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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 1-1 as Marco Pasalic’s Goal Earns the Lions a Point

The Lions had their chances, but could only put one in the net, missing an opportunity to distance themselves from the Crew in the standings.

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9 months ago

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Image of Eduard Atuesta playing the ball against Columbus.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

It was a wet and wasteful night at Inter&Co Stadium, as Orlando City fell behind the Columbus Crew in the first half, leveled the match before halftime, and then squandered opportunities to go on and win the game. Andres Herrera put the Crew (13-8-12, 51 points) on top, but Marco Pasalic’s blast allowed Orlando City (14-7-11, 53 points) to at least earn a point at home in a crucial match with Eastern Conference playoff seeding ramifications.

A win would have seen the Lions five points clear of ninth-place Columbus, but Orlando remains just two points ahead of the lowest play-in wild card spot.

“Just like always, I think a very competitive match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We end up with the sensation that we had those options so clear to find the game, but also we humbly have to recognize that they had two options also at the end, so very competitive match.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, and Alex Freeman. Joran Gerbet started in central midfield with Eduard Atuesta inside wingers Ivan Angulo and Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

The game was only a few minutes old when Gerbet sustained a non-contact injury and had to be helped off. Kyle Smith subbed on for him in just the fifth minute.

Columbus dominated play in the first half, while Orlando City was sloppy with its few possessions. The Crew kept the ball and searched for an opening against a defense that seemed more passive than aggressive to start the match.

Diego Rossi returned from injury in the match to start for the Crew and was dangerous from the jump. He got in behind the back line in the eighth minute on a long ball from the goalkeeper, but Gallese came well off his line and blocked Rossi’s shot. The defense arrived to clean up the rebound to end the threat.

Three minutes later, Angulo committed an unnecessary foul just outside his defensive penalty area, conceding a dangerous free kick just right of center. Dylan Chambost went for goal on the set piece, but he sent his shot into the defensive wall. The rebound came back to him, so he fired again, this time sending his shot through the wall but straight at Gallese.

The Crew won a series of corners after that, but Orlando was able to deal with them. Malte Amundsen earned a yellow card for a hard foul on Gallese on the second such set piece.

Herrera scored an easy goal in the 32nd minute. Lassi Lappalainen had the ball on the left and sent a pass through the area to a charging Herrera, who had slipped past both Angulo and Marin. He deflected the ball past Gallese to open the scoring.

The Lions responded well to falling behind. Marin stepped in front of a diagonal left-to-right pass and bombed forward into space in the midfield, taking it into the attacking third. He found Muriel on his right, and the Colombian had plenty of space to shoot from outside the box. Patrick Schulte saved the initial blast but couldn’t hang onto it. Pasalic was first to react, smashing the ball into the back of the net in the 34th minute to tie the match.

“I was able to take it down with my chest, and then I looked up and they were pretty wide open, and they were creating spaces for us,” Marin said. “I like to try and take it in that moment. And I like to look for the diagonal balls in those moments to Marco, to Luis, and I was able to find Luis in that moment. I passed him the ball, and then I tried to make a run and try and find that one-two with him. And then he turned around and he shot it towards the goal, and it was a good shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. And then Marco definitively ran in and was able to get the rebound, and thankfully, able to convert the goal. You know, it’s always great knowing that those two are always going to be there.”

“It’s difficult when you don’t score for five, six games,” Pasalic said. “It’s difficult when you don’t score one game, you know? And for me especially, what’s more important is that I scored the equalizer so I can help the team. I would be happy if we won today with that goal, but like I said, I’m happy that I have broke the ice, and now I keep going and want to push and help the team.”

Columbus nearly struck right back. Rossi shook loose on the right and fired a shot that Gallese saved, but he couldn’t control the rebound, which fell to Max Arfsten. The USMNT fullback saw his follow-up shot blocked by the defense. The second rebound fell to Lappalainen, who sent a header wide.

Orlando City won a couple of late corner kicks, setting up a pair of headers for Brekalo. The Slovenian international sent the first one wide off of Ojeda’s service, and he sent the second straight to Schulte off a recycled ball in from the right in the 43rd minute.

Angulo had to race back to poke the ball away from Herrera, who once again was able to sneak in unimpeded on the right in the 44th minute, and the Lions cleared the ensuing corner cross.

Freeman got down the right and did well to pick out Ojeda in stoppage time. The Argentine fired a shot toward the left post but it went off a defender and out for a corner. That was the last good look of the half.

Columbus held the halftime advantage in possession (59.8%-40.2%), corners (5-3), passing accuracy (90%-86.3%), and shots on target (4-3). Both teams attempted eight shots in the half.

“The first part of the game, we wanted to clog the middle,” Pareja said. “They use the intervals or those zones where they like to play. We knew that they were going to provide us space, and we bet for that option on clogging the middle, but we ended up just defending too low. The first 15 minutes, 20 probably, we felt that it was too much, not what we wanted. “

Bringing Angulo higher on the pitch helped the Lions get more control of the game over the final minutes of the first half.

The Lions won an early corner, with the ball into the area finding Brekalo, who headed it down but right into a defender for the block in the 47th minute.

Two minutes later, second-half Crew sub Ibrahim Aliyu nearly got in behind but the Lions’ defense arrived in time to prevent a shot.

Muriel was sent behind the line in the 50th minute and tried to cut back as the defense arrived. He then tried to cut back again and lost the ball without even a shot attempt.

Orlando conceded a dangerous free kick in the 51st minute, but it appeared to be a clean takeaway. Orlando vehemently protested the decision but the call was made. Rossi took the set piece but sent it well over the crossbar.

Moments later, the Lions got their own free kick but from much further away. Freeman was taken down on the right. Ojeda sent the free kick on target but from that range, Schulte had plenty of time to get in front of it to make the stop. Two minutes later, Freeman nearly got on the end of another Ojeda set piece delivery, but it skipped just in front of him and he was offside anyway.

Muriel stole the ball and burst forward in the 63rd minute. As he approached goal on the left side, he again passed up a shooting opportunity to try to thread a pass to the back post, and again the Crew arrived to break up the play. Three minutes later, the Lions had a 2-on-1 counterattack with Ojeda on the ball. Like Muriel, Ojeda passed up a shooting opportunity to try to give second-half sub Duncan McGuire a tap-in, but he misplaced his pass and the chance evaporated.

Columbus controlled most of the final 25 minutes, keeping the ball in the Orlando third for long periods. Herrera took a pass from Rossi on the right in the 68th minute and cut inside onto his left, firing a shot straight at Gallese.

The game bogged down at that point, with neither side creating much danger as substitutes cycled in and disrupted the flow of the game.

The Lions tried to counter off a Columbus corner in the 80th minute, getting forward four on two with Atuesta picking out Nico Rodriguez on the right, but he took a heavy touch and Darlington Nagbe intervened, knocking the ball out for a corner. The Lions played the set piece short, overcooked the entry ball, and created nothing from the opportunity.

The Crew’s best chance at a winner came in the 83rd minute, when they sent the ball right to left to an unmarked Arfsten in the box. The shot was deflected just wide for a corner.

Four minutes later, the last Orlando attack fizzled when Tyrese Spicer found McGuire in the box, but the defense again arrived to knock it away.

Neither side could do much in the two minutes of injury time and the match ended in an unsatisfying draw.

The Crew increased their possession advantage, finishing with a big edge (61.3%-38.7%). Columbus also had the advantage in shots (18-10), shots on target (7-4), and passing accuracy (90.5%-84.7%). Both teams won seven corners.

“We played really well,” Pasalic said. “We had a difficult opponent. They did also really well. So it was a difficult game. I’m happy that we take one point. It’s better than no point.”

The Lions are back in action a week from tonight as the Vancouver Whitecaps visit the City Beautiful.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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