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Orlando City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Late Lead in Loss

Orlando City was moments away from a vital win in the race for playoff positioning, but an unlucky bounce and a goal deep in stoppage time flipped the game around.

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1 month ago

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Image of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson scoring against Vancouver.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Leading after 80 minutes, Orlando City puked away a late lead at Inter&Co Stadium, conceding twice from the 81st minute on — including the winner deep in stoppage time — in a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s first-half goal was moments from being a game-winner when disaster struck, allowing the Whitecaps (18-6-9, 63) to climb to the top of the Western Conference with the win.

Kyle Smith smashed a clearance attempt off of Nelson Pierre and into his own net in the 81st minute, and the Lions (14-8-11, 53 points) survived a bobbled save by Gallese on his own goal line that was reviewed before leaving Thomas Muller alone at the top of the area in the seventh of what was originally given as five minutes of stoppage time.

Despite the heartbreaking nature of the loss, it was a deserved win for Vancouver, which dominated the game almost from the jump. Orlando City, playing without several starters, could not break out of its own end for much of the first half and essentially all of the second half, suffering wave after wave of Vancouver attack, and nearly surviving until the end until Smith’s gaffe spoiled a game well played by the veteran defender. Smith was only playing center back at all because of another key injury to Orlando that took place early in the match.

“Especially the second half, I think we could have been better. We played against a rival who — especially in that half — put a lot of people in between lines, and we couldn’t manage it or sustain the ball a little longer,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “That was a big part of the difference in the game. We couldn’t get out of that domination that they had in the second half, and that cost us.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Thorhallsson. Kyle Smith and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Nico Rodriguez, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top.

Muriel drew a free kick on the right side near the corner of the box in the third minute. Rodriguez took the set piece and blasted a curving effort on goal that Yohei Takaoka punched away. Orlando recycled and it ended up on Marin’s foot outside the area. The Spaniard shot, but the ball was deflected, sailing just wide of the right post for a corner. Vancouver cleared the ensuing set piece.

Ojeda picked out Muriel in front in the sixth minute, but the Colombian couldn’t get any power on his header, and Takaoka scooped it up, ending Orlando’s longest spell of sustained pressure of the half.

Vancouver’s first look at goal came on a Muller shot from outside the area in the 10th minute. Gallese had to make a diving stop. He spilled it, but the Whitecaps were offside on the rebound.

Moments later, the Whitecaps tried one of several direct balls over the defense to Daniel Rios. Jansson did well to get back and break up the play, but his leg buckled and he stayed down. The captain could not continue, and Duncan McGuire checked in, sending Smith to the back line and changing up the midfield, with McGuire up top and Ojeda at right wing.

“It’s a big shock when you lose probably the biggest player in the squad,” Thorhallsson said. “He’s the captain. He leads the team. It’s a big blow, but I’m praying to God that he’s OK.”

“Very disappointed with all this adversity, especially to keep losing players at this moment of the season,” Pareja said.

Gallese made another sprawling save in the 20th minute, getting down to stop a Sebastian Berhalter shot from outside the area.

Vancouver won a free kick two minutes later, but the Lions were able to deal with it. Orlando City then scored on the counter in the 24th minute. Ojeda took a pass from Thorhallsson on the left in transition and sent a ball to McGuire on the right. The big striker headed it down for Thorhallsson to run onto. The Icelandic midfielder took a touch to settle it and slotted past Takaoka to open the scoring.

“I got the ball and played it to Tincho (Ojeda),” Thorhallsson said. “He passed it to Duncan, who heads it to me and just does it really good. And I just take a touch and tried to finish as good as I can. And a happy ending, a goal. It was a really good feeling, actually. I’ve been waiting a long time for this goal.”

Vancouver spent most of the rest of the half in Orlando’s end. The Lions tried to counter multiple times but failed to connect on passes out of the back.

Edier Ocampo cut inside on the right in the 37th minute and fizzed a shot just inches outside the left post. Two minutes later, Gallese came out as Smith was beaten for pace on a ball over the top. Gallese got enough of the ball to slow the play down, shielded it, and picked it up once it entered the area.

Muriel took a pass from Ojeda and scored in the 40th minute, but he was well offside on the play and the flag correctly came up.

The Whitecaps won a few late set pieces but couldn’t pay them off despite having the ball pinging around Orlando’s penalty area. Schlegel and Marin blocked a couple of late shots, and Gallese saved Tate Johnson’s shot off the deflection deep in stoppage time on the last chance of the half.

Vancouver finished the first half with a huge advantage in possession (64.6%-35.4%) and the edge in shots (8-3), shots on target (3-2), corners (5-1), and passing accuracy (88.9%-83.5%). The Lions, however, had the only goal.

The Whitecaps started the second half the way they ended the first, keeping the ball in Orlando’s end for virtually the entire 45 minutes. The Lions periodically relieved the pressure simply by launching the ball down the field, giving it right back, but that was better than the way they turned it over trying to play through the visitors, often failing to string more than two passes together. Orlando had no answers for Vancouver’s press or counterpress.

Orlando City didn’t even attempt a second-half shot, as the Lions couldn’t get the ball into any position of danger through misplaced passes, poor touches, or a lack of composure.

Schlegel conceded the first chance of the second half with a foul just outside the area after Angulo turned the ball over. The defender earned a yellow card for his foul on Emmanuel Sabbi. Berhalter sent the free kick well over the crossbar and Vancouver committed a foul on the set piece anyway.

Smith made a crucial block to deny Rios two minutes later from point-blank range on a good cross in from the left. Marin then got up to challenge Jeevan Badwal in front, allowing Gallese to collect the loose ball in the 51st minute.

Atuesta conceded a free kick in the 65th minute after Angulo was unable to collect the ball at midfield and Vancouver broke in transition. The Colombian midfielder made up for the foul by blocking Berhalter’s free kick attempt.

Ocampo sent in a wicked cross from the right in the 71st minute that hit Gallese’s crossbar. The Whitecaps picked up the loose ball on the left and recycled the attack, with Muller firing just wide from the top of the area.

The only real attacking movement from Orlando in the second half came in the 73rd minute. Muriel took a pass and turned, sending Ojeda in behind the back line. Ojeda, however, took a heavy first touch and the ball skipped away from him, ending what might have become the Lions’ only shot after halftime.

J.C. Ngando sent fired a good shot in the 76th minute that sent Gallese diving for another stop.

The game changed in the 81st minute on a scramble in the box. The Lions looked to survive a ball pinging around in the six. Ngando laid off a pass for Berhalter, who fired off the left post. The ball went past a sliding Ryan Gauld, when Smith tried to fire it up the field. Unfortunately, the ball hit Pierre and ricocheted into the net to tie the match. There was a brief review to see if Vancouver handled the ball before the goal, but the call on the field stood and the goal counted.

Gallese made another save on Ocampo in the 84th minute as Vancouver pushed for a winner. The Whitecaps thought they’d scored it in the second minute of stoppage time. Berhalter fired a shot on the left side toward the near post. Gallese got there to make the diving stop, but he spilled it as he sprawled out of control. The ball nearly crossed the line and the Whitecaps protested. The play went to review and the call on the field stood, as there was no clear video showing the entire ball crossed the line.

It wasn’t a terribly lengthy stoppage for the review, but extra time was added, and that ended up being a bit too much time for the Lions.

A gassed Orlando defense could not close down Muller in the seventh minute of stoppage time and the ex-Bayern Munich star cut past Atuesta and sent a shot from the top of the box just inside the right post and past Gallese to win the match.

“We may be sad we conceded in the last moment of the game, but it’s not that but it’s the whole thing,” Pareja said. “I think in the second half we could have been better, and they were better than us.

The referee allowed the game to restart, and waited about a minute, but the Lions continued to be unable to hold onto possession and the match ended in disappointing fashion for the 23,465 Orlando City fans in attendance.

Vancouver dominated the stat sheet the way it dominated the match, finishing with the advantage in possession (64.8%-35.1%), shots (23-3), shots on target (9-2), corners (6-1), and passing accuracy (88.7%-79.9%).

“They just were very intense throughout the whole game,” Thorhallsson said. “They pressed man to man and just came. It felt really heavy, and they came quickly. Just a really, really good team with good players. It’s also something we need to do better, when teams actually come really high and press us, that we need to be able to be calm on the ball and keep it a little bit better.”

The loss means Orlando City cannot finish in the top four. As a result, the Lions will not have home field for the first-round, best-of-three playoff series and could still end up in the wild card play-in game.

Orlando City will head to Toronto for a Decision Day matchup a week from tonight against Toronto FC.

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Lion Links: 11/18/25

Orlando City roster update, a USMNT vs. Uruguay preview, World Cup qualifying galore, and more.

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23 hours ago

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November 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have now finished their seasons, but that doesn’t mean things slow down around here. Off-season machinations are in full swing, the United States Men’s National Team plays later today, and World Cup qualifying is still ongoing. That means we have a lot of things to talk through today, so let’s get into the links. But first, let’s wish Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero a happy birthday.

Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions

Orlando City announced its end-of-season roster decisions on Monday afternoon. For the most part, things look as expected, as we already knew the two biggest departures in the out-of-contract duo of Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo. The most surprising bit of news was Robin Jansson’s contract option being declined, although the team is in negotiations with both he and Kyle Smith regarding their returns. Another eyebrow-raising choice was Ivan Angulo’s option year being picked up, particularly after a season in which he did not score a single league goal despite having multiple breakaway opportunities. Currently there are 22 players under contract, although some of those are clear backups, youth players, or currently injured, so the front office is going to have a lot of work to do during the off-season.

Previewing USMNT vs. Uruguay

The United States Men’s National Team will play its final game of 2025 later today, when it takes on Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It will be the 10th meeting between the two teams and the first since Uruguay’s 1-0 win knocked the USMNT out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stage. The mercurial Marcelo Bielsa manages the side and helped guide Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying earlier this fall. Uruguay will be without big names like Darwin Nunez, Federico Valverde, and Nicolas Fonseca, but the side still has plenty of star power with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, and of course, former Lion Facundo Torres. Look for Bielsa to use a 4-3-3 with an energetic press and either the fullbacks or wingers inverting.

World Cup Qualifying Results

UEFA’s World Cup qualifying continued on Monday and there were several eye-catching results. Germany dismantled Slovakia 6-0 to secure a first-place finish in Group A and the World Cup spot that comes with it. Not to be outdone, Czechia beat Gibraltar by the same score but only managed to finish second in Group L. The Netherlands beat Lithuania 4-0 to finish top of Group G and also punch a ticket to next summer’s tournament, while Orlando City’s Marco Pasalic was an unused substitute in Croatia’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Montenegro, which ensured his team finished an undefeated run through Group L.

World Cup Qualifying Preview

There’s even more qualifiers taking place today, with both UEFA and Concacaf in action and big stakes on the line. Scotland faces Denmark, and needs to win at home in order to leapfrog the Danes into first and the automatic qualifying spot, while a draw for the Danes will be enough for them to retain the top spot. Austria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a similar situation, as a draw or win will see Austria stay in first, while Bosnia and Herzegovina must win to overtake the Austrians. In Concacaf, Group C has a ton of drama with three teams still able to secure automatic qualification. Honduras is currently top with eight points and better goal differential than Haiti, which also has eight points, while Costa Rica is in third with six. Costa Rica will play Honduras, while Haiti takes on Nicaragua, and there’s any number of ways this could all shake out.

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That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Announces Roster Update Following 2025 MLS Season

The club has announced the roster decisions and contract statuses following the 2025 campaign.

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2 days ago

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November 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City has finally released the club’s roster status update and let us know the decisions on contract options following the 2025 campaign — the Lions’ 11th season in Major League Soccer. The biggest news had mostly already happened with the departures of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Cesar Araujo, who were both out of contract after the season. The writing had been on the wall in terms of both departures.

The most surprising news from today’s announcement is that the club declined the option year on captain Robin Jansson’s contract, but the club is in negotiations with both the veteran center back and out-of-contract defender/midfielder Kyle Smith.

Orlando City already had 14 players currently under contract for the 2026 season: forwards Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić, and Nico Rodríguez; midfielders Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson; defenders David Brekalo, Adrián Marín, Tahir Reid-Brown, Rodrigo Schlegel, Zakaria Taifi, and Thomas Williams; and goalkeeper Javier Otero.

Additionally, the Lions exercised the contract options on Iván Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, and Yutaro Tsukada; midfielders Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, and Martín Ojeda; and defender Alex Freeman. The club declined Jansson’s option year, as well as options for three players who were regulars for OCB: goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, midfielder/forward Shak Mohammed, and midfielder/forward Favian Loyola.

Smith is out of contract, along with Gallese and Araujo, but it’s not surprising that the Lions are trying to bring him back as he is a versatile depth player who can fill in at a number of spots.

Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was to be out of contract as well, but he signed a new contract five days ago that will keep him in Orlando through 2026 with an option in 2027.

What It Means for Orlando City

If Jansson isn’t re-signed, the Lions will have to go shopping for a top-notch center back. Jansson may have lost a step this season, but he was still the best and most consistent defender on Orlando City’s back line when he was in the lineup. Entering 2026 with a plan to start Schlegel and Brekalo is at best a lateral step to what the club had in 2025, which wasn’t good enough, as the Lions did not record a clean sheet after June 14. The back line wasn’t solely to blame, as Gallese and the central midfield have to shoulder some of that burden, but the critical breakdowns defensively in 2025 occurred more often than in previous seasons.

The biggest surprise to me was the club picking up Angulo’s option. The Colombian didn’t score a single goal in MLS for the first time since 2022, when he only appeared in nine games at the end of the season. It’s not as if Angulo didn’t have multiple golden opportunities to score, as he failed to finish on multiple clear-cut breakaways with only the goalkeeper back throughout the season. At more than $500,000 in annual base salary, the club can afford a defensive-minded player scoring five goals a season — as he did in both 2023 and 2024 — but cannot afford to have a left wing who can’t score a single goal, given the opportunties his speed affords him.

Tsukada and Gerbet are promising young players who are coming off serious injuries, and it’s nice to see the club make a commitment to helping them get healthy and continue their development. Atuesta’s return was made more important by Araujo’s departure, and although Cartagena signed a new deal, more depth will be needed in central midfield.

The club’s biggest off-season need right now is to replace Gallese in goal.

Post-2025 Orlando City Roster Status (Current club players in italics)

  • Iván Angulo: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • César Araújo: Out of contract
  • Eduard Atuesta: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • David Brekalo: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Gustavo Caraballo: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Wilder Cartagena: Signed new contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Alex Freeman: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • Pedro Gallese: Out of contract
  • Joran Gerbet: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club options through 2028
  • Colin Guske: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Robin Jansson: Option declined – In negotiations
  • Favian Loyola: Option declined
  • Adrián Marín: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Duncan McGuire: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Carlos Mercado: Option declined
  • Shak Mohammed: Option declined
  • Luis Muriel: Under contract through 2026
  • Martín Ojeda: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Javier Otero: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028
  • Marco Pašalić: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Tahir Reid-Brown: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Nico Rodríguez: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Rodrigo Schlegel: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Kyle Smith: Out of contract, in negotiations
  • Tyrese Spicer: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Zakaria Taifi: Under contract through 2026, club options through 2029
  • Dagur Dan Thórhallsson: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Yutaro Tsukada: Under contract through 2025, with club options in 2026 & 2027
  • Thomas Williams: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028

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Lion Links: 11/17/25

Pride fall to Gotham FC in NWSL semifinals, Lions in action abroad, USMNT defeats Paraguay, and more.

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2 days ago

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November 17, 2025

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Image of Anglina preparing to take a shot against Gotham FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work and covering high school basketball. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to Gotham FC in NWSL Semifinals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL semifinals Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The match was scoreless for 90 minutes, and it looked like it was heading for extra time. Jaedyn Shaw converted a last-minute free kick for the game-winning goal in stoppage time. The Pride had one last chance towards the end of the match to get a late equalizer when Oihane put her header on goal, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a clutch save to seal the win. Gotham FC will play in the NWSL Championship for the second time in three years. The Orlando Pride’s 2025 season ends just short of making a second consecutive NWSL Championship.

Lions in Action Abroad

Several Orlando City players were in action during the international break. Defender David Brekalo played a full 90 minutes, but Slovenia fell 2-0 to Kosovo in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Forward Marco Pasalic started and played 62 minutes as the Croatians defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1 in UEFA World Cup qualifying and qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Croatia will be in action again later today against Montenegro. Gustavo Caraballo came off the bench late in the second half, but Venezuela fell 2-1 to North Korea in the round of 32 in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Thomas Williams started for the U-21 U.S. Men’s National Team in its 1-1 draw against Denmark.

Fullback Tahir Reid-Brown came off the bench in the second half for the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team in a 2-1 win against Costa Rica.

USMNT Defeats Paraguay in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 2-1 Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was in action for the USMNT, coming off the bench and playing 23 minutes. Gio Reyna scored the opener in his return to the starting XI for the USMNT for the first time in 16 months to give the Yanks an early lead. Alex Arce scored the equalizer for Paraguay. In the second half, Falorin Balogun scored the winning goal to help the USMNT edge Paraguay. The Americans are unbeaten in their last four matches. The next match for the U.S. will be Tuesday against Uruguay in Tampa.

Washington Spirit Return to NWSL Championship

In the other NWSL playoff semifinal match from the weekend, the Washington Spirit returned to the NWSL Championship for the second consecutive time, securing a 2-0 win against the Portland Thorns Saturday at Audi Field. Gift Monday and Croix Bethune scored for Washington. Trinity Rodman returned to play for the first time since spraining her right MCL on Oct. 15. Before the match, multiple reports stated that Rodman had received lucrative transfer offers from European clubs as her contract expires next month. The Spirit will face Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja was in Europe over the weekend to watch Maro Pasalic play for the Croatia Men’s National Team, while also checking in with AFC Bournemouth to observe operations, share knowledge on coaching, and check out the club’s front office management as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
  • U.S. Soccer announced its 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees, featuring Kevin Crow, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Tony Sanneh, Kari Seitz, and Chris Wondolowski.
  • Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Italy 4-1, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998.
  • Nigeria fell to Congo DR 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the CAF World Cup playoff final and will miss a second straight World Cup.
  • One Knoxville SC defeated Spokane Velocity 2-0 to win the USL League One Championship.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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