Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami, Leagues Cup: Final Score 3-1 as Controversial Calls Help Herons Come from Behind

At the risk of being unprofessional…man, that was some bullshit.

Published

10 months ago

on

Image of Robin Jansson playing against Inter Miami.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

An obvious penalty at one end not given and one given at the other end helped turn a 1-0 Orlando City lead into a 3-1 Inter Miami win at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale in the 2025 Leagues Cup semifinals. A second yellow to David Brekalo on the late penalty that was given Miami’s way put Orlando down to 10 men and allowed Lionel Messi to tie the match from the penalty spot late.

The extra man then helped the Herons find a go-ahead goal and an insurance marker in a game that will long be remembered more for the officiating than the performances of the Lions or Herons.

An obvious foul on Sergio Busquets in the box on Ivan Angulo on a 2-v-2 counter was ignored by referee Walter Lopez and incorrectly not overturned by video assistant referee Armando Villarreal in the 56th minute. Messi scored the winner and Telasco Segovia added a third in stoppage time in a bitter loss in the Tropic Thunder rivalry.

After an earlier botched breakaway by Angulo, Marco Pasalic scored Orlando’s lone goal late in the first half, and that looked for the longest time like it might hold up.

“I think that we weren’t able to defend as much in the second half as we should have,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We should have had a bit more control in our sequences, in our positions, to perhaps hold longer possession. And then, of course, it became tougher (after going down a man and conceding a penalty).”

Pareja started his usual first-choice starting lineup for this season, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

The opening moments were tentative and probing from both teams, with neither side willing to get stretched. It wasn’t until the fifth minute that either side got into the opposing team’s final third. Freeman sent in a good cross for Angulo, but it was just a bit too tall for the diminutive Colombian winger. Two minutes later, Ojeda’s cross in was partially blocked and spun out just inches too far in front of Muriel’s sliding effort.

Miami’s first good look came off of a bad giveaway by Angulo in his own defensive third. The Herons cycled the ball from the left side to Rodrigo De Paul on the right. The midfielder fired a blast just wide of the left post in the eighth minute.

The game opened up for a spell and Orlando fashioned a good opportunity in the ninth minute. Ojeda made a wonderful backheel flick to himself to maintain possession and beat his defender down the left. He fired from a tight angle but Oscar Ustari made a good save, helped by the shot coming in at the perfect height for him to get his hand to. A minute later, Muriel took a pass in the box but perhaps took one touch too many before shooting, getting it blocked behind for a corner.

Brekalo was booked in the 18th minute when his flailing arm appeared to catch De Paul high on the chest, but the Miami midfielder crumpled to the ground holding his face, and the defender was cautioned on a play that had serious ramifications later in the match. The Herons went down easily throughout the match, looking for calls, and although they didn’t often get them, that one ended up making a difference. Brekalo, however, should not have been so loose with the arm.

De Paul fired a dangerously swerving shot in the 22nd minute from range, but Gallese did well to stop it and keep the game scoreless.

Just one minute later, the Lions should have taken the lead. A fantastic ball from Ojeda sent Angulo blazing in behind the last defender. The winger had so much time in behind that he was able to set himself up for the shot. He beat Ustari, but sent his shot skipping just wide of the right post, wasting a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute.

Miami came closest in the 31st minute. Luis Suarez took the ball on the right side, cut in on his left to lose Brekalo, and smashed a curling shot that fizzed just wide of the left post.

Angulo had a better effort on goal in the 33rd minute, firing a shot on the left side that forced a diving save from Ustari. Four minutes later, Pasalic tried an ambitious volley off a cross-field pass by Ojeda, but the Croatian got well under his shot and sent it high into the seats.

Miami won a corner moments later but the Lions cleared and went on the break. Angulo was taken down cleanly in transition, but Ian Fray reached out and grabbed him to prevent him from quickly getting back on the ball. There was no yellow card for Fray or even a foul given.

Pasalic got a shot on target from outside the box in the 42nd minute, but he sent it straight into Ustari’s chest for an easy save.

Miami got a chance on the recycle of a corner kick a minute later, with a ball sent back into the box. Maxi Falcon got to the ball and took it from Messi, firing a weak shot at Gallese.

Pasalic broke the deadlock just seconds into stoppage time. Falcon tried to clear a ball into the box but it hit Pasalic in the chest and stayed at the Croatian’s feet, so he smashed it under the bar to make it 1-0. There was a check to see if it hit his arm, but it came off his chest and shoulder area, and the goal stood. It was Pasalic’s 14th goal across all competitions this season and gave him a goal in each of his three matches against Inter Miami in 2025.

Pasalic had one final impatient shot from long range deep in stoppage time on a promising counterattack, but he sent it well off target on the last look at goal of the opening period.

At the break, the Lions held the advantage in possession (51.8%-48.3%), shots (8-5), shots on target (4-2), and passing accuracy (90.9%-88.6%). Both teams won three corners in the first half.

“I think we had a pretty good first half. We were able to control very well, and we came here to provide a proposal which actually compelled us to go look for goals,” Pareja said.

The second half offered few surprises, with Miami pushing numbers forward and Orlando looking to exploit those spaces left in the back. The Lions’ lack of precision and composure prevented numerous opportunities to get forward and test that back line in transition, but the chances were there to be taken. Orlando simply didn’t take them, and then seemingly did enough on a 2-v-2 to win a penalty, only for the ref to swallow the whistle and the video assistant referee to ignore video evidence of the contact on a play that Angulo could have regathered the ball in a shooting position.

Schlegel gave up a free kick in a dangerous spot near the left corner of the box four minutes into the second half, but the wall did its job, and Muriel blocked Messi’s free kick. Moments later, Schlegel did well to partially block a Suarez shot that popped up into the air for Gallese to catch. Suarez took a dive in the box moments later but was not booked for embellishment. That was an important decision, because Suarez was booked later for a high boot with 10 minutes remaining in normal time — eight minutes before Miami’s second goal.

Jansson made a vital clearance in the 55th minute on a good headed ball toward the back post that might have found a player in pink without the captain’s intercession.

Moments later, the Lions should have had a chance to double the lead from the spot. Orlando broke in transition with Angulo and Muriel on two Miami defenders. Angulo dribbled into the corner of the box and touched the ball quickly to his right. Busquets cut off his progress — a play extremely similar to the one at the start of the half that got Schlegel booked and another play that saw Araujo cautioned in the 69th minute — keeping the winger from regathering the ball and shooting or finding an outlet. Instead of a foul, Lopez waved play on, and the video check from Villarreal was apparently quick, because there was no real stoppage at all for it.

“I don’t want to come here and cry about all the things that happened. That’s the least of my wishes here, because the team of players that I coach does not deserve that,” Pareja said. “Ivan’s penalty was very clear.”

Miami had a golden chance to tie the game just moments after the no-call. Jordi Alba sent in a great cross for a charging Suarez, who somehow missed making contact with the ball in the air, allowing it to get through and skip out of play.

Araujo stepped in front of Messi to cut off his run in the 69th minute and was booked, handing Miami a dangerous free kick. Messi left his set piece shot high, sending it over the bar in the 71st minute.

Two minutes later, Freeman made a nice play to take the ball, going on a run up the right sideline. He was pulled down in transition but there was no card shown to Yannick Bright for the tactical foul.

Miami came the other way and sent a good ball into the box. Brekalo got beat on the far side by Tadeo Allende. Both players had a hold of the other’s shirts, and Allende lifted his feet off the ground. If pulled back, the feet would go forward. They stayed behind. But Lopez bought it and awarded the penalty, sending Brekalo off with a second yellow in the process. Based on what had happened earlier with Angulo and Busquets, it was a bitter decision for the Lions. Messi beat Gallese on the spot kick, despite the Peruvian guessing correctly, and the match was tied in the 77th minute with the Herons up a man.

“The yellow card to Brekalo was unbelievable,” Pareja said.

Orlando was still in position to get a draw in the game and go to penalties, and the Lions nearly got there.

However, Miami still had a numbers advantage and was going for the win. Allende sent a header over the bar in the 84th minute. Three minutes later, Alba got outside of Freeman and sent a shot off the outside of the left post.

Orlando was done in seconds later. Freeman got under a chipped pass into the box, but instead of nodding it back for Gallese or playing it safely out for a corner, the young fullback tried to clear the soft floater out of the area. Without any speed on the ball, he could get no power on it, turning it over just outside the area. Inter Miami regathered, broke forward quickly and Messi worked a give-and-go with Alba, getting in behind on the left, and beating Gallese to the open right side of the goal. The Herons led 2-1 with just about 61 seconds remaining in normal time, effectively ending the game.

“I cannot say that such an extraordinary player as Messi was not doing things well, of course, not,” Pareja said. “But we also need to mention other things which happened. And I’m not here to mention all of these things, of course, because I think that we also must be brave enough and admit that perhaps we didn’t do things as well as we could. But you will be able to be the judges.”

With nothing to lose, Pareja sent on attackers Tyrese Spicer and Duncan McGuire — making his first appearance since shoulder surgery three months ago. However, they’d only been on the pitch for a few seconds when Miami regained possession and broke with numbers, resulting in an insurance goal for Segovia in the first added minute.

Though the game was all but over, Ojeda did have an opportunity with a free kick from about 25 yards away in the fourth extra minute. He sent his set piece delivery straight into the wall, perhaps trying to thread the shot through a hole between two players that never materialized. The rebound came back to him, and although he got his shot through the second time, it bounced wide of the right post.

The whistle blew moments later to end one of the most maddening second halves in Orlando City history.

In the end, the hosts finished with the advantage in possession (55.3%-44.7%), shots (14-11), shots on target (6-4), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (89.3%-86.6%). They also led in game-changing decisions by those charged with applying the rules of the game accurately and consistently.

Although the Lions could have put themselves in a more secure position through Angulo’s first-half breakaway, Orlando’s tactics and performance were good enough on the night to get a result had every meaningful call down the stretch not gone the other way. Brekalo’s foul in the box was understandable. The one Busquets committed was an egregious officiating error by both the man on the field and the one in the booth.

After the match, Pareja did a masterful job of tap dancing around the controversial decisions to avoid a fine and to show respect to his opponents. His feelings, however, were plain to see in the postgame press conference.

“I want to just (leave) it to you guys (the media) to judge and evaluate that performance, those actions that were very precise that changed the game. And you guys know which actions,” he said. “The thing is, I cannot say what I have to say here, actually I cannot. I cannot say that, because there’s a lot of respect due to the match, to the game, and the actions that were assigned actually changed the direction of the game.”

The Lions will travel west for their final match of the competition on Sunday, playing the loser of tonight’s late matchup between the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders for third place and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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.

Published

5 hours ago

on

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!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

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.

Published

9 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

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.

Free Kicks

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: 6/11/26

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

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

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.

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