Connect with us

Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at Cincinnati?

Published

11 months ago

on

Image of Eduard Atuesta dribbling the ball past FC Cincinnati forward Evander.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City had the better chances but struggled to finish them on Sunday night. Just when it seemed like the Lions would head home with a loss, Alex Freeman scored his sixth (sixth! as a defender!) goal of the season and the Lions snatched a 1-1 draw from the jaws of a loss.

Earning a point on the road is nice, but Orlando City really should have taken all three points with how many chances it created. One point is better than zero points though, and the Lions now have a chance to put a little daylight between themselves and a play-in spot when they host Columbus next week.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — El Pulpo’s seven saves were the second most he’s had in any MLS game this season, and if he had not been on top form, the Lions definitely would not have brought a point home. The Peruvian made saves with his legs, hands, and chest, and some of his most impressive leaps did not garner him any statistics, as Cincinnati hit several shots that flashed just wide of the net, but in watching the replay, it was clear that Gallese would have had them covered with one of his eight appendages. The one goal that he allowed was struck perfectly by Cincinnati’s Kevin Denkey into the corner, and even so, Gallese just barely missed tipping it wide. I thought it was an outstanding game by Orlando City’s No. 1, and for me he was the Man of the Match.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — The Slovenian left back generally kept Cincinnati from creating much down the attacking right side, as his partnership with Iván Angulo on Orlando City’s left flank was excellent once again, aside from one barnstorming run from Ender Echenique that created a dangerous chance. Brekalo also got forward more frequently than in many other games, and had a great chance in the first half, but he, like several of his teammates, had his shot blocked by Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund. He completed 91.7% of his passes and recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance on defense, before making way for Adrián Marín with Orlando City chasing a goal in the game’s final 10 minutes. His yellow card may have contributed to the substitution as well.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It is rare that the Beefy Swede’s player grade focuses initially on his offense, but unfortunately for him, it has to, because Jansson missed an absolutely point-blank sitter in the second half, coughing up a chance for Orlando City to grab a lead on the road early in the second half. The captain was not the only player to fail to score on a great chance on Sunday, but his was the most egregious of the game. Aside from that, he played a good-but-not-great game on defense, sitting back behind the more aggressive Rodrigo Schlegel and cleaning up messes. He did not have any tackles, but he tallied a team-leading four clearances and blocked one shot, and he completed 78.7% of his passes, including two key passes.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel was everywhere on Sunday, stuffing the stat sheet with three tackles, four interceptions, three clearances, two blocks, and one yellow card, which unfortunately was displayed via the Ref Cam so all of the viewers could see him plead his case that he won the ball before he took out Dominik Marczuk. I thought he won the ball, barely, but referee Rosendo Mendoza disagreed, and he will miss Orlando City’s match Saturday against Columbus due to yellow card accumulation. The Argentine was involved in Cincinnati’s goal, as Evander’s driving run preoccupied his eyes and he did not see Denkey moving into space behind him, but it was teammate Alex Freeman who had the better opportunity to prevent Denkey’s shot. Schlegel completed 97% of his passes and delivered a strong performance overall.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Orlando City’s right back rescued a point for the Lions with his late header, capping off another game when he was on the attack from beginning to end, despite lining up nominally as a defender. Freeman tied for the team lead in shots, with five, and put three on target, forcing Cincinnati goalkeeper Evan Louro to make two difficult saves before finally burying his header in the back of the net deep in stoppage time. Freeman was a step slow to get in front of Denkey on Cincinnati’s goal, but he made up for it with his perfect run to meet Tyrese Spicer’s long cross with his head, and he is now one of only two defenders in MLS that have scored more than five goals this season. He completed 75.8% of his passes and added one tackle, one interception, and one clearance on defense.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — During his minutes on the field I thought Angulo was Orlando City’s best player, as he brought more to the attack than usual, with two key passes, two accurate long balls, and one successful take-on, and his defense was excellent as well, in particular when he blazed back to catch up to Echenique and took the ball away from him, simultaneously stopping a Cincinnati attack and initiating an Orlando City counterattack. The Colombian completed 83.3% of his passes and did well on both sides of the ball throughout his shift, before making way for Spicer as Orlando City went offense-for-defense in an attempt to grab all three points on the road.

MF, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Orlando City’s do-it-all utility man played his minutes in the central midfield on Sunday night and played a solid game, keeping Cincinnati off the scoreboard while he was on the field and hustling box to box throughout his shift. He completed 84% of his passes and took two shots on offense (one blocked, one wide), but as he was playing in the spot where César Araújo usually plays, he was more so focused on defense and delivered one tackle, four clearances, and the aforementioned 70 minutes of middle-clogging play that kept the Orange and Blue scoreless.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta led the team in completed passes, pulling the strings for an offense that generated 23 shots and a season high in expected goals. He completed 87.5% of his passes, with two key passes, and if not for the incredible closing speed of Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson, he likely would have had an assist as his perfectly placed through ball seemed to put Martín Ojeda in on goal all alone. However, Robinson was able to run Ojeda down and allow Louro to come out to deflect the ball away. There were a few times when the Colombian could have shot but followed his instincts as a pass-first playmaker, and in retrospect the shot might have been the better option. In the end, it was a solid game from Atuesta, but he was unable to unlock the Cincinnati defense to create a goal that would have changed the complexion of the game.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6.5 — Freeman’s partner out on the right side of the field played unselfishly, and perhaps overly so, as it seemed that every time he had the ball he was able to run at the Cincinnati defense and find space. He only took one shot, which was blocked, and for a player of his ability he needs to take more shots. He made two key passes, both to Ojeda, and completed 84% of his passes overall. The Croatian also took all of the corner kicks for the Lions from the right side, and all three were well-struck inswinging balls that landed in threatening areas, though his teammates were unable to put any of them on target. The effort was there from Pašalić but nothing materialized from it, and he came off in the 83rd minute for Nico Rodríguez as Orlando City brought on fresh legs to go after the equalizer.

F, Martín Ojeda, 7 — The Argentine was everywhere except on the scoresheet on Sunday night, taking five shots, playing four key passes, and finishing third in completed passes (89.7% completion rate). Alas, he did not bring his finishing shoes with him to Cincinnati, because he had several great chances but was unable to put any of them in the back of the net. It is hard to come down too hard on Ojeda, considering the season he is having and his work rate, but he was unable to get a shot off quickly enough after being played in by Atuesta in the first half, and he did not put a right-footed shot on target after Rodríguez made a great play to set him up in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, and based on his season thus far, I thought he was going to score on both of those plays. It was not to be against Cincinnati, but Ojeda had a great game and hopefully he regresses to the mean in the positive direction Saturday against Columbus.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — Orlando City did not run on Duncan on Sunday. Even though the former Creighton Blue Jay took four shots, he could not put any of them in the net. McGuire had two excellent chances in the first half, one on a ball over the top from Ojeda and the other on a short pass inside the box from Ojeda. On the ball over the top, he was unable to dribble by an onrushing Louro, and on the ball inside the box, he took a great first touch, but pushed his left-footed shot just outside of the post. McGuire was active in the first half but disappeared in the second half, recording only 26 total touches and completing seven of his 11 pass attempts. He gave his trademark full hustle for his entire shift, getting all the way back on defense to make two clearances, but he could not capitalize on his chances Sunday.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (70′), 6.5 — The supersub did it again, coming off the bench to help create a late Orlando City goal and earn the team a point. The Trinidad & Tobago international also helped create Cincinnati’s goal with an errant pass to start their attack, but he made up for that with his inch-perfect cross to Freeman for the game-tying goal. Spicer completed five of his eight pass attempts (62.5%) and was not given credit for a shot attempt, but he nearly scored a goal himself when he took what looked to be a shot but must have been coded as a cross attempt off of a pass from fellow sub Marín that Louro had to save. Spicer has been a huge addition since joining Orlando City from Toronto, providing strong depth on the left side of the lineup.

MF, Joran Gerbet, (70′), 5.5 — The rookie midfielder came on for Smith in the midfield and went 10/10 with his passes, helping support the offense as the Lions tried to tie the game after the Denkey goal that occurred just minutes after Gerbet came on. He did not tally any statistics on defense, but he was a deterrent in the middle of the field, and while slotting in behind Freeman as he attacked up the right side, helping to keep Cincinnati from scoring what would have been a backbreaking second goal.

D, Adrián Marín, (79′), NA — Marín was not credited with a secondary assist, but he played the ball ahead to Spicer that became Orlando City’s goal, though Spicer dribbled for a bit before playing his cross, so it was probably the correct decision not to give Marín an official assist. Just moments earlier, the Spaniard almost scored his first goal for the Lions, as his shot flashed just wide after the ball caromed out towards him. Marín looked dangerous on the left side after coming in off the bench, completing 84.6% of his passes (including a team-high seven progressive passes) and partnering well with Spicer, and we may see him in the starting lineup at left back next weekend with Schlegel out.

F, Luis Muriel, (79′), NA — I thought Óscar Pareja waited about 10 minutes too long to bring in Muriel, as the Orlando City offense was struggling to combine at the halfway point of the second half and the Lions could have used the Colombian’s passing ability to help unlock the Cincinnati defense. Orlando then gave up a goal and needed a shot in the arm, and Muriel came in and nearly provided that during his short shift, coming close to scoring the equalizer on a pass from Ojeda that was a bit behind him and hustling all over the field to try help the team get on the scoreboard. He completed both of his pass attempts and looked dangerous with the ball, and I will not be surprised to see him back in the starting lineup next week with Ojeda as Pareja looks to find the hot foot between McGuire and Muriel.

MF, Nico Rodríguez, (83′), NA — The Colombian winger came on for Pašalić in the final minutes of regular time and he was lively, sprinting all over the field and attacking every time he touched the ball. He nearly had an assist after making a nice run deep into the right side of the box and crossing the ball back in to Ojeda, but the Argentine could not convert. He completed one of his two passes, and if he can bring the same energy in future games that he did on Sunday then he will start to earn more minutes from the coaching staff.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with Cincinnati. 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.

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

5 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

17 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