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Orlando City

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

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7 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 vs. D.C. United: Three Keys to Victory

Checking these three boxes should go a long way toward helping Orlando City pick up all three points against D.C.

Published

25 minutes ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Maxime Crepeau catching the ball in front of goal.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City got an unexpected three points midweek when it knocked off Charlotte FC 4-1 at home. The performance and ensuing result continued a trend of improved performances for the Lions now that Robin Jansson is healthy and back in the team. OCSC will now try to build on Wednesday’s victory when it hits the road to take on D.C. United on Saturday. What follows are three things that I believe will go a long way toward helping the Lions bring home all three points from the nation’s capital.

Stop Tai Baribo

I don’t like suggesting that one player is responsible for the entirety of a team’s offense, because when it comes to soccer, that’s rarely a truly accurate statement. The mere fact that there are 11 players on the field at a time means that scoring goals usually involves several different players in order to get the ball into the net. That being said, D.C. United has scored eight league goals on the year and Tai Baribo has six of them. D.C. is 2-1-1 in games in which Baribo finds the back of the net, and 0-2-3 in games when he fails to score. The striker flashed exactly how lethal he can be in his team’s wild 4-4 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, as he bagged a hat trick and helped rescue a point for D.C. with an 80th-minute equalizer. OCSC did a good job of neutralizing Idan Toklomati on Wednesday, but Baribo provides an altogether different sort of challenge, and the defense will need to put in another focused and composed performance if it’s going to keep him off the scoresheet.

Win the First 15

Something Orlando City did an especially good job of in the second half was winning the first 15 minutes of the period. The team flew out of the break and created an excellent chance that Martin Ojeda buried in the 49th minute to give OCSC the lead for good. Ivan Angulo should have scored six minutes later, only to put his shot wide, but Ojeda scored another goal in the 61st to put the game to bed. While the opening 15 minutes of the first half weren’t dominant, the Lions still started the game composed and created a couple of good chances for Ojeda and Justin Ellis. It was a welcome departure from previous games that have seen Orlando concede early goals in the opening minutes of both halves. Even if the Lions can’t get on the board in the opening moments of the first and second half, it’s important for the team to come out focused and intense, and establish a strong foothold in the match. Setting a strong early tone is important on the road, and it’s vital that Orlando does so tomorrow.

Toe the Disciplinary Line

While the Lions need to play with the same intensity and effort that we saw in Wednesday’s win, they also need to be careful and not get carried away when it comes to physicality. The team picked up five yellow cards midweek, and while no one is close to being suspended for yellow card accumulation yet, it’s obviously important to not go too far and pick up a red card. OCSC is likely to have another young lineup on Saturday, and some of the team’s youthful exuberance was on display against Charlotte. Iago, Luis Otavio, and Ignacio Gomez were responsible for three of the team’s five yellow cards, with Gomez’s booking coming just one minute after he was subbed onto the field for Zakaria Taifi. The Lions did well to not pick up any further bookings and get reduced to playing with 10 men, but there were moments when it felt like they just barely toed the line without crossing it. Orlando needs to replicate the balancing act of playing with speed and intensity, while not taking things too far and picking up bookings that put the team into a bad situation.

There you have it, folks. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport, but if the Lions can shut down the dangerous Baribo, come out strong to start both halves, and play with a high level of intensity while not crossing the line, I think they’ll be in a very good position to pick up all three points against D.C. United. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/24/26

Martin Ojeda and Luis Otavio honored, Orlando Pride play Racing Louisville today, USWNT announces Brazil friendlies, and more.

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4 hours ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon, Luana, and Angelina celebrating Orlando's win over Portland.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’m still energized from Orlando City’s victory on Wednesday and am hoping the winning trend continues tonight and through the weekend as we get ready for three straight days of Orlando soccer. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Martin Ojeda, Luis Otavio Honored on MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City forward Martin Ojeda claimed a spot on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday after scoring twice in the second half to lift the Lions to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday. It was a welcome return to form for Ojeda, who amassed 31 goal contributions last season but was off to a slow start this year. Midfielder Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion in the match and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well. The 19-year-old’s goal was struck with the outside of his foot and was one of the wilder moments from an exciting night of MLS soccer that included 43 goals across 11 games.

Orlando Pride Play Racing Louisville Today

With the international break over, the Orlando Pride are back in action today at 5:30 p.m. for a road game against Racing Louisville. The Pride last played on April 3, with Haley McCutcheon scoring a pair of late goals in a 2-1 victory at home to hand Angel City FC its first loss of the season. Although Louisville is still searching for its first win of the season, the Pride have never won on the road against Racing. Hopefully the Pride can make some history tonight and take all three points to start this next stretch of games off strongly.

USWNT Will Play in Brazil This June

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in a pair of road friendlies in June. The first will take place in Sao Paulo on June 6 before the two nations meet again on June 9 in Fortaleza. These will be the USWNT’s first matches in Brazil since 2014 and should help the team prepare for the World Cup there next summer. The U-23 team will also be with the senior team in Brazil during this time to play against clubs from Sao Paulo.

European League Races Hit the Final Stretch

Leagues across Europe are entering the home stretch of their seasons and there’s still plenty up for grabs. The title race in England is neck and neck between Manchester City and Arsenal, but the relegation fight is just as enticing as Tottenham remains in the drop zone with five games to go. Another intriguing relegation battle is in Spain, as Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to Levante has the club right in the thick of things near the bottom of the La Liga table.

Things are fairly settled in Germany and Italy beyond squabbling for Champions League qualification, but the Ligue 1 title race may center around a May 13 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens if PSG stumbles over the next few weeks. Last, but definitely not least, the Scottish Premiership title fight is as tight as can be. Hearts slightly leads over Rangers and Celtic, but there are juicy matchups between the three over the next month.

Free Kicks

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-1 home win over Charlotte?

Published

22 hours ago

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April 23, 2026

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

Orlando City finally managed to score more than two goals thanks to a 4-1 victory over visiting Charlotte FC. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t looking forward to writing or even watching this game, but boy was I wrong. As a whole, the team played well, and there are some good grades for many, unlike the last several weeks. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Charlotte.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5— This was a pretty good match for the Orlando City keeper, though it almost wasn’t. He made three saves, two of which were difficult. He got big and cut off the angle in the 28th minute on the first save. He got caught inside on Charlotte’s goal, but Braian Ojeda also made a mess of defending Morrison Agyemang at the back post. In the 64th minute, he celebrated a block by Tiago a bit early when he thought the ball had gone out, but it hadn’t. Fortunately, Iago was there to make a play and Charlotte was offside anyway, so the third attempt didn’t count. He made a point-blank save in the 81st and another leaping save deep in stoppage time to keep Charlotte at bay.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin almost got the Lions off to a bad start when he lost a 50/50 ball in the sixth minute but Charlotte couldn’t capitalize. After that, he settled in, though he still scares me a bit. He completed 87.7% of his 65 passes, including three of his seven long balls. Defensively, he contributed four tackles and four clearances. Again, he wasn’t bad, but he also wasn’t impressive.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson continues to show excellent form after his return from injury. The captain is a calming presence that keeps the defense organized. Since his return, Orlando City has allowed only three goals. He did his usual job of stopping attacks up and down the field. He completed 92% of his 50 passes, including one of his four long balls. Defensively, he logged one tackle, one interception, and a team-high eight clearances. It was the same type of performances that has earned him Man of the Match honors before, but this time the Lions created some offense.

D, Iago, 6 — Iago seems to be settling in now that he has Jansson next to him on the back line. He made some key defensive plays, including a clearance while Crepeau was celebrating too early. He completed 83.3% of his 36 passes, including one of his four long balls. Defensively, he logged one interception, three blocked shots, and two clearances. Thankfully, he didn’t lead Orlando City on shot attempts in this match.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 6 — Thank goodness Taifi muffed his shot attempt in the 21st minute. That’s not something one would normally say, but since it ended up as a Luis Otavio goal, it’s all good. Technically, it didn’t count as a shot, but he did get credit for the assist. He did take one other shot that was on goal, but it was easily saved, and he had two key passes. The Homegrown fullback made a good toe poke to stop an attack in 14th minute and a good recovery run in the 43rd minute to deflect a cross out for a corner. He finished with two tackles, an interception, and two clearances on the defensive side, passing at a 95.2% success rate. He was subbed off for Ignacio Gomez in the 78th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — This was a very Ivan Angulo performance, by which I mean he did some good things, some bad things, and some inexplicable things. He did well tracking back on defense and occasionally taking the ball back in the midfield. He earned a yellow card in the 23rd minute keeping breaking up a counter off Braian Ojeda’s blocked ball into the box on a corner kick. He also missed an excellent opportunity after Ojeda put him in on goal in the 56th minute. It’s the type of play that he should at least put the shot on frame, but he was unable to even come close. He made up for it a bit with his excellent pass for the assist on Gomez’s late goal. He completed 91.7% of his 36 passes, including the one key pass. Defensively, he contributed two tackles. He subbed off for Harvey Sarajian in second-half stoppage time .

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5 — Braian Ojeda made one really bad play in this match that cost Orlando City a clean sheet. He was bowled over by Agyemang while defending the back corner on Charlotte’s lone goal. Other than that, he wasn’t too bad. He completed 91.3% of his 46 passes, including one cross. Defensively, he made three tackles and one clearance, while committing two fouls. He was more aggressive in the midfield this match, and that made a difference in limiting Charlotte’s attack.

MF, Luis Otavio, 7 — This was easily Luis Otavio’s best match so far. He only took one shot, but it was on target and in the back of the net to start the scoring on the night. The ball fell perfectly to Otavio after Taifi’s errant shot attempt. He settled it and took a powerful shot with the outside of his right foot that froze everyone, including Charlotte keeper Kristijan Khalina, to give Orlando the 1-0 lead. It was a perfect time to score his first professional goal. Defensively, he compiled three tackles, two interceptions, and one bicycle kick clearance in the 29th minute. He earned a yellow card in the 42nd minute. Otavio subbed off in second-half stoppage time for Colin Guske.

MF, Justin Ellis, 6 — Ellis was a bit of a surprise start due to Tyrese Spicer falling ill on game day, but the young forward played well. He took one shot in the 12th minute, on which he tried to turn in the box, but it went wide right. His big moment came in the 50th minute, when he took a pass from Tiago, made his way into the box, and laid the ball off to Martin Ojeda for the second goal of the match. Ellis’ aforementioned shot was his only one, but he did have an excellent assist on what turned out to be the winning goal. He completed 82.8% of his 29 passes with three key passes. Defensively, he made one tackle and committed one foul, earning a yellow card in the 67th minute. He was subbed off in second-half stoppage time for Bernardo Rhein.

F, Martín Ojeda, 7.5 (MotM) — Welcome back, Martin Ojeda! The Designated Player took four shots and put two on target, both of which went in. The first was a perfectly placed shot into the top right corner from Ellis’ pass. The second was an absolutely beautiful set-piece shot from just outside the box. He completed 91.3% of his 46 passes, including three key passes, two crosses, and six successful long balls. He received a yellow card in first-half stoppage time for arguing about a soft foul he was called for. This was the type of match that Orlando City needs from Martin Ojeda.

F, Tiago, 6.5 — Tiago should have been credited with the secondary assist on Orlando City’s first goal, but he was not. He made a long run to the end line and then put the ball back across the box perfectly for Taifi, who clipped it out to the top of the box where Otavio put it away. Tiago took one shot that was on target and earned a secondary assist on Ojeda’s first goal. He completed 77.8% of his 27 passes, made one key pass, and had three successful crosses. Defensively, he logged three clearances, blocked one shot, and committed two fouls, earning a yellow card in the 67th minute. Like many of his teammates, this was one of his best showings this season. He subbed off in 74th minute for Tahir Reid-Brown.

Substitutes

MF, Tahir Reid-Brown (75′), 5.5 — Tahir Reid-Brown came on for Tiago, who was sitting on a yellow card, to help protect the lead. He didn’t do much with his time on the pitch, but he also wasn’t asked to with the two-goal lead the club had at the time. He didn’t hurt Orlando City, and had some critical interventions to break up Charlotte’s attack near the top of the area. He completed 66.7% of his six passes with one cross. Defensively, he contributed one clearance.

MF, Ignacio Gomez (78′), 6.5 — Gomez decided he was going to make sure he received a grade for his performance. Almost immediately after entering the match, he earned a yellow card for a tussle with Charlotte star attacker Wilfried Zaha. He made up for it in the 87th minute by scoring his first MLS goal. He helped set the play up by finding Angulo with a good pass to the middle and then continued his run, finishing like a veteran. It was his only shot of the match, and he completed all three of his passes. Defensively, he contributed one tackle and two clearances while committing two fouls.

MF, Colin Guske (90+3′), N/A — Guske was brought on for Luis Otavio as Martin Perelman decided that everyone should get to play in this match. Guske wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade.

F, Harvey Sarajian (90+3′), N/A — Harvey Sarajian came on for Ivan Angulo. Like Guske, Sarajian wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade, although he gave up a dangerous free kick in stoppage time.

MF, Bernardo Rhein (90+3′), N/A — Congratulations to Bernardo Rhein for making his first MLS appearance. He came on for Justin Ellis. Sadly, like the other two guys he came on with, he wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 4-1 victory over Charlotte. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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