the left post to beat Gallese and make it 5-1.

Neither side created much down the final minutes of the game. Rosero turned and fired on target in the 80th minute, but he didn’t get much on his shot and sent it straight at Gallese.

Two minutes later, second-half sub Ramiro Enrique forced Unsain into a near-post save on the right. Ojeda forced a save a minute later after the ensuing corner, but couldn’t complete Orlando’s second hat trick of the night.

The visitors finished with the advantage in possession (55%-45%), shots (18-11), corners (8-7), and passing accuracy (84.7%-80.2%). Orlando put more shots on target (8-4) and, more importantly, in the net.

“Tonight was a great result to put us in a great spot in the tournament,” Muriel said. “You know, we have to wait for a couple more results, but we put ourselves in a great spot tonight, and it leads into a great, tough battle this weekend that’s going to be really important for us.”

Thus concludes Orlando’s participation in the League Phase of the 2025 Leagues Cup. The Lions return to MLS action Sunday night at home against Inter Miami.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

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

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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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!

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Lion Links: 7/3/26

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

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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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.

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  • 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!

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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.

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3 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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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.

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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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