Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 3-2 as Duncan McGuire Wins it Late for Lions

Orlando City threw away a 2-0 lead after Martin Ojeda’s brace, but Duncan McGuire’s goal at the death lifted the Lions to a huge win in the playoff chase.

Published

11 months ago

on

Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating his first goal in Orlando's 3-2 home win vs. Nashville.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City built a two-goal lead in the first half, conceded two to Nashville SC, then scored late to earn a crucial 3-2 win in the Eastern Conference playoff race tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. An announced crowd of 20,516 watched Martin Ojeda score two excellent first-half goals to put Orlando (14-7-9, 51 points) ahead, only to see Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg score for Nashville (15-11-5, 50 points) to level the match.

Duncan McGuire called game in the fifth minute of stoppage time for the Cardiac Cats on a great run and entry ball from fellow substitute Tyrese Spicer to secure the win.

The Lions could have clinched a playoff spot had the New York Red Bulls not beaten CF Montreal, so a postseason spot will have to wait, but it was an encouraging performance to end a five-game winless skid in all competitions.

“Those last 10 minutes I felt that push that our crowd had over the players,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Very competitive game since the first minute. I thought we started sensing the playoffs for all of us and we’ll keep pushing. There’s a bunch of things that happened during the game that we want to happen again, and I saw the boys felt it.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. With Cesar Araujo (lower back) and Joran Gerbet (concussion protocol) out, Kyle Smith started in central midfield with Edward Atuesta inside wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

The match started out with the teams cautiously probing the other’s defense, with neither side able to fashion anything for a while. The first offensive chance of the match came nine minutes in when Angulo won the game’s first corner kick on a deflected cross. Nashville cleared Ojeda’s entry ball but only out to Pasalic near the top of the area. The Croatian fired a good shot on target, but Joe Willis tipped it over the bar. On the second corner, the ball was cleared again, with Atuesta trying a shot from outside the area that the defense blocked.

Muriel set up the game’s first goal when he was fouled from behind outside the area by Edvard Tagseth, who was booked for the tactical foul. Ojeda and Muriel stood over the free kick with the Argentine taking it on a short run, blasting a left-footed rocket off the right post and in to make it 1-0 in the 30th minute.

“You always dream of having that chance and seeing it go in, and to have that opportunity was fantastic,” Ojeda said. “The conversation with Luis (before the free kick) was great. I mean, at first he wanted to take it, truth be told, but Lucho is a great person, and it was a great conversation between us. And once we came to the decision that I would take it, he gave me a lot of confidence. And then, you know, once I saw it go in, even more so. But it was a great conversation, and great to see a free kick like that go in.”

It took only two minutes for Ojeda to double the lead. Smith started the play by dispossessing Patrick Yazbek in the attacking half, knocking the ball to Muriel. The Colombian gave it back to Smith, who sent Ojeda down the left channel. Ojeda sent a pinpoint accurate shot inside the right post to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute.

Ojeda praised Smith’s work that helped set up the second goal after the match.

“A great pass by Kyle, who’s a machine that helps us with everything,” Ojeda said. “And in that moment, he was able to assist my goal, and because of that, I was able to celebrate.”

“(Smith) is always there and such a smart and intelligent and committed player that we always use in any position,” Pareja said. “Today he played another great game.”

Ojeda moved past Facundo Torres as the club’s all-time leader in goal contributions (goals plus assists) on the free kick goal, and added to his lead with the second goal. His second goal pushed him to 30 goal contributions (16 goals, 14 assists) on the season, and he pulled within one goal of Cyle Larin’s single-season record.

Muriel nearly tripled the lead in the 41st minute. Another quick turnover in Nashville’s third led to the Colombian firing, but Willis got a fingertip to it, sending it inches wide of the left post. A minute later, Schlegel headed wide on the ensuing corner.

Nashville started turning things around late in the half. It started with Mukhtar getting loose in front on a good ball in, but Gallese did well to parry away a point-blank header with a big save in the 45th minute.

The Lions didn’t heed the warning bells, and conceded in the first of two minutes added to the end of the half. Mukhtar fired from outside the area, beating a diving Gallese but hitting the post. The Nashville star then beat everyone to the loose ball and the goalkeeper had no chance of recovering in time to do anything about it as Mukhtar scored.

“It was hard to swallow that first goal,” Pareja said. “Because we had the game so controlled and also we had a very clear play to put the game 3-0. And then we came walking off the field 2-1, again with that stress, tight. Those moments we need to be better. We need to be solid.”

Those three late Mukhtar shots were the only Nashville attempts of the entire half. That was also the last chance of the half as the Lions took their slim advantage into the break.

Orlando City held the halftime advantage in shots (7-3), shots on target (4-2), while corners (3-0). Nashville led in possession (57.3%-42.7%) and passing accuracy (91%-87.2%). The game plan for the first half was perfect, but the slip-up at the end spoiled an otherwise brilliant opening 45 minutes.

Pareja said the objective tonight, which worked well through the first 44 minutes, was to stay organized defensively, not worry about possession, and look for chances to take the ball and get players into spaces in behind, which is more typical of a road game strategy.

“We knew for the system and the structure that Nashville has, they like to have the ball, and especially in that first third of the field. So, sometimes they put six, seven players in that zone. They want us to go look for them or go and chase them. We wanted to be solid and it worked well. We wanted to fight for possession but it was not our priority, knowing that we have fast players that can take advantage of those spaces.”

Shaffelburg came on at halftime, replacing Yazbek, giving the visitors even more firepower, and it paid off nearly immediately, as Nashville won an early corner. Ojeda was able to clear, but it didn’t take much longer for the visitors to tie the match.

Nashville came forward on the left and the cross got through the area to Shaffelburg, who got goalside of his mad and tapped it in to make it 2-2 in the 51st minute.

Nashville should have made it 3-2 three minutes later. Atuesta made a poor pass in the attacking half to give up possession and Nashville countered. A good cross in from the right found Surridge at the back post, but the goal-scoring leader headed wide back across the front of goal.

Ojeda had a good opportunity to complete his hat trick in the 55th minute when Angulo got to the end line and his cross into the box deflected to the Argentine out in front. The shot for the back post was spinning and curved outside the upright, going wide.

Mukhtar got down the right channel and blasted a shot on goal from a tight angle in the 60th minute but Gallese fought it off, sending it out for a corner. The Lions cleared the ensuing set piece and sent Angulo on the break. The Colombian was all alone on goal, but his chip shot attempt hit Willis in the face, wasting the opportunity in the 61st minute.

A minute later, Muriel was set up outside the box but sent his shot high into the stands on his last involvement, as McGuire checked in for him during the stoppage in play. The substitution nearly paid dividends immediately, with Ojeda sending him in behind but the big striker couldn’t bring in the pass. Three minutes later, McGuire tried to send Ojeda in behind, but Jeisson Palacios did well to track back and knock it out for a corner.

The Lions sent several crosses around the area on the recycle of the ensuing set piece. The ball ended up with McGuire in front but he hit it wide of the right post in the 69th minute. Three minutes later, Pasalic teed up a shot outside the area with his right foot, but it deflected just wide off McGuire.

The game seemed headed for a draw as neither side was able to create much after a series of substitutions by both teams. From the 72nd minute to the game-winning goal, neither team created much, other than a Freeman shot that was blocked near the top of the area in the third minute of stoppage time.

In the 95th minute, Spicer blazed down the left flank to beat the Nashville defense. The second-half sub then sent in a good ball to the near post, where McGuire deflected it past Willis and in to make it 3-2.

“Funnily enough, like 20 seconds before the goal, there was a stop in play and Spicer told me to go to the first post, so, it’s good communication from him,” McGuire said. “He’s a quality player and when he gets the ball on the wing, I have a pretty good feeling he’s going to beat the guy, so I took a gamble, and he played a great ball.”

The game wasn’t quite over, despite the game reaching the sixth minute of stoppage time. Nashville quickly rushed forward and won a corner kick. Willis came up to give Nashville an additional attacker, and the cross found the big goalkeeper in front of the net. Willis headed the ball on target but right at Gallese who made the save and held on. After a brief scuffle in the area stopped play, the game restarted and ultimately came to an end.

Nashville finished with the advantage in possession (57.7%-42.3%) and passing accuracy (91.5%-87.5%). Orlando City fired more shots (14-8) and won more corners (4-3). Each team put six shots on target.

“Obviously it was a tough game. We went up early, but Nashville’s a very good team and battled back and didn’t make it easy for us,” McGuire said. “I feel like we had some struggles in the second half with the shaping with their buildout. They did a good job in holding possession against us, but in the end a good team win and I’m glad we got the job done.”

The Lions jumped from eighth to sixth in the Eastern Conference, holding a game in hand against most of the other playoff contenders, including Nashville, which slipped from fourth to seventh.

The Lions are on the road next weekend for a Sunday matchup at FC Cincinnati.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati.

Published

3 hours ago

on

August 16, 2026

By

Image of Luis Otavio playing the ball against FC Cincinnati.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hosted FC Cincinnati at Inter.co Stadium Saturday night in the new red third kits. This was supposed to be a high-scoring affair between two teams that like to score and also like to give up goals. Naturally, that meant it ended in a low-scoring 1-1 draw. Still, it’s hard to be too upset given Orlando City came from behind and managed to earn a point against a team higher in the standings. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

A Head Injury Goal

FC Cincinnati scored the first goal of the match, but it wasn’t without controversy. Cincinnati passed the ball to the top of the box for Evander. His shot went directly into the face of Joran Gerbet, who dropped like a sack of potatoes. That is the moment that Tori Penso should have blown the whistle to stop the play. You know, for a potential head injury. Instead, Penso allowed the play to continue as the ball rebounded off Gerbet’s head to Pavel Bucha who scored the goal. Fortunately, Gerbet was okay not that Penso was overly concerned in the moment. After the match, she stated the play was not stopped because of an immediate shot by a teammate after the deflection. It took about four seconds from hitting Gerbet in the head from point-blank range until the time Bucha shot, and perhaps four seconds is considered immediate.

Relentless Spicer

Tyrese Spicer continued his run of good form for Orlando City with a good run against the Cincinnati defense. As two defenders closed on him, Justin Ellis made a nifty flicked pass from a ball from Ivan Angulo to a streaking Spicer. The speedy winger held off Bucha shoulder to shoulder to win the ball. Bucha fell down and Spicer rounded the keeper before putting it under the crossbar for the equalizer. It was a hard-earned goal and just what Orlando City needed to get back into the match.

Justice for Brekalo

Kevin Denkey got around Maxime Crepeau and looked certain to score, but he hit the right post. The ball bounced out to Evander. David Brekalo battled to win the ball and Evander went down in the box. Penso immediately called a penalty, but the contact was very light. Then the video assistant referee suggested a call against Orlando City needed to be checked. Penso looked at the replay and rightly said no penalty. On top of that, Evander received a yellow for simulation. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

Crepeau Continues to Crush It

Crepeau has been playing well since returning from the World Cup. He continued his good form against one of the best attacking teams in MLS. Despite only being credited with three saves, he once again made several saves on shots from offside players that would not have counted, but were still impressive. Additionally, he got better as the match went on. He had good command of the his area, coming out to get the ball, closing down the angles, and being a big contributor to the point at home.

Good Enough

Orlando City’s defense was not great despite holding Cincinnati to one goal, but it was good enough. For a team that gave up nearly three goals per match prior to the World Cup break, allowing an average of one goal per match, including in this game, is much better. On a sadder note, Bernardo Rhein went off injured in the first half. The youngster had supplanted Adrian Marin on the depth chart and now might be out for a bit depending on how bad the injury is. To his credit, Marin played better than he usually does once he came on. Again, the defense wasn’t spectacular, but it did enough to earn a point.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s result with FC Cincinnati. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Battle Back on Spicer’s Goal

The Lions fell behind before halftime but had the final say in a hard-fought home draw vs. FC Cincinnati.

Published

15 hours ago

on

August 15, 2026

By

Image of Tyrese Spicer battling against FC Cincinnati.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half pulled Orlando City level in a 1-1 draw against normally high-scoring FC Cincinnati at Inter.co Stadium tonight. Pavel Bucha put Cincinnati (7-6-6, 27 points) in front with a goal in the first half, but Orlando City (6-10-3, 21 points) did well to fight back for a point at home.

It was surprisingly low scoring, considering the game featured two of the most porous MLS defenses and an open flow to it, but it’s a big improvement over the 6-2 loss the Lions suffered on the road at Cincinnati just before the World Cup break. While the point is good, Orlando is 0-1-2 in its last three matches in all competitions and will need to start finding the win column again to climb into the playoff places.

“It was a very tough team, tough game, as we expected against Cincinnati. It’s always like this,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “They have a really strong offense. Their team is one of the best teams in the league attacking. I think we created chances by moments. The game was very open. They had chances as well.”

Perelman’s starting XI featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer with Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann leading the attack.

Much of the first 15 minutes was spent between the two penalty areas. Orlando looked to build play patiently, while Cincinnati looked for opportunities to jump passing routes and counter. The first look of the game came three minutes in off a set piece from long range that fell to Kevin Denkey in the box. The Cincy forward fired but the shot was blocked and the visitors were offside on the recycle.

Orlando City’s first look at goal was a shot that Spicer mishit badly, firing well wide of the near post on the left. Ellis put the first shot of the game on target in the 10th minute, sending in a good effort from the top of the box, but Roman Celentano made a good save to tip it over. Cincinnati cleared the initial ball on the set piece but Rhein found Spicer in the box, but again the Trinidad & Tobago international fired wide in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Griezmann got into the box but his shot was blocked behind for another corner and the Lions could do nothing with the set piece.

Orlando was fortunate not to fall behind in the 20th minute as Evander got past Dorsey on the Lions’ defensive right side. The Cincy star man fizzed a low cross to the back post but it was just out of Tom Barlow’s reach. However, the visitors scored anyway a few minutes later.

A shot near the top of the area caught Gerbet flush in the face and he went down immediately. Despite it being an obvious head injury, referee Tori Penso allowed play to continue and Cincinnati regained possession outside the box, where Bucha slotted into the right side of the net to make it 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

“Regarding that play, since I am here in the United States, I learned that in the MLS, we take care about those situations with the players,” Perelman said. “This is why we were expecting that after that kick in his head, the game should be stopped, as it always was. But I haven’t reviewed the sequence. I don’t know if the ball effectively got in the face. I didn’t see the sequence again. Maybe I’m ignoring some rule or maybe it’s OK what the ref did. I don’t know.”

Penso’s response to the pool reporter’s question was that the ball fell to an attacking player who immediately shot and scored, and the player was checked immediately afterward.

Orlando City should have pulled the goal back in the 36th minute. Dorsey got down the right flank and pulled back a nice pass for Ellis around the penalty spot. The Homegrown forward sent a shot on target with his first touch but sent it straight at Celentano for the save. The Lions were offside after the initial shot and the attack broke down.

Rhein went down with a non-contact injury moments later and went directly to the locker room. Adrian Marin subbed on to replace the Homegrown left back.

FC Cincinnati was the more dangerous team down the stretch. Evander fired just inches wide of the right post from the left in the 43rd minute. Ellis then had an opportunity with a free header in the middle of the box in the first minute of added time but sent his effort straight at Celentano again. Ender Echineque then saw his shot blocked just wide by Marin deep in stoppage time, winning Cincinnati a corner, but the Lions cleared and the halftime whistle blew.

The Lions held the advantage at the break in possession (50.6%-49.4%), shots (7-5), shots on target (3-1), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.6%-86%), but a lack of clinical finishing allowed the guests to hold the lead at halftime.

Marco Pasalic came on for Gerbet to start the second half, pushing Angulo into central midfield for a while, with Spicer joining Ellis up top and Griezmann dropping to left wing.

Cincinnati won an early corner after the restart but it was Orlando City that scored off of it. The Lions dealt with the set piece and Angulo ended up with it on the left. He darted past a defender and sent a pass forward that Ellis touched on into the attacking half. Spicer raced for the loose ball with Bucha and won the physical battle, breaking in alone when the Cincy defender fell. The Trinidad & Tobago international rounded Celentano and smashed a shot high into the net to make it 1-1 in the 48th minute.

“I know I’m going to get technical here, but like the spin that (Angulo) put on the pass was perfect for how I wanted to play the ball, you know, so I could redirect it into the path of Tyrese, Ellis said. “It counts as an assist, but the goal was all him, you know. I think he deserves all the credit.”

“(Ellis is) a creative player. He wants to flick. He loves to flick. And you know, I just read that,” Spicer said. “I thought it was going to go more in the air rather than on the ground, but I just had to turn the jets on to get there. You know, once I was one on one with the keeper, you know, I had a good feeling. He’s a good keeper. I think he would have guessed where I was gonna shoot. So I was like, let me try to go around him, and it worked out.”

Orlando tried to take the lead moments after the goal with a series of passes at the top of the area that finally got sent to Griezmann on the right. The Frenchman volleyed a shot on target but it was right at Celentano.

Cincinnati thought it had won a penalty a minute later. Denkey got in behind down the right channel, waited out Crepeau, and sent a shot off the post. Brekalo and Evander both went for the loose ball and Evander went down. Penso pointed to the spot and eventually went to the monitor for a second look. After reviewing the play again, Penso announced that Evander had initiated the contact and she booked the Cincy star for simulation. Orlando City avoided the spot kick.

Echineque rang the post for Cincinnati in the 64th minute. Cutting in from right to left, he fired a shot from near the right corner of the box that hit the left post and stayed out. Following an unsuccessful corner at the other end, Cincinnati came back on the attack and put the ball in the neet in the 71st minute, but the flag came up immediately for an obvious offside.

Former Lion Kyle Smith blocked Spicer’s shot behind for a corner in the 73rd minute. Griezmann’s service found Marin on the far side all alone in space. The Spaniard tried to head it back into the mix of players in front but it floated lazily for an eacy catch by Celentano.

Second-half sub Marco Pasalic fired wide in the 80th minute, as both teams continued looking for a go-ahead goal.

Crepeau may have made his biggest save in the match in the 87th minute, going down to deny Kenji Mboma Dem, who got inside down the right in the 87th minute.

Orlando got a couple of looks down the stretch. Pasalic saw his shot deflect over the bar for a corner early in stoppage time. Substitute Wilder Cartagena blazed a rocket shot just over the crossbar in the fourth added minute.

After the Lions defended a late Cincinnati corner, the final whistle blew, splitting the points between the sides.

At the final whistle, Orlando City held the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on target (5-3), and corners (10-5). FC Cincinnati finished with more possession (53.1%-46.9%) and passed more accurately (90.8%-87.8%).

“We knew which spaces we believe we can hurt (them), and that was the adjustment (at halftime) — try to to hurt them in those spaces and try to to neutralize as much as we can those talented players they have up front, and we we were able to tie.”

“I think it was a different looking game because we’re a different looking team in terms of how we’re playing,” Ellis said, comparing the 6-2 loss at Cincinnati to tonight’s 1-1 draw. “I think we’re a much more steady team, even though I feel today we didn’t have the control that we wanted. It was very transitional. I think we also just limited Evander. He’s, I don’t want to say he’s their whole attack, because they have amazing players, but a lot of the attack runs through him. And I want to give a special mention to Luis Otavio. I thought he was the best player on the field today.”

It’s another short turnaround for the Lions, who host the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

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

The Lions go hunting for revenge for the 6-2 beatdown they suffered in southwest Ohio back in late May.

Published

1 day ago

on

August 15, 2026

By

Image of Griffin Dorsey dribbling up the side past two FC Cincinnati defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (6-10-2, 20 points) and FC Cincinnati (7-6-5, 26 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the last of the two scheduled matches between the teams this season.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The all-time series is tied at 5-5-4 in the MLS regular season, but Orlando City has been worse against FC Cincinnati in home matches, going just 2-3-1 in the City Beautiful against tonight’s opponents. The Lions are 0-2-1 in the last three meetings between the sides.

The teams last met on May 23 in Cincinnati in the final match before the World Cup break. How shall I put this…oh yes…the Lions had their asses handed to them by FC Cincinnati to the tune of a 6-2 brutalization that had folks calling law enforcement to report a murder. Evander scored twice and assisted on three other goals to lead the rout for FC Cincinnati, despite Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda scoring the first goal and later tying the game at 2-2 early in the second half. It was all FC Cincinnati after Ojeda’s second goal. Kenji Mboma Dem added a brace for the hosts and Kevin Denkey and Tom Barlow also scored. Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game that “the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story,” and he was right, because it could have been worse.

A year ago, the teams played on Sept. 28, 2025, in Ohio, with Alex Freeman’s goal late in stoppage time salvaging a 1-1 draw for Orlando City, canceling out Denkey’s second-half strike. Prior to that, the teams also met last year on June 28 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, with FC Cincinnati winning 2-1. An Evander brace, which included a poorly conceded set piece goal from distance, was enough to offset Marco Pasalic’s goal.

These two teams met at TQL Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024, with the Lions leaving southwest Ohio with a 3-1 victory in their final road match of the regular season. Ramiro Enrique scored twice and had a third chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick. He also assisted on a goal by Ivan Angulo in an impressive performance. Luciano Acosta scored Cincinnati’s goal.

These two sides also met on May 4 of that year in Orlando with FC Cincinnati claiming a 1-0 road win on a first-minute goal by Acosta. The Lions went down a man early in the game when Rodrigo Schlegel was called for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity on Yuya Kubo. Orlando City had a second-half goal waved off for an offside in the buildup. Cincinnati lost Bret Halsey to a second yellow card late but the Lions couldn’t take advantage.

The teams met in Ohio on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in Orlando.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s early goal. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first-ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a pair of blown halftime leads in Leagues Cup, but with rotation throughout that competition, lots of players played and at least now they can concentrate on MLS and next month’s resumption of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando drew Atletico de San Luis 2-2 after blowing a two-goal lead from the 79th minute on, claiming the meaningless extra point in penalties (5-3) as both teams were eliminated from the knockout rounds. Daryl Dike and Justin Ellis scored Orlando’s goals. The Lions are 4-3-1 at home in MLS play this season but 3-0-1 in their last four league matches on their own patch. Orlando brings a league-worst 47 goals conceded into tonight and a conference-worst goal differential of -17.

FC Cincinnati is coming off a surprising 2-1 home loss to Atlas on Tuesday, which means it will be the better rested team for both matches against Orlando this season. The loss knocked Cincinnati out of the running for the knockout rounds and was the first time Cincinnati failed to score at least two goals in a match since July 25 on the road against rival Columbus — also in a 2-1 loss. What is surprising about that is FC Cincinnati is a scoring juggernaut, co-leading MLS in goals scored with 45 — tied with Inter Miami. Cincy’s Achilles heel this season has been road play, in which the club is 1-4-4 in MLS play. The only reason Cincinnati is as low as sixth in the Eastern Conference table at the moment is because it also ships a lot of goals — 44 so far this season, which is third worst in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando City’s back line and defensive midfield will be stressed for 90 minutes plus stoppage time tonight, as players like Evander, Denkey, Mboma Dem, Barlow, Pavel Bucha, and others will slice through the gaps between defenders and look to get onto excellent through balls. Transition attacks must be avoided, as Cincinnati can turn a takeaway into a goal in seconds. The Lions must control the ball, avoid turning it over in dangerous areas, and stay switched on for potential runners, otherwise the final score might look a lot like it did on May 23. Evander already has 22 goal contributions (11 goals, 11 assists), leading the league in the latter category while being just two goals off the Golden Boot lead. Denkey has also bagged 11 goals to go along with four assists.

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Braian Ojeda (foot), and
Martín Ojeda (thigh). Cincinnati will be without Gerardo Valenzuela (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, Luis Otavio, Joran Gerbet, Tyrese Spicer.

Forward: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Issah Haruna, Wilder Cartagena, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Daryl Dike.

FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Bryan Ramirez, Obinna Nwobodo, Evander, Pavel Bucha, Ender Echenique.

Forwards: Kevin Denkey, Tom Barlow.

Bench: Evan Louro, Kyle Smith, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe, Brian Anunga, Kristian Fletcher, Kenji Mboma Dem, Ayoub Jabbari.

Referees

REF: Tori Penso.
AR1: Brooke Mayo.
AR2: Matthew Nelson.
4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

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!

Continue Reading

Trending