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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Go Gently to that Goodnight

The performance on Decision Day against Toronto wasn’t rock bottom. Orlando was second best from the jump in Chicago and is out of the playoffs.

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2 months ago

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Image of Eduard Atuesta shielding the ball against the Chicago Fire.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City never appeared to be in the match in a thorough 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference wild card match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL. The Lions somehow managed to keep the game scoreless for a half, but Brian Gutierrez scored early in the second half and Hugo Cuypers added another less than 10 minutes later by blocking a Pedro Gallese clearance attempt into the net — the second time in three games that’s happened to Orlando — after Cesar Araujo made a poor choice to pass back from close to his goalkeeper.

Cuypers put the game away with a second goal as Orlando completely capitulated. Tyrese Spicer spoiled the shutout with a late goal for the Lions, who crash out of the postseason and finish without a win in any of their final five matches of the season.

“Frustrating and disappointed just to end up losing in this first game of the playoffs,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And we have pain, knowing that we could have done much better, but probably the second half was an image of what happened in the last few games. Chicago in the second half was much better and created those three goals.”

Pareja had his usual starting lineup available to start the game. Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Araujo returned to the starting central midfield with Eduard Atuesta between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top.

The entire first half belonged to Chicago. Orlando City’s attacking players struggled to combine every time they crossed the halfway line. As a result, the Lions got generously credited with one shot attempt in the first half on a Schlegel header from the top of the area on a 40-yard set piece from Atuesta late in the half that went out of play about halfway between the left post and the corner flag. Only one team looked likely to score, and it was the one Orlando kept giving the ball to.

That came to fruition in the second half, which consisted of seemingly endless giveaways and Chicago counterattacks, with cracks in the defense turning into gaping holes. Orlando was at least able to muster a few shot attempts in the second half, including Spicer’s goal, but the damage was already done by that point.

Each team won an early set piece but neither did anything with it in the opening 10 minutes of the match as the teams felt each other out. The first shot attempt didn’t come until the 15th minute, when a ball was knocked away from a Chicago attacker in the box and fell to Gutierrez, who shot first time but sent it well over the bar.

Brekalo blocked a Jonathan Dean cross out of play for a corner moments later but needed treatment and had to get checked for concussion. The Lions had to defend the set piece with 10 men as a result and Jack Elliott had a free header, sending it just inches wide of the right post. Gutierrez tried from long range again in the 23rd minute but hit the shot well wide to the right.

McGuire got into the box in the 29th minute with a nifty play to chip the ball over the center back to himself, however, the touch was heavy enough that Dean recovered and cleared it before McGuire could reach it and shoot. That was as close as the Lions came to a true scoring chance in the opening half.

The Lions should have gotten a scoring chance in the 35th minute when Ojeda picked off a wayward Chicago pass. The Designated Player had space to shoot at the top of the area, but he tried to thread a ball through traffic and turned it over instead. That was the Lions’ final chance to make Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady do anything in the opening half.

Cuypers started to make a nuisance of himself a minute later, darting behind the defense to get in on goal. Gallese came out and made himself big, blocking the attempt out for a corner.

Gallese parried the entry ball on the corner kick but didn’t make good contact. He was, however, able to scoop it up after it deflected off a body off to the side of the net.

In the 39th minute, Cuypers again split the center backs, getting to a ball over the top behind the back line. Jansson was able to catch up and bother the Chicago striker enough so that his attempt was off target.

The Lions survived quick transition moments after giveaways by Atuesta and Angulo in the defensive third as the half wound down. Orlando finally won a free kick from long range late. Atuesta served it to the top of the box and it came off a head in the middle. That head was judged to be Schlegel’s, although it was difficult to tell. The ball went nowhere near goal.

Orlando City was fortunate to make it to halftime without conceding, given almost all of the first 45 minutes were played in the Lions’ end of the field. Chicago finished the half with more possession (53.5%-46.5%), shots (9-0), shots on goal (1-0), and corners (2-1). The Lions passed slightly more accurately (83.8%-83.1%) but struggled to connect on anything once they reached the halfway line.

Chicago wasted no time breaking the scoreless deadlock after the half as absolutely nothing changed on the field for Orlando City. The Fire came straight down the field to start the half and Gutierrez saw his shot blocked in the 46th minute. Two minutes later, Gutierrez put Chicago on top. Angulo was unable to deny a cross in from the right and Jansson, who appeared to be perfectly positioned to deal with it, slipped and fell. The ball got through as a result and the midfielder stuck it inside the post to make it 1-0.

“it was super soft,” Jansson said of the SeatGeek Stadium turf. “I was unlucky. I slipped. I had studs, but, yeah, couldn’t even help with studs. So, I don’t know what I should put on my cleats. I feel like those are the type of goals that we have conceded, which is too easy, and we have to work so hard to even create and score goals. Just frustrating.”

The Fire broke in the 51st minute and Gutierrez hit the post. The bigger problem for Orlando at the time was that Jansson slipped and came up injured on the play. For the rest of the match, the captain was unable to run at full speed, could hardly jump, and even visibly winced after sending a long ball up the field with his left leg. Despite being obviously injured, he stayed on the pitch and was a liability in transition — a problem, given the Lions were trailing the game.

Three minutes later, Gallese made a stop on a try from Jonathan Bamba to keep it a one-goal game.

Angulo got credit for a shot from a tight angle on the left in the 55th minute, but it appeared to be a cross that was simply too close to Brady.

A disastrous sequence doubled Chicago’s lead in the 57th minute. Araujo did well to get in between Chicago players on an attack and had control of the ball. Facing goal and only a few yards from his goalkeeper, Araujo passed slowly back to Gallese rather than simply clearing the danger out for a throw or sending it behind for a corner. Cuypers continued his run and although Gallese tried to fire it out wide to his left, Cuypers got a foot in front and deflected it into the net to make it 2-0.

Orlando finally got a legitimate look at goal in the 60th minute. A ball deflected out to Pasalic at the top of the area and the Croatian took his shot on the volley. He got decent contact, but didn’t hit it as true as he would have liked. His effort was on target but bounced perfectly up for Brady to knock wide. Two minutes later, McGuire got his head to a floating cross but couldn’t get much power on it and Brady got over to catch it.

Cuypers tried to make it 3-0 in the 64th minute, trying to hit a shot with his first touch from the left side, but he missed the target badly. Bamba got in behind down the left, running onto a perfect curling long ball as Schlegel got caught up the pitch, which was a problem throughout the second half. Jansson struggled to keep up after aggravating his knee injury but did well to at least force Bamba to stay left of goal. Gallese made a huge save to deny Bamba, but Gutierrez picked up the rebound on the other side, sending his shot off the post in the 66th minute.

“We were asking (Jansson) about his pain in the knee. Many times he expressed that he could persist and play normally,” Pareja said. “But I think two of those three goals in the second half, it was the result of somebody’s sliding or something.

Two minutes later, Orlando’s deficit grew. Chicago broke in transition yet again, and Brekalo was playing much more narrowly than usual, possibly because Orlando was trying to go to a three-man back line or because he was trying to compensate for Jansson’s lack of mobility. Either way, it left room for Philip Zinckernagel to send him down the right. The Designated Player fired home to make it 3-0. If the match hadn’t already been put to bed, the third goal hammered the final nail into the coffin.

Luis Muriel came on for Pasalic after the goal and Orlando immediately turned the ball over on the restart and Schlegel conceded a free kick on the counterattack. The free kick turned into a corner that Orlando dealt with. However, Bamba got a good opportunity moments later, only to be denied by Gallese.

Down three goals, Orlando continued to turn the ball over and concede set pieces, but the Lions were at least able to handle those. Gallese made a good save on Zinckernagel in the 77th minute and Brekalo blocked a Gutierrez shot two minutes later with an empty net behind him as the Lions kept handing Chicago transition opportunities.

Ojeda hit the outside of the post in the 81st minute looking to get Orlando on the board, although by that time it was probably too late.

Brekalo blocked another Zinckernagel effort in the 83rd minute to keep the score from getting worse. Rominigue Kouamé then missed the net moments later.

Spicer spoiled the shutout in the 89th minute. The second-half sub got down the left side alone on Brady on a great through ball from fellow substitute Adrian Marin and blasted a cannon shot over the goalkeeper’s right shoulder and in to make it 3-1. It was Marin’s first assist for Orlando City.

After one more save from Gallese on Kouamé, the match — and Orlando City’s season — was over.

Chicago finished with the advantage in possession (52.4%-47.6%), shots (25-7), and shots on target (9-4). Each team won three corners and Orlando City passed slightly more accurately (85.2%-84.2%), but most of the passes from both teams took place in Orlando’s half of the field.

“The first thing that comes to mind is it’s not good enough. It’s a sad moment,” Jansson said. “I felt that we came out with at least the energy in the beginning, the first half of the first half. I think we had the energy there. We tried, but we didn’t really manage to get the ball up there to create something, and then we started to lose a little bit of that energy I felt like halfway through the first half. And then, yeah, the second half was not good enough.”

“I thought we could have been better,” Pareja said. “I still want to show our gratitude to our fans and the people who have supported us during all this period, and today we just feel pain not to advance in the next stage.”

That’s the 2025 Orlando City season. It started with a lot of promise but seemed to be completely derailed by a run in Leagues Cup that was much deeper than the roster turned out to be. The Lions were never the same team after the midseason competition.

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Orlando City

Schlegel Transfers to Atlas; Smith Says Goodbye to Orlando City

Orlando City bids goodbye to the Argentine defender and agent of chaos, while The Accountant says farewell to the City Beautiful on Instagram.

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8 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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Image of Rodrigo Schlegel in a goalkeeper kit in Orlando's playoff shootout win over New York City FC in 2020.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s back line will look different in 2026 as veterans Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith are headed elsewhere. The club announced today that Schlegel is headed to to Atlas FC in Liga MX via transfer, while Smith took to Instagram to say goodbye to the City Beautiful and his teammates. 

Screenshot image of Kyle Smith's Instagram announcement saying goodbye to Orlando City.

Schlegel, 28, heads to Mexico after six seasons as a Lion. Smith, 33, was out of contract after the 2025 season, and although the club announced it was negotiating with the versatile defender about a return, he is apparently leaving after spending seven seasons in Orlando purple. The club did not disclose the transfer fee in the transaction sending Schlegel to Mexico.

“Rodrigo has been an incredible part of our history,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His commitment, passion, and leadership have left a lasting mark on this club. From his unforgettable role in our first playoff (penalty shootout) win to helping us lift our first trophy in our MLS era, Rodrigo has given everything to Orlando City. We are deeply grateful for all he has done, both on and off the field, and (we) wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of his career.”

Orlando City signed Schlegel on Dec. 30, 2019, on loan from Argentina top-flight side Racing Club. The Lions picked up the player’s permanent transfer option following the 2020 season and picked up his option for 2022 on Dec. 1, 2021. Schlegel signed a new contract just over a month later, inking a deal through the 2023 season with clup options for 2024 and 2025. Those options were picked up and at some point in 2025 the defender signed a new deal through 2026 with an option for 2027, but it was not announced.

The Remedios de Escalada, Argentina, native appeared in 180 matches (155 starts) with Orlando City across all competitions — playing in the fourth-most games in club history. He scored four goals and added one assist. He scored two of those goals in MLS play, where he earned a reputation as a rugged (and sometimes reckless) defender with tireless energy and a penchant for taking risks to make a play that led him to 34 career yellow cards and four red cards in the MLS regular season, with six more cautions and one additional sending off in his 11 MLS Cup playoff appearances (10 starts).

Schlegel etched his name into club history and folklore in the Lions’ first-ever MLS playoff game, when he donned a goalkeeper’s jersey and gloves and stepped in for Pedro Gallese after the goalkeeper was sent off with a second yellow for leaving his line early during penalties following a 1-1 draw. Schlegel saved Gudmundur Thórarinsson’s penalty to help Orlando City defeat the Pigeons 6-5 on spot kicks and advance to the conference semifinals.

During his career, Schlegel was part of six consecutive playoff teams and helped the club win its first major trophy of the MLS era, when the Lions captured the 2022 U.S. Open Cup championship. He always seemed to be a Plan B player who fell into a starting spot for a significant portion of each season. He never started fewer than seven matches (2020) in a season and saw double-digit starts in five of his six seasons in Orlando, filling in at various times for Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo.

Former Orlando City coach James O’Connor brought Kyle Smith to Orlando after winning back-to-back USL titles with him at Louisville City. Smith signed on Dec. 21, 2018. He easily outlasted O’Connor in Orlando, signing a second deal through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023 on March 29, 2021. The club signed Smith to a new one-year deal with an option for 2024 on Dec. 5, 2022, before his second deal was complete. That option year was picked up, and Smith was out of contract after the 2024 campaign, but Orlando signed the versatile fullback/center back/midfielder to a new one-year contract through 2025 on Dec. 13, 2024. The Lions announced they were in negotiations to re-sign Smith after the 2025 season, but the Cincinnati native’s Instagram post seems to indicate that will not happen.

Smith departs with a high rank in the club’s all-time lists of appearances (second, with 216), starts (tied for sixth, with 122), and minutes (fifth, with 11,116). He made 178 of those appearances and 102 of those starts in the MLS regular season, with an additional 10 playoff appearances and two postseason starts. Smith posted four goals and nine assists in the regular season but did not have a postseason goal contribution. He leaves Orlando having produced a total of five goals and 12 assists across all competitions.

What It Means for Orlando City

Both defenders were popular among the fans, so it’s a bit of a shock to lose both in the same off-season. Smith jerseys may be spotted in the stands at Inter&Co Stadium for years to come, while Schlegel may deserve a statue for what he did in that penalty shootout vs. NYCFC.

However, after Orlando failed to secure a clean sheet after June, it’s little surprise that changes are happening at the back. Schlegel made $500,000 in base salary and just over $600,000 in total guaranteed compensation in 2025, while Smith hauled in $270,000 in base salary and $318,000 in total guaranteed compensation. That clears nearly a million bucks off Orlando City’s books, and it will be interesting to see how that — plus any profit from Schlegel’s transfer — is used to shore up the back line.

Moreira will want to put his own stamp on the roster, and with the departures of Gallese, Schlegel, and Smith, there will obviously be a different look in the defensive end. At the moment, Brekalo and Jansson would seem to be the starting center backs, with Alex Freeman on the right and Adrian Marin on the right.

That said, Moreira could have something more ambitious in the works. Another center back has to be on the off-season shopping list with Homegrown Thomas Williams also recently leaving the club. Orlando City would do well to bring in one or two athletic center backs to push Jansson and Brekalo for playing time. Another left back is also necessary, as Smith would often deputize as the first-choice backup left back, although Marin backed up Brekalo in that spot in 2025 while Schlegel was in the middle. Tahir Reid-Brown may get a good look in preseason camp, but left back is a position of need.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/16/25

Orlando City close to new goalkeeper, Michael Bradley lands big coaching job, MLS transfer news, and more.

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17 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. I have no idea how we’re just a little over a week away from Christmas, but somehow it’s right around the corner. Hell, the MLS SuperDraft is just two days away, and that frankly seems absurd. Nonetheless, we have an absolute glut of news to sort through today, so let’s jump into today’s links.

Orlando City Closing on Carlos Coronel

Orlando City will reportedly have its new starting goalkeeper soon. On Monday, Tom Bogert stated that the Lions ae finishing up a deal to sign free agent shot stopper Carlos Coronel, formerly of the New York Red Bulls. The 28-year-old Paraguayan international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the last two seasons, and landing him is a great move on paper for OCSC. Mr. Scoops also noted that the team is still finishing up deals to sign Tiago and Luis Otavio.

New Coach for New York

The New York Red Bulls announced on Monday morning that the club has hired Michael Bradley to be its next head coach. Bradley had been the head coach of New York Red Bulls II for the last six months and now takes over the top job from Sandro Schwarz, who departed in October after the Red Bulls missed the playoffs. This will be the 38-year-old Bradley’s first senior head coaching job, although he did spend time with Norwegian side Stabaek as an assistant. The Red Bulls will need to sign a new starting goalkeeper and also have an open Designated Player slot, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting and Emil Forsbeg fill the other two DP positions.

MLS Transfer Roundup

The MLS news doesn’t stop there though, because we have a couple items of MLS transfer business to go over. We begin with Inter Miami, as the Herons have announced the signing of free agent fullback Sergio Reguilon. The Spanish defender joins the team on a deal through 2027 with an option year for 2028. We then move to the Western Conference, where FC Dallas has signed Ran Binyamin from Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 21-year-old is under contract through the 2028-2029 season and has options for the 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 seasons. We then move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the MLS Cup runners-up signed defender Nikola Djordjevic from Vancouver Whitecaps 2. The 23-year-old fullback has a deal through the 2026 season, with option years for 2027 and 2028. We finish with the LA Galaxy, which acquired Jakob Glesnes and homegrown priority for Jamir Johnson from the Philadelphia Union. In exchange, the Galaxy sent the Union $1.1 million in guaranteed General Allocation Money with up to another $1.1 million in conditional GAM going to Philly if certain incentives are hit.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of American players taking part in matches during the working week, and domestic cup action is the prevailing theme. Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and PSV Eindhoven host GVVV Veenedaal in the second round of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Thursday sees Christian Pulisic and AC Milan take on Napoli in the Italian SuperCup semifinals, before things finish on Friday with Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach playing Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga action.

Free Kicks

  • The installation of new grass has been completed at Inter&Co Stadium.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/15/25

Former Lion Mauricio Pereyra retires, Orlando City assistant coach Fabian Bazan departs the club, Americans abroad, and more.

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2 days ago

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December 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been busy at work as we get close to Christmas and covered some high school bowling and basketball over the past week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Mauricio Pereyra Retires

Orlando City posted on social media over the weekend that former Orlando City captain and midfielder Mauricio Pereyra has retired from professional soccer.

Pereyra spent five seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from FC Krasnodar in 2019, scoring seven goals and adding 29 assists in 136 appearances across all competitions. The 35-year-old recently played for his former club, Nacional, in Uruguay. He also spent time at Lanus, and we here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.

Orlando City Assistant Coach Fabian Bazan Departs After Six Seasons

Orlando City and Assistant Coach of Fitness and Performance Fabian Bazan have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Orlando City announced the news Saturday. Bazan joined Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s coaching staff prior to the 2020 season after working with him at previous clubs since 2015. During his tenure, Bazan was part of Orlando City’s coaching staff during its successful run, winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, qualifying for two Concacaf Champions Cup tournaments, and making six consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances.

Americans Abroad

Plenty of Americans were in action in Europe over the weekend. Christian Pulisic played 73 minutes for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo, while Weston McKennie played a full 90 minutes as Juventus beat Bologna 1-0. Antonee Robinson made his return to the starting XI for Fulham and played a full 90 minutes as his side defeated Burnley 3-1 on the road. Two Americans squared off in Ligue 1 as Tim Weah and Marseille faced Folarin Balogun and AS Monaco Sunday. Both players played a full 90 minutes as Marseille edged Monaco 1-0. Ricardo Pepi became the first USMNT player to score in four straight appearances in all competitions in the Eredivisie since Aron Johannsson did it in 2013-2014, as PSV Eindhoven defeated Heracles Almelo 4-3. Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth will face Manchester United in Premier League action later today.

Free Kicks

  • A biopic film focusing on Orlando Pride forward Marta’s soccer journey is reportedly in development.
  • In local college soccer news, the Rollins College Tars fell 2-0 to Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II men’s soccer national championship. Meanwhile, the Florida Tech Panthers defeated Franklin Pierce 3-0 to win the NCAA Division II women’s soccer national championship over the weekend.

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

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