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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Dominate Second Half

The Lions won their fourth straight game in all competitions thanks to goals by Tyrese Spicer, Ramiro Enrique, and Nico Rodriguez.

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10 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City again couldn’t hold a 1-0 lead at Inter&Co Stadium, but the Lions dominated the second half, beating Sporting Kansas City 3-1 after a lengthy weather delay. Tyrese Spicer, Ramiro Enrique, and Nico Rodriguez scored to more than offset Dejan Joveljic’s goal. It was the fourth consecutive MLS win for Orlando City (13-6-8, 47 points) and the club’s seventh game without a loss in all competitions (6-0-1). The Lions have scored three or more goals in each of their last four games (all wins) in all competitions.

The win keeps Orlando City unbeaten at home (3-0-1) against Sporting Kansas City, which dropped to 6-14-6 (24 points) on the season.

“What a difficult game today,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The first half we couldn’t connect our shaping, and they found a lot of spaces. It’s good that we opened the game so early, but we didn’t play well (for) 20 minutes. And then, the second half we reshaped things. The boys started to adjusting some lines and some tactics, movements there, especially in the middle, and then we started flowing in the game and it was much more Orlando. The second half was our half.”

Pareja’s lineup included a few changes. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who stepped into Alex Freeman’s right back spot. Kyle Smith deputized for the suspended Cesar Araujo with Eduard Atuesta in the central midfield between wingers Spicer — in his first Orlando City start — and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

Inclement weather once again reared its ugly head, delaying the start of the match by three hours and three minutes. Once the game started, Orlando quickly jumped on the visitors.

Just two minutes into the match, Spicer found Ojeda in the box. The Argentine took a heavy touch toward the end line but gathered and shot it into goalkeeper Jon Pulskamp, who deflected it back to Spicer. The Trinidad & Tobago international took his shot with his first touch and slotted home his first goal as a Lion. It was the second straight game in which Orlando scored in the second minute.

Tyrese in his first start as a Lion 🤯

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-08-17T03:24:16.960Z

“I saw Martin in the box, but I was like, ‘You know what I need to do, like some decoy or some move to at least throw (the defender) off,’ because I didn’t want to give him the ball right away,” Spicer said. “So, I just did the step over to shift him, and I went inside. And I was like, ‘Okay, let me play.’ Maybe I played it a little bit too hard, but fortunately, he got the shot off. When it came back to me, it was like, instinctiveness, shoot automatically. And I see it went in. And I was like, ‘Let’s go!'”

“Many highlights moments for us. Tyrese was one of them, scoring, and not just scoring, but I thought he played a very good game for us,” Pareja said. “And the way he started mixing with our players and with our game model, it was outstanding.”

The next shot in the game didn’t come until the seventh minute as Joveljic sent a shot just inches wide of the left post from outside the area.

Orlando City got back on the front foot but could do nothing with a couple of corner kicks, and then Sporting Kansas City took possession for much of the next 15 minutes. The Lions were sloppy and kept giving the ball away cheaply during that spell, that saw Shapi Suleymanov slice a shot wide in the 13th minute.

Mason Toye got in behind the back line, beating the trap in the 20th minute. Gallese came way off his line to try to stop the Kansas City forward, but the shot got through. The stadium breathed a sigh of relief when it skipped just wide of the left post. Sporting then won a couple of corners and nearly paid one off on the recycle, as Gallese went down to make a diving, one-handed save in the 23rd minute on a shot from Toye.

The Sporting KC goal that had been coming finally came in the 26th minute. Joveljic slipped a through ball to Toye making a diagonal run between the center backs. Schlegel wasn’t able to keep up with the run. Gallese came out to cut down the angle, but Toye slipped the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper and Joveljic beat Jansson on the switch and tapped it in to make it 1-1.

Orlando woke up a bit after conceding and the rest of the half was evenly played. Spicer won another corner at the half-hour mark and the cross in from Ojeda found Schlegel, but the defender’s header was blocked in front by Joveljic.

Eight minutes later, another ball over the Orlando back line nearly paid off for Sporting Kansas City but Thorhallsson made up some ground and got to the ball first. He tried to chip it to safety and came close to putting it into his own net, but it sailed just over the crossbar for a corner. The Lions cleared the set piece but quickly gave the ball back to the visitors. Suleymanov fired just over the bar in the 39th minute on the end of the counterattack.

Spicer again got forward in the 42nd minute down the left and found Ojeda, who tried to shoot it with his first touch. He got under his half-volley effort and it sailed high. Two minutes later, Pasalic found some space about 25 yards out from goal and fired, but he hit his shot right at Pulskamp for the easy save.

Orlando finished the half strong with a quick give-and-go in the second minute of injury time with Ojeda slipping the ball through for Muriel’s run, but the Colombian got under his shot and it sailed into The Wall on the last look at goal for the half.

At the break, Orlando City had the edge in possession (52.9%-47.1%), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-88.6%). Sporting Kansas City attempted more shots (8-7), with each team putting two on target.

“I feel like we were doing sloppy mistakes and giving the ball away pretty easily, and especially in these games where the humidity is so high, we we can’t be giving the ball away with teams that counterattack, because they want to stay and counterattack much,” Thorhallsson said of the first half. “So, I feel like we played into their hands. But as soon as we just took over the ball and played our game, I felt like we controlled it.”

At the break, Pareja sent on Freeman for Smith, pushing Thorhallsson to the midfield.

Orlando started the second half well, earning an early corner on a Muriel cross that the defense had to knock behind. The visitors cleared the initial corner but Orlando created a good chance in the 50th minute on the recycle. The ball ended up with Freeman on the right side of the box, and he found Muriel in front. Pulskamp came off his line and Muriel made a slick move to spin and find Ojeda near the penalty spot, but the Lions’ No. 10 sliced his shot badly wide of the left post.

Five minutes later, Freeman made a lunging shot on a ball across the box, but he sent it wide of the right post.

Sporting KC got forward and created some havoc with a Jovelic cross into the six, but none of his teammates where there to finish the play.

Atuesta ignited the break with a takeaway in the attacking half in the 64th minute. He quickly found Ojeda, who sent Muriel into the right side of the box. Muriel stopped quickly to lose his defender before finding Pasalic in the middle. The Croatian’s shot was on goal, but Pulskamp made a vital save to keep the game tied.

Gallese made a pair of comfortable saves in the 65th and 69th minutes.

Pareja then made two subs in the 71st minute, bringing on Ivan Angulo and Enrique for Pasalic and Muriel. It didn’t take long for the subs to make an impact, as they instantly added a spark of energy to Orlando City.

After a Spicer cross into the box was blocked by a defender in the 73rd minute, the Lions regained the lead three minutes later. Angulo won the ball in the attacking third with help from Thorhallsson and quickly sent it to Ojeda on the right. Ojeda sent a right-footed pass into the middle for Enrique, who made a quick spin move, touched it to his left, and smashed it in past Pulskamp to make it 2-1 in the 76th minute. Enrique’s eighth goal of the MLS season tied his career high of eight, set last year. It also moved him past Kaka into sole possession of sixth place on the team’s all-time goal-scoring chart (all competitions).

“Ramiro patiently weighted for his moment, knowing that in any time he can start as well, and probably he deserves it as much as as Luis (Muriel),” Pareja said.

Following the goal, Pareja inserted Rodriguez for Spicer.

Buoyed by the goal, Orlando City kept the pressure on Sporting and looked to counter whenever possible. Atuesta found himself with space at the top of the box in the 79th minute, firing a shot that went straight to Pulskamp for an easy save. Four minutes later, the Lions put the game to bed.

Ojeda took the ball on the left side and sent a cross over the box to Freeman on the right. The fullback fired a shot that took a deflection and bounced in behind the defense, where Rodriguez got to it first and smashed home his first goal as a Lion in the 83rd minute.

Orlando could have won the game by much more than two goals. In addition to wasting some good chances earlier, Angulo was let loose in behind on a breakaway, speeding past the last defender and getting in on goal, but he sent his shot over the bar in the 85th minute.

From there, Orlando City pinged the ball around with energy and a lot of one-touch passing, seeing out the victory.

After a dominant second half, Orlando finished the match with the advantage in possession (54.6%-45.4%), shots (19-11), shots on target (7-4), corners (6-4), and passing accuracy (90.3%-86.1%).

“I would say very good first 10 minutes, then pretty bad, 35 minutes, and then very good 45 minutes, if I was to summarize the whole game,” Thorhallsson said. “Very good second half. I feel like we dominated the game.”

“I want to express the gratitude that we have with our fans,” Pareja said. “With this (weather) delay, I didn’t expect that all of them staying, and when we came out from the locker room and we saw them in the stands, it was something that we won’t forget. I wanted to dedicate this victory for them and show our gratitude.”

The Lions have a quick turnaround, as they’ll fly out to Carson, CA to face Toluca on Wednesday in Leagues Cup action. Orlando City’s next MLS match will be a week from tonight at Nashville SC.

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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.

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3 hours ago

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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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Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

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6 hours ago

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June 12, 2026

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Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

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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: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 11, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

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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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