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Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Crash Out in Fourth Place

Orlando City’s effort was there, but the bodies showed every bit of the travel and playing fatigue that built up throughout August in a meek loss in LA.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was down two starting defenders for its Leagues Cup third-place match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, and the Lions played like it. The LA Galaxy ripped open Orlando’s makeshift back line early to score on their only shot attempt of the first half, then took advantage of substandard defending just seven minutes after Martin Ojeda’s equalizer as the Lions crashed out of the final four in Leagues Cup with a fourth-place finish, ending up without a coveted spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup and adding thousands of miles and hundreds of minutes to a team that has precious little depth behind the starting lineup.

Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil scored two of the easiest goals of their careers in a game the Lions spent all but 16 minutes chasing. Orlando rang the post on either side of the goal, but the Lions once again lacked sharpness as they did Wednesday at Inter Miami in a loss that was frustratingly unwatchable at times.

“Difficult challenges on following this schedule, and today, probably in the first half, we felt that low energy in the start of the game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But the boys found their way to bounce back and then get that energy back and their willingness. And I thought we were that team that we used to to be, and we tied the game, and we have a couple actions that we could have scored. What happened is that we get wide open as well in the transition and Galaxy as well had a few chances. So the game was open for both.”

Pareja had to change his starting back line because of the suspensions to Robin Jansson and David Brekalo. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top. Ramiro Enrique, linked to a move overseas in recent days, was a notable absentee from the squad.

Reus scored on the first shot attempt of the game on a play that started in LA’s defensive end. Araujo gambled on the press and was late, and the Galaxy moved the ball quickly to the right channel, where Smith was easily beaten by Gabriel Pec, who squared it for Reus. Atuesta was late tracking back and Schlegel was watching the far side, so Reus had tons of space to touch it home and make it 1-0 in the ninth minute.

Muriel tried to answer moments later, firing from long distance in the 12th minute but hardly bothering LA goalkeeper Novak Micovic. A minute later, the Colombian did beat Micovic, but he was offside and the flag came up immediately after the ball hit the back of the net.

The next dozen minutes were a boring mixture of the Galaxy working the ball around until Orlando won it back and then immediately turned it right back over. Both Angulo and Pasalic were loose with the ball during that spell.

Marin’s sliding emergency deflection prevented Pec from making it 2-0 in the 25th minute off a centering pass from Paintsil, who beat Freeman down the flank.

Freeman then got involved in the offensive end in the 27th minute, making a great run past Diego Fagundez and getting into the box before finding Muriel in front. The Colombian hesitated and then sent a weak, flat-footed shot off the shin of recovering defender John Nelson, wasting the opportunity.

Marin fired off the rebound of his own blocked cross attempt in the 32nd minute. His attempt from the left corner of the box squarely came off the right post and Angulo couldn’t react quickly enough to it to get his rebounded header attempt on frame.

Muriel stole the ball again in the 33rd minute, but then sent a long-range shot at Micovic that the goalkeeper saved on the first hop. A minute later, Angulo stole the ball and tried to send Ojeda down the left channel, but Emiro Garces intervened and knocked it out for a corner. The Lions’ set piece was easily cleared and Atuesta picked up a yellow card trying to slow down Pec on the break.

Ojeda took a pass from Pasalic in the 43rd minute, spun, and tried a shot, but he left his effort well wide of the right post on the last look at goal of the first half.

At the break, the Galaxy had a huge advantage in possession (67.6%-32.4%) and passed more accurately (89.2%-81.3%). Orlando held the edge in shots (5-1), shots on target (2-1), and corners (1-0), but the hosts made their only shot attempt pay off and that was the difference at halftime.

The Lions nearly gave up a breakaway to Paintsil in the first minute of the second half. Gallese came out to force him wide and the Galaxy forward lost the ball over the end line.

Orlando won an early corner, but LA cleared the initial service and Angulo’s volley attempt came closer to hitting the corner flag than the goal frame.

Atuesta found himself in space off a giveaway moments later but the midfielder blasted his shot off the inside of the left post and the rebound deflected straight into into Micovic’s arms.

Pec was left in far too much space outside the box in the 52nd minute, so he had a hit but sent his shot wide of the right post. Two minutes later, Paintsil had a go from a similar spot and the ball took a deflection for a corner. Orlando cleared to end the threat.

Pasalic popped up on the left side in the 56th minute and looked to get onto a through ball from Angulo, but the Colombian put too much on it and the chance never materialized.

Orlando tied the match in the 60th minute on a good spell in the final third. Angulo found himself with time and space on the left. He sent a cross into the box to Muriel, who knocked it down for Ojeda. The Argentine turned and smashed it past Micovic to make it 1-1.

With the goal involvement, Ojeda tied Facundo Torres for the club’s career lead in all competitions (72).

The match didn’t stay level long. Pec took the ball across the top of the area and four different Lions failed to dispossess him. Orlando got it back, lost it, and then got it back again, but Araujo gave it away just in front of his box to Paintsil, who just smashed it past Gallese to restore LA’s lead in the 67th minute.

Freeman had a couple of opportunities to have a go at goal but turned them down shortly after the Paintsil goal. He managed to set up a shot for Pasalic on the second of those but the first was blocked and the second was badly off target. The Lions won a couple of corners but did nothing with them except ignite the Galaxy counter.

One of those led to an incredible save in the 82nd minute. Paintsil’s chipped shot came off the crossbar and the rebound fell for Miki Yamane, who blasted a shot on target. Gallese dove out of his net and punched it away at the last second to keep it a one-goal game.

Substitute Tyrese Spicer tried to get involved, but tended to make things worse by trying to dribble too many defenders or floating crosses in straight to the goalkeeper. However, he did make one brilliant play that gave Orlando its best chance to equalize for a second time. Spicer found a lane in the 88th minute to put in a pass to Ojeda. The ball was midway between headeand foot level, so the Argentine made a diving header attempt, catching it squarely but sending it inches wide of the right post.

Both Ojeda and defender Julian Aude stayed down for several minutes as the fourth official showed six minutes of injury time. The best save in that added time was Gallese parrying away a wide-open look from Miguel Berry from the top of the box off a short corner play.

The Lions had one more chance on a corner kick that Ojeda won in the fifth minute of stoppage time. His cross found Freeman for a rare free header, but the young fullback muffed his opportunity, sending a weak effort straight to Micovic. After the Lions regained possession and looked to come forward, referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere blew the whistle to end the match after adding only 45 seconds on top of the original six minutes, despite the lengthy delay for treatment to Aude and Ojeda. That level of officiating was very much on brand for the final four of this tournament.

At the final whistle, Orlando held the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on target (5-4), and corners (7-5). LA held more possession (56.8%-43.2%) and passed more accurately (86.8%-85.5%). The difference in the match was that Orlando paid for its mistakes but did not punish the Galaxy for theirs, particularly the giveaway to Muriel and leaving Atuesta with so much room just outside the box.

The Lions have now gone four matches without a win in all competitions, losing the last three of those. It is no coincidence that Orlando has scored just three total goals in those matches.

“Like we do when we win, there is no other way, just try to rest first, and just let the boys recover their energy and settle in a place that they can feel again our best version,” Pareja said about how the club will move forward. “It has been very proud to take this team to this competition. We’re going to move on and try to prepare (for) the next challenge and finalize for six games and winning the league.”

With Leagues Cup out of the way, the Lions will get back to MLS play, but they’ve got a week off for the international break before visiting D.C. United on Saturday, Sept. 13. It remains to be seen if the extra matches and the falling off of form during the last few will ultimately take their toll on a team that was in good form heading into the knockout rounds.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

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8 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

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1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

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1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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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