Another Friday means another opportunity for us to take a trip down memory lane to an Orlando City game from years gone by. Last week we reminisced on a booking-heavy affair against the Houston Dynamo that took place all the way back on June 18, 2022. This week we won’t be going quite as far down memory lane, as we’ll be rewinding to June 22, 2024 and a home match against the Chicago Fire.

Things weren’t exactly going smoothly for the Lions in the leadup to this game. Orlando was mired in a run of five games without a win, and had suffered losses to the Columbus Crew, LAFC, and the New York Red Bulls. OCSC had also only scored four goals in those five games, and was badly in need of a positive result.

In order to attempt to right the ship, Oscar Pareja ran out a lineup consisting of Mason Stajduhar; Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in defense; a midfield Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, and Facundo Torres; with Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire up top.

The Lions came roaring out of the gate and had a decent case for a penalty kick just two minutes in, but nothing was given and the good guys opened the scoring two minutes later anyway. Thorhallsson fed Torres on the right edge of the box, and the Uruguayan cut just inside the area and unleashed a curling left-footed effort that nestled into the side netting over a fully stretched Chris Brady.

Stajduhar made a massive save in the 11th minute to prevent Hugo Cuypers from leveling things up, and Maren Haile-Selassie wastefully blasted a fairly juicy rebound over the bar. In the 19th minute, Orlando was awarded the penalty kick it missed out on earlier in the game. Angulo knifed through the defense and Allan Arigoni pulled him back once the Colombian was inside the area, so referee Natalie Simon rightfully pointed to the spot. From there, Muriel stepped up and calmly sent Brady the other way and rolled the ball home to make it 2-0 Orlando.

Chicago once again should have pulled a goal back shortly after conceding, but Stajduhar’s right post kept out a great Brian Gutierrez effort and kept the lead at 2-0. The Lions then got a third goal in the 29th minute. Thorhallson wriggled his way to the end line and crossed for McGuire, who had his effort well saved by Brady. Unfortunately for Chicago, Angulo was quickest to the extremely juicy rebound, and he tapped it home to make it three Orlando goals just inside of 30 minutes.

The teams traded chances and saved shots in the remaining minutes before halftime. Once the whistle for the break blew, both teams had earned one corner kick, but Chicago had an advantage in possession, (55%-45%) shots (8-3), shots on target (4-3), and passing accuracy (93%-88.3%).

The chances started immediately flowing for both teams once the second half started. Stajduhar stonewalled Gutierrez in the 47th minute, McGuire was barely beaten to a through ball by Brady a minute later, and the alarm bells were ringing loudly for both sides. It was perhaps unsurprising then, that disaster struck for Orlando in the 51st minute. Schlegel tried to block a cross in the box and the ball hit the arm that he was putting down to brace himself. With the arm not yet supporting him though, Simon gave a penalty kick, and Haile-Selassie put the ball in the same spot Muriel did to spoil the shutout in the 53rd minute.

Orlando kept attacking, and Muriel forced Brady into a save from a free kick in the 55th minute before he was subbed off for Martin Ojeda just four minutes later. Torres then scored Orlando’s fourth of the night and his fourth of the season in the 60th minute. He picked up the ball at the top of the box, brought it onto his left foot, and squeezed off a strike that beat Brady high to restore the three goal lead.

The Lions didn’t do a very good job of protecting that lead though. The men in purple seemed allergic to passing to their teammates, and it wasn’t surprising when the Chicago pressure paid off, thanks in large part to an Orlando mistake. A fairly normal cross went into the OCSC box in the 69th minute and Jansson stuck out a leg to clear it but missed,. When the ball deflected off Santos it went towards Stajduhar’s goal. Cuypers was first to the loose ball and he swept it home to make it 4-2.

The Lions then proceeded to try to see the game out but had some hairy moments in trying to get over the line. Turnovers were the main culprit, and Stajduhar was forced into saves in the 79th, 80th, and 83rd minutes to keep the advantage at two. He then had an absolute peach of a stop in the 86th minute, getting a quick hand up to deny a header from Georgios Koutsias who had been played in over the top of the defense.

OCSC had a chance to get a fifth goal two minutes later, when Angulo beat Brady to a through ball and managed to get it to Ojeda, but the Argentine volleyed over the net from range and the nervy finish continued when nine minutes of stoppage time went up on the board. Stajduhar made yet another save in stoppage time and punched away some dangerous crosses to bring the game to an end with a 4-2 victory for the Lions.

Similar to halftime, Chicago finished with an edge in all of the big statistical categories. The Fire led in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (18-8), shots on target (12-6), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (90.3%-82.2%). Unfortunately for them, Orlando led the most meaningful statistical category and picked up a badly needed three points.

Former TML writer Nic Josey was on Player Grades for this one, and he unsurprisingly awarded two-goal-scorer Torres the Man of the Match with a grade of 8.5 out of 10. Other highly graded players included 10-save Stajduhar with an 8 out of 10, and two-assist Thorhallsson with a 7.5 out of 10.

That win started a much better phase of the season for Orlando City, as the Lions lost just four league games for the rest of the season and made a run all the way to the Eastern Conference final. Doing something similar this year will probably take a lot of doing, but never say never. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this weekend beyond enjoying all of the soccer as the World Cup’s group stage comes to a close before the knockout round begins on Sunday. We also have an Orlando City B home game on Sunday, so be sure to go support the Young Lions if able. Now, let’s get to the links!

Maxime Crepeau’s Road to the World Cup

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau has helped Canada advance to the knockout stage of this year’s World Cup and he gave some insight into how he reached this point of his career. He made the most of his loans at various Canadian clubs before a trade to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he went on to earn the starting job. Crepeau also gave some insight on the leg injury he suffered in the 2022 MLS Cup final with LAFC that caused him to miss out on the World Cup in Qatar. Now representing his country on the world’s biggest stage, Crepeau and Canada will take on South Africa in the round of 32 on Sunday.

USMNT Falls to Turkiye in Final Group Game

The United States Men’s National Team lost 3-2 to Turkiye in its last game of the group stage on a last-gasp goal deep in stoppage time. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino heavily rotated the squad for this one, having already clinched the group, and Christian Pulisic came off the bench in the second half. The Yanks got off to a hot start thanks to a goal by defender Auston Trusty, but Turkiye scored twice in the first half to take the lead. Another strong start by the U.S. in the second half led to Sebastian Berhalter’s great equalizer, but Turkiye found a winner at the death as Trusty limped around after sustaining an injury with no substitutes remaining. It was the first loss of the tournament for the U.S., which will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in the round of 32.

NWSL Challenge Cup Takes Place Tonight

While we’re still waiting for the NWSL season to resume, we have the NWSL Challenge Cup to look forward to tonight. Gotham FC will take on the Kansas City Current at 8 p.m. in the latest edition of this event that pits the previous NWSL Championship and NWSL Shield winners against each other. Gotham hasn’t lost against an NWSL team since the Current won 2-1 on April 4. Tonight’s game will be held in Columbus, which was recently awarded an expansion team in the league and is expected to field a team in 2028.

World Cup Roundup

More nations have booked their spots in the knockout round as the group stage winds down. Australia secured its place after a scoreless draw with Paraguay, with Paraguay likely to advance as well. The Ivory Coast shut out Curacao 2-0 to claim second in Group E and qualify for the knockout round for the first time, while Ecuador advanced as the third-place team after winning 2-1 against Germany, which had already won the group. In Group F, the Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 to win the group and will face Morocco in the next round. Japan and Sweden battled to a 1-1 draw, with both teams advancing as well.

Today’s action features what should be a good match between France and Norway to win Group I. Senegal and Iran will square off in the other match in that group for a chance to advance as a third-place team. Uruguay’s match against Spain and Cabo Verde against Saudi Arabia should also make for some great viewing tonight.

Free Kicks

• Enjoy this look behind the scenes of Antoine Griezmann getting his medical done by Orlando Health, which also includes Griezmann posing with a rather unique portrait of Robin Jansson.

• The Houston Dash improved its attack by signing Serbian forward Miljana Ivanovic from Malmo FF in Sweden.
• Alexia Putellas will reportedly join the London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League after 14 years with Barcelona. While she would’ve been a cool addition to the NWSL, I’m not complaining about the Pride not having to face her on the field.
• Emily Sonnett signed a two-year contract extension with Gotham FC that will keep her at the club through the 2028 season.
• Czech forward Patrick Schick announced his retirement from international soccer following his team’s exit from the World Cup.
• Manchester City has reportedly signed English midfielder Elliot Anderson for a club record fee.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? We’ve reached the part of the World Cup when multiple matches are on at the same time, allowing us to revel in being overwhelmed by soccer. It’s been a fun tournament so far, and I’m hoping we get some dramatic finishes as teams try to make the knockout stage. While we wait for today’s action, let’s get to the links!

Antoine Griezmann Arrives in Orlando

After officially signing with Orlando City in March, French star Antoine Griezmann has landed in the City Beautiful. He’s one of the biggest signings in the club’s history and brings plenty of talent and grit to Orlando City ahead of the rest of the season. In a fantastic video shared by the club to introduce him, Griezmann detailed his remarkable soccer journey up to this point in his career. I highly recommend watching it and am incredibly excited for what’s in store for him as a Lion.

Speaking of videos about Griezmann, Atletico Madrid said goodbye and wished the club legend well with a slightly different kind of short film. Atleti should give a raise to whoever made this sendoff for Griezmann that’s equal parts funny and heartfelt.

Caleb Trombino Named to MLS NEXT All-Star Roster

Midfielder Caleb Trombino was the lone player from Orlando City’s academy to be named to the Eastern Conference’s roster for the 2026 MLS NEXT All-Star Game. The 16-year-old scored six goals during last MLS NEXT season and has also made nine appearances for Orlando City B this season. Trombino will be the latest Lion to feature in the event, with Gustavo Caraballo and Dylan Judelson competing in it last year. The game is set to take place on July 27 in North Carolina and will be streamed on the MLS website and YouTube channel.

USMNT Takes On Turkiye Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will look to make it three straight wins in the group stage when it plays Turkiye tonight in Los Angeles. The Yanks have already won the group after wins against Paraguay and Australia, and a few players have yellow card accumulation concerns, so it will be interesting to see what lineup Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino chooses for this match. Turkiye has already been eliminated and is still searching for its first goal of the tournament. While there’s technically not much to play for in this game, Christian Pulisic spoke on the value of maintaining momentum before the next round.

“When you win your last game, you go into the next one with a little bit extra, a good feeling,” Pulisic said. “That winning mentality feeling sticks with you. You want it for sure going into the knockout rounds.

“We’ll definitely feel better with a win. That’s why we’re going to push for it. It’s an amazing opportunity. Like you said, we don’t necessarily need a win, but it’s a World Cup game, and we all want to give our best and do well.”

Maxime Crepeau and Canada Advance in World Cup

Canada needed a draw or better against Switzerland to win its group at this year’s World Cup, but came up short in a 2-1 defeat. Despite the loss, Canada secured a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in program history. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had a pair of saves in the match, including a nice one at close range to deny Breel Embolo early in the game. Finishing second in the group means Canada will play the remainder of its games in the U.S. instead of Canada.

As for the other Group B matchup, Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Qatar 3-1 to claim third and is in a good position to advance. In Group C, Vinicius Junior had a brace in Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Scotland to win the group while Morocco won 4-2 against Haiti after a back-and-forth first half. Haiti may have been eliminated, but it made history by scoring and Wilson Isidor scored one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

In the late matches, Mexico made it three wins out of three by defeating Chechia 3-0, while South Africa scored in the second half to edge Korea Republic 1-0. Mexico and South Africa are through to the knockouts, while South Korea will need to sweat out the third-place results.

NWSL Updates Its Competition Rules

The NWSL announced changes to its competition rules and regulations that will take effect starting with this weekend’s NWSL Challenge Cup. One of the more notable changes is the adoption of the rule that may require a player to come off the field for a minute if medical personnel are needed to treat them. Players must also now leave the field within 10 seconds when substituted off, or else the player coming on will need to wait to come on. Changes to the duration of hydration breaks were also made, along with updates to the fan code of conduct that extends it into digital spaces.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda’s frontrunning pace for the NWSL Golden Boot is one of many notable storylines so far this NWSL season.
• The LA Galaxy have reportedly rejected an $8 million bid from Cruzeiro in Brazil for attacker Gabriel Pec. It’s a pretty low offer considering the 25-year-old has recorded 43 goals and 28 assists in 101 appearances since joining the Galaxy.

• Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was suspended for five games for the serious foul play that resulted in Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone’s broken leg.
• Ronaldinho retired from professional soccer over a decade ago but has now signed with Revanna in Italy’s Serie C at age 46.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!