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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

12 months ago

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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.

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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.

Published

7 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

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Antoine Griezmann.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

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

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Anibal Godoy.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

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.

Published

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

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.

Published

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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