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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Alex Freeman Equalizes in Stoppage Time

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10 months ago

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Image of Alex Freeman dribbling the ball against FC Cincinnati.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City played a good first half against Supporters’ Shield hopeful FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. But a lack of finishing bit the Lions (14-7-10, 52 points) once again when Cincinnati (18-9-5, 59 points) played Orlando off the pitch in the second half, with Kevin Denkey eventually making the Lions pay for constantly giving the ball away. Orlando created chances late but continued to miss the target until Alex Freeman’s header deep in stoppage time rescued a road point for the Lions.

On another night, the Lions might have scored four or five goals, but good shot blocking by FC Cincinnati and a lack of lethality turned what could have been three points into what was almost zero points, and eventually turned into a single, hard-fought point.

“A very typical match against Cincinnati, against this rival that demands a lot of physicality in the game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think we coped with it. I think we had the personality to propose the game also when we had the ball.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Freeman. Kyle Smith joined Eduard Atuesta in central midfield for the second straight game between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top.

Cincinnati dominated the early possession, but Orlando defended desperately and prevented the hosts from getting a clear-cut look in the opening moments. The only chance created came on a quick transition with a good ball in from Ender Echenique on the right finding Denkey in front. The striker headed on target but Gallese kicked it away.

Orlando, meanwhile, struggled to settle into the match, misplacing passes early, including two that would have led to breakaways. Ojeda nearly sent McGuire in behind but the pass floated a bit, allowing Cincinnati goalkeeper Evan Louro to knock it out of play. A few minutes later, Orlando had a chance to send Ojeda behind off a cleared Cincinnati corner kick, but the ball was overhit and Louro was able to get to it first.

The Lions began to settle into the match after the opening 10 minutes and created some decent chances.

McGuire should have scored in the 11th minute. Pasalic found space on the left side and scorched a low cross into the area. Ojeda touched in on to McGuire, who settled it with a great first touch, but he poked his shot just inches wide of the left post. Two minutes later, Pasalic took a layoff just outside the box and fired with his right foot, but the defense blocked it.

Four minutes later, Cincinnati native Smith got into the box and fired a shot that the defense blocked out front. The rebound came back to Smith, who made a mess of the shot, sending the spinning ball well off target. Atuesta sent Ojeda forward with a good ball in the 19th minute, but the Argentine tried to drive left to get the ball on his dominant foot, allowing Miles Robinson to race back and force him wide without a shot.

Freeman ended up with the ball in the box on the left side in the 20th minute and fired a shot that deflected off Nick Hagglund and out for a corner. The set piece fell in the box at Brekalo’s feet, but Hagglund made another block in the 21st minute.

Evander found space on the right from long range in the 27th minute and sent in a cross that found Denkey at the top of the box, but the header again was hit at Gallese, who scooped it up on the bounce.

The Lions went the other way and Pasalic cut in from the right and laid off for Ojeda, who fired a shot that was once again blocked by a defender. Schlegel got a head to the cross but the shot deflected out for a second corner and the hosts were able to clear it.

In the last 15 minutes of the half, Cincinnati re-established itself in possession, started playing more physically, and won some set pieces.

Just past the half hour mark Atuesta was booked for fouling Pavel Bucha, giving Cincinnati a free kick. Evander went for goal but Jansson blocked it. Moments later, Atuesta appeared to suffer a foul in the attacking third but it wasn’t called. Brekalo was booked for pulling back Brenner on the ensuing counter. Two minutes later, Cincinnati won another free kick from range. Evander went for goal but Gallese easily caught it.

McGuire took a pass from Angulo in the box in first-half stoppage time and tried a first-touch shot but Hagglung once again blocked the effort, and it trickled harmlessly in front on the last play of the half.

At the break, Cincinnati had the edge in possession (55.4%-44.6%) and passing accuracy (88%-82.9%). The Lions held the advantage in shots (11-4) and corners (3-2). Both teams put two shots on target, with Denkey’s first of the game being the most dangerous. The difference in a comfortable halftime lead and a scoreless game was Cincinnati’s seven first-half blocks.

“I feel like we’re a team that creates a lot and, you know, maybe today we weren’t as clinical as we wanted to be, but that’s just something we know we should work on during the week,” Freeman said. “You know, obviously we’re not happy that we didn’t score as much goals as we wanted.”

The first couple of chances of the second half went Orlando’s way. Ojeda did well to pick out Freeman’s trailing run on the right in the 47th minute. The fullback shot immediately but tried to go near side and Louro had his post covered. The Lions won a corner and played it short, eventually picking out Ojeda outside the area. The Argentine blasted a shot that forced a sprawling save from Louro, who could only knock it to Jansson, and with a gaping net in front of him, the center back missed over the bar.

Cincinnati then settled into the second half and started creating in transition. Gallese made a decent diving save to deny Brenner’s shot from the top of the arc in the 50th minute. Two minutes later, Angulo lost the ball in the attacking third and the hosts countered, ending the movement with Denkey on the right. His shot toward the left post skipped wide.

The hosts nearly scored in the 58th minute when Echenique torched Brekalo on the wing and entered the box, dribbling toward the end line at the near post. Denkey went to ground and got up, with the winger trying to ping it to him, but the ball deflected and spun toward goal, where Gallese covered it.

The hosts kept coming as the Lions got sloppy with the ball again, giving up chances. Samuel Gidi was left in space about 30 yards out and had a hit. Gallese did well to catch the shot without spilling it in the 61st minute. A minute later, Evander was left alone outside the area, but the attacking star did not get a lot of power on his effort and sent it right at Gallese.

Second-half sub Alvas Powell cut inside and sent in a dangerous shot in the 69th minute but Gallese made another save. Two minutes later, it was Echenique cutting in from the right and firing but his shot hit Evander and caromed out of play.

Denkey broke the deadlock two minutes later. Substitute Tyrese Spicer started the Cincinnati possession by losing the ball in the attacking half. The hosts came forward and Evander sent the ball in to Denkey, who fired past Gallese’s outstretched arm and in to make it 1-0 in the 73rd minute.

“Middle of the second half, we started losing distances with their midfielders,” Pareja said. “We had three players with yellow cards. They were so timid in that part of the match to go hard and play as we played in the first half.”

Pareja sent some attacking subs into the match, but Orlando continues to create little because the Lions couldn’t keep the ball. Freeman managed a shot from a tight angle on the right in the 80th minute, but it was no trouble for Louro at his near post.

Brenner shot wide in the 83rd minute, but he may have been offside on the play anyway, but it kept the Lions in the match.

Schlegel received a booking in the 87th minute, which was significant, because he’ll miss the next match.

As the game entered seven minutes of stoppage time, the Lions suddenly roared to life, creating numerous chances but wasting most of them. The first of those was a good ball Freeman served up for Ojeda at the right post. The Designated Player fired with his weaker right foot and missed the net from point-blank range in the 92nd minute.

Two minutes later, Ojeda fed the ball in front for substitute Luis Muriel. The ball was behind the Colombian, who managed to redirect it toward goal, but again the shot missed the target. The Lions quickly took possession again and created more danger in the box, with substitute fullback Adrian Marin cutting in front of Ojeda to take the shot from the left, but the defender sent his shot fizzing inches wide of the right post on another wasted opportunity.

The stars finally aligned for the Lions in the sixth added minute. Spicer blazed down the left, lost Echenique with a great spin move, and sent a cross into the box for Freeman, who had pushed forward. The USMNT fullback leaped and met the ball at the perfect height, sending his header just inside the right post and past Louro to tie the match. It was the defender’s sixth goal of the season and his second in three matches.

“I feel like when you’ve got a guy like Spicer coming in on the left side — a fast, physical, technical winger — it’s bound to get in the box somehow,” Freeman said. “So, I think it was just Spicer creating something out on the left side and be able to dribble past his defender, and then just flipping a great cross. And then, I was just there trying to put it in the corner, and that’s exactly what I did.”

“I have to give credit to these players, because their reaction was extraordinary,” Pareja said. “The way we created the chances…you see how many chances we missed today. So (their reaction is) what I want to highlight. I was so confident on this reaction of the players. After the goal they wanted to win it, too.”

FC Cincinnati tried to respond in the short time remaining and created a shot for Ayoub Jabbari, who flicked Evander’s cross on frame. Once again, Gallese was there. Moments later, the match was over and the two playoff-bound teams had to settle for splitting the points.

FC Cincinnati finished with the advantage in possession (56.7%-43.3%), passing accuracy (88.5%-83.5%), and shots on target (9-6). Orlando fired more shots (23-19) and won more corners (6-2).

“I feel like we had chances. I feel like we played a very good game. And I feel like the first 70 minutes, you know, we were dominating,” Freeman said. “We were going to get the goal. And then when they scored, our heads went down a little bit, but we just continued to fight, continued to fight. That’s what our motto is — to just be able to fight and fight. And to be able to get that goal and get that tie means a lot for us. Obviously, we wanted the three points, but to end up getting the tie and just keep that fighting spirit…very happy about that.”

“Second half, we felt that when we were losing 1-0 that the game was going to escape away from us, but I think the reaction from the players is outstanding,” “One more time the boys showed the culture that has been installed in this team and this club. So, we fought and we get this result that could have been better. Also it could have been worse. Typical match. I liked our personality tonight.”

The Lions return home for their next two matches, hosting the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Trades Duncan McGuire to Houston Dynamo

The Lions send the 2023 first-round pick to Houston for a pile of Garberbucks.

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20 hours ago

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July 10, 2026

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Image of Duncan McGuire playing the ball against New York City FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando no longer runs on Duncan as Orlando City has traded 2023 first-round draft pick Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo. The big striker with the even bigger smile and the back flips joins the Dynamo, with the Lions receiving $600,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $400,000 in 2027 GAM, and $250,000 in 2027-2028 GAM. The return could also include up to $1.15 million in GAM add-ons if certain performance metrics are met. OCSC will retain a percentage of any sell-on by Houston.

It became clear that something was up with McGuire, as he did not dress for Orlando City’s friendly against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

“Duncan has meant a great deal to this club since the day he arrived in Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His resilience, determination, and willingness to fight through challenges both on and off the field have earned the respect of everyone throughout our organization. He has played a major role in our success over the last several years, and when the opportunity arose, we wanted to ensure it was a move that made sense for both Duncan and the club. We’re grateful for everything he has given to Orlando City and wish him and his family nothing but success in this next chapter.”

The Lions selected McGuire out of Creighton with the No. 6 overall selection in the first round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. Although he was not a Generation Adidas player, the striker had signed a pre-draft contract with the league, meaning Orlando City didn’t need to spend time agreeing to a contract. The 6-foot-1 forward quickly became a starter for the Lions during his rookie year, and put together back-to-back, double-digit goal-scoring seasons in his first two professional seasons. Now in his fourth pro year, McGuire has appeared in 85 MLS matches (45 starts) for the Lions, scoring 29 goals and adding eight assists. In all competitions, McGuire has contributed 32 goals and nine assists in 109 appearances (55 starts).

Once one of the most promising up-and-coming American strikers in any league after his 24 goals across his first two MLS campaign, Mcguire underwent surgery on both shoulders in separate procedures after the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, which have restricted his availability, affected his form, and have limited him to just five goals and three assists in his last 29 matches. He has sat behind various other strikers starting in his place the last couple of seasons, including Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, and Justin Ellis.

After his breakout rookie campaign, in which the Omaha, NE native scored 14 goals, he was courted by several teams in Europe. He signed with Blackburn Rovers in 2024, only to see the transfer rejected by the English Football League due to an administrative error by the EFL Championship club. Upon his return, the Creighton product signed his most recent contract on Aug. 22, 2024, locking him down through 2027 with a club option for 2028. That deal now belongs to the Dynamo.

McGuire’s hot start to his professional career had him climbing the U.S. Men’s National Team player pool. Gregg Berhalter called him up to the USMNT for the first time in January 2024 ahead of the team’s friendly against Slovenia. The striker made his first USMNT appearance in that match, coming off the bench to replace Brian White on Jan. 20, 2024, in a 1-0 loss. That is his only cap to date, although he had previously appeared nine times and scored one goal for the U.S. U-23 side.

The 2022 Hermann Trophy winner spent three seasons at Creighton, where he appeared in 24 games (23 starts) in his final (junior) season, logging 1,591 college minutes. McGuire scored 23 goals and added three assists in 2022.

What It Means for Orlando City

It makes sense to deal a striker making a base salary of $600,000 ($921,000 in total guaranteed compensation) if he can’t crack the starting lineup. While some of that comes down to coaching decisions and other players emerging, it didn’t help McGuire that he struggled to regain the consistent form he showed in his first two years in Orlando. In the end, this is a bit of a blow financially to the club, as the initial agreement with Blackburn was for a reported $4 million. He now departs for considerably less money, but his value understandably dropped with his production and the two shoulder surgeries.

McGuire is still just 25 years old, and sitting out after two surgeries means he has fewer miles on his legs than many players his age. He could still regain the form that saw him score 14 times in 2023 and 10 more times in 2024 and had the USMNT and European clubs paying attention. Orlando City will hope that he returns to form, because that will influence how much GAM the club eventually receives for this transaction.

A fan favorite since his arrival, McGuire will be missed, and while the Lions could perhaps have benefitted from getting a player back in return to bolster an area of need, the influx of GAM can help accomplish the same goal.

McGuire’s departure appears to solidify Justin Ellis’ position on the first team, although his play in the first half of the season likely already did that. It may also open up more minutes for Tiago. But the trade also tells us that unless a new striker is brought in, the Lions will play without a traditional target striker for the time being, allowing players who have typically either played as wingers, attacking midfielders, or false nines to have the freedom to fluidly change positions and force defenders out of their comfort zones when it comes to coverage. Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann, Ellis, Ivan Angulo, Marco Pasalic, and the team’s fullbacks will be harder to keep tabs on under such a system.

Whether it will work or if it will further stress the team’s shoddy transition defense (or both) remains to be seen.

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Flashback Friday: July 10, 2022 vs. Inter Miami

Let’s rewind to a match against the Herons that featured the unlikeliest of heroes.

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21 hours ago

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July 10, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With both the United States Men’s National Team and Colombia suffering World Cup exits that were both agonizing in their own right, this summer’s tournament has lost a little luster for me. Don’t get it twisted, I’m still looking forward to the rest of the games, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t going to be a little bittersweet.

Fortunately, Orlando City will be back in action before we know it, and in the meantime we can continue our practice of looking back on Lions matches from years gone by. Last week we relived a 4-0 win over Toronto FC from July 4, 2023. This week we go a little farther into the past to July 10, 2022, and a visit from Inter Miami.

Going into the match with the Herons, OCSC was badly in need of a result. The Lions were in the midst of a summer slump and had won just one of eight matches since squeaking by Toronto FC 1-0 back on May 14. To try to turn things around, Oscar Pareja sent out a lineup of Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan; Junior Urso and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Benji Michel, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield; and Ercan Kara up top.

Orlando’s effort to try to pick up a win had to wait a little longer than originally planned, as kickoff was postponed by close to two and a half hours due to lightning in the area. Once the game eventually started, both Orlando City’s fans and players probably wished it had been delayed a little longer. The Lions came out of the starting blocks slow and were guilty of a number of bad passes and miscommunication that made it difficult to get going offensively.

The bad start nearly cost the home side early, as Pereyra played a bad back pass in the seventh minute that was snagged by Indiana Vasilev, who promptly broke toward goal. Fortunately, his shot smashed into Gallese’s face and went wide of the net to spare Mauricio’s blushes. Speaking of the Uruguayan, Miami seemed to have keyed on him as a player to stop at all costs, because whenever the Lions started to get a rhythm in the final third, the Herons promptly fouled him to break up the flow of things.

It took half an hour for the first decent chances to finally surface for Orlando City. When those opportunities arrived, it was in the form of Urso taking a pop from outside the box that got blocked on the way through, and Michel nearly getting on the end of a training ground corner kick routine, only to be let down by a bad first touch.

That was mostly everything of note in a largely quiet first half. Miami had the more dangerous chances, but there wasn’t much to separate the teams in the end. Miami had a slim lead in possession (50.6%-49.4%), and also had more shots (6-3), shots on target (1-0), and corners (3-2). Orlando City was a shade more accurate in its passing (84.5%-83.6%).

Once the second half started, Miami very nearly got an early goal once again, but Robert Taylor didn’t get good contact on a header attempt and the ball went out harmlessly for a goal kick. Vassilev had a much more dangerous effort in the 49th minute, but he put his shot over the bar and wasted a nice passage of play from the visitors.

Orlando carved out an excellent chance of its own nine minutes later. Ruan played a clever cutback for Michel, but like Taylor, he didn’t get good contact on his shot and sent it tamely right to goalkeeper Drake Callender. Torres and Urso sent shots wide and high shortly afterward, before Miami really should have scored from a 72nd-minute corner kick. Aime Mabika found himself all alone in front of goal after the initial ball was played short, but he put his header wide right.

Tesho Akindele was one of the substitutes brought on, and he flashed his fresh legs by getting on a couple of chances as the game wound towards the 90th minute. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to convert either one, and things looked sure to end in a scoreless draw. Enter an extremely unlikely hero: Jake Mulraney.

In the second of four minutes of stoppage time, the winger sent a hopeful cross into the box with just two men in purple to aim for. The ball had relatively little chance of reaching Akindele, who was bracketed by two defenders, but Damion Lowe tried to clear it and instead sliced it off the underside of the crossbar and into the Miami net making it 1-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, given the state of the game up to that point, neither team managed to muster any real chances after that, and Orlando narrowly came away with three much-needed points.

OCSC ended the game with more possession (54.7%-45.3%) and better passing accuracy (96.6%-82.9%), while Miami took more shots (10-8) and won more corners (6-2). Both sides put just one shot on target, making the final score somewhat unsurprising.

Marcus Mitchell was at the helm for Player Grades in this game, and he gave the outstanding Cesar Araujo the Man of the Match award, with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. The midfielder racked up eight tackles, drew nine fouls, and played a key pass while snuffing out a lot of Miami’s danger before it could truly develop.

Those three points didn’t exactly galvanize the Lions in the short term, as they won just one of their next six games in all competitions, not counting a friendly loss to Arsenal. Fortunately, better times lay ahead in the U.S. Open Cup.

That’ll do it for this week’s edition of Flashback Friday. We’ve only got one more of these before Orlando City returns to action on July 22, so enjoy the reminiscing while you can. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 7/10/26

Duncan McGuire reportedly being traded, Orlando Pride host Kansas City tonight, Steve Cherundolo named U.S. U-23 men’s coach, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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July 10, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The Orlando Pride are in action tonight and we also have an Orlando City B game on Sunday to look forward to. It’s been a bit of a hectic week on my end, but it’s at least helped make the U.S.’s World Cup loss feel like old news. Orlando City putting the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the sword in a friendly didn’t hurt either. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Reportedly Trading Duncan McGuire

Forward Duncan McGuire is reportedly being traded by Orlando City to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $1.25 million in General Allocation Money, with another $1.15 million heading Orlando’s way if performance metrics are reached per Tom Bogert of The Athletic.

🇺🇸🟠 BREAKING: The Houston Dynamo to acquire forward Duncan McGuire from Orlando City, per sources.Orlando acquires $1.25m GAM + $1.15m GAM add-ons. ORL retains sell-on clause.Houston acquires new goal scorer, will fit seamlessly in Dynamo attack. www.nytimes.com/athletic/743…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T15:25:31.373Z

Selected by Orlando with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, McGuire has scored 29 goals across four seasons with the Lions. Injuries have plagued him in recent years, but let’s hope he can have a renaissance of sorts with Houston and hit those performance requirements if this move comes to pass. Orlando would be even lighter on options up top, but the money could help the club improve at a few positions.

Orlando Pride Host the Kansas City Current Tonight

Following a 2-0 loss to Angel City FC, the Orlando Pride will look to bounce back tonight when they host the Kansas City Current in the first meeting this season between the past two NWSL Shield winners. The Current are on a three-game win streak, with Michelle Cooper scoring twice in a 3-0 win over the Denver Summit last week. Temwa Chawinga also scored in that match to bring her tally to eight as she closes the distance on Pride forward Barbra Banda in the Golden Boot race. Hopefully the Pride can keep Kansas City’s offense in check and get back on track with a win at home.

Steve Cherendulo Named U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team Coach

U.S. Soccer appointed Steve Cherendulo as the head coach of the United States U-23 Men’s National Team as preparations begin for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Cherundulo is no stranger to success in the City of Angels, leading LAFC to a league title and MLS Cup victory in 2022 before winning the 2024 U.S. Open Cup as well. He represented the U.S. as a player starting at age 18 and played in three World Cups, which should be valuable experience to get these younger players ready to make an impact with the senior team. Tahir Reid-Brown, Justin Ellis, and Colin Guske are a few Orlando City players to keep an eye out for as possible Olympic roster candidates as they develop their games.

France Advances to World Cup Semifinals

France became the first team to secure its spot in the World Cup semifinals, beating Morocco 2-0. After a scoreless first half, Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the tournament to give France the lead and then provided the assist on Ousmane Dembele’s goal a few minutes later. While the offense is understandably grabbing headlines, the defense has now had a clean sheet in three straight games during this knockout phase. In the semifinals, France will take on whichever nation advances from today’s match between Spain and Belgium.

Free Kicks

  • Less than 24 hours after scoring for Orlando City in a friendly, Antoine Griezmann was in Boston for France’s World Cup match.
  • Crystal Dunn, who set records at Florida State University before her storied professional career, joined the Tallahassee Reckoning’s ownership group. The organization aims to provide more opportunities for youth soccer players and improve the pathway towards playing professionally.
  • English defender Jarell Quanash was given a two-game suspension for the serious foul play that earned him a red card against Mexico. He’ll miss Saturday’s quarterfinal against Norway and also England’s semifinal if it advances.

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

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