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Top 10 Moments of 2025: Martín Ojeda Scores Orlando City’s First Hat Trick Since 2015

In our No. 8 moment of 2025, Martín Ojeda became the first Lion since Cyle Larin to score an MLS hat trick, ending Orlando City’s 10-year hat trick drought.

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5 months ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

As we count down to the new year of 2026 — which will be Orlando City’s 12th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 11th in the NWSL, and OCB’s fourth in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2025, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

Despite my wish for it not to be so, 2015 was a long time ago (this article is publishing on Christmas Eve, so we must start with a rhyme).

Orlando City’s first season in MLS was way back in 2015, and that season 10 years ago seems almost like it happened in a different universe as I think back on it, with the club playing its games in Camping World Stadium (then called the Citrus Bowl) and in a league that had 10 fewer teams and one fewer player named Messi who gets whatever he wants than it does now. The Orlando Pride were not yet in existence and neither was Orlando City B, but the Lions debuted in their purple uniforms and came close to qualifying for the playoffs in their debut season, finishing one spot below the line in the Eastern Conference and one spot ahead of their expansion brethren NYCFC, who back then, as now, played in a baseball stadium that is utterly unsuited for soccer.

Going into the club’s debut season Orlando City had won the “Priority Draft” and the opportunity to make the first selection in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, and with that first selection the Lions chose Cyle Larin. The Canadian hit the ground running, winning the MLS Rookie of the Year Award after setting the league’s rookie record for goals scored in a season with 17, an amount that also still stands for the Lions as the most scored by an Orlando City player in an MLS season.

Larin’s 17 goals included not one but two hat tricks, punishing both New York teams, and Orlando City fans at the time could be forgiven for thinking that hat tricks like in the video below (Larin’s second hat trick of the season) would be events that they would see frequently in the years to come.

That did not happen.

After Larin’s second hat trick of the 2015 MLS season the Lions went 10 years until their next one, though they did manage to allow seven different opposing players to score hat tricks in between. In fact, there were 125 total hat tricks in MLS play in between Larin’s hat trick against the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 25, 2015 and the Lions finally ending their hat trick-less streak this season, and every team except Sporting Kansas City, St. Louis City, and San Diego had at least one during that time, and St. Louis (2023) and San Diego (2025) just recently joined MLS.

Perhaps Larin put a curse on the team after his acrimonious departure from the club or perhaps it was just bad luck, but after his phenomenal performance in New York, the well ran dry on hat tricks.

That is, until May 10 of this year, when Martín Ojeda decided that enough was enough and put three goals past New England. Alas, his three goals were not enough to earn the Lions three points, as they gave up three themselves and squandered that hat trick in a 3-3 draw at Inter&Co Stadium.

The Argentinean came into the game on a cold streak, having gone six straight games without a goal, and after starting the first nine games of the season, he had been moved to a bench role in the two previous MLS games. After this outstanding performance against New England he went on to start every game except one during the rest of the season though — a wise decision by Óscar Pareja, as Ojeda became the first Lion to achieve 30 goal contributions in a season.

Ojeda’s run to 30 did not start against New England, but his three goals in this game certainly helped propel him forward. Speaking of propelling forwards, Ojeda’s first goal against New England might have been the hardest shot he took all season. Physics will tell you that his shot could not have started to accelerate halfway toward the goal, but the video clip below certainly makes it look like it did, as Ojeda hit a shot that looked more like a NASA rocket launch than a soccer shot and blew by goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič before he get even get his hands up in the air.

Just 10 minutes later Ojeda had his brace, as he timed his run perfectly to sprint onto a well-played through ball by Joran Gerbet. He shifted from power to flair for this goal, showing some fancy footwork to get the ball onto his favored left foot and then placing a low, hard shot into the near corner, putting Orlando City up 2-0.

Ojeda then succeeded like no other Orlando City player had since 2015, scoring his third goal of the game after Gerbet was fouled in the box, earning a penalty kick for the Lions. He took the spot kick confidently, stutter stepping slightly to get Ivačič to commit to one side and then putting his shot to the opposite side, restoring the Lions’ lead and causing hats to fly in the purple smoke filled air.

Orlando City could not hold that lead, as the Lions gave up a penalty kick of their own late in the game that New England converted to tie the game at 3-3. That was how the game ended, a frustrating result for the team, as twice the lads in purple could not hold a lead and allowed the Revolution to get back level.

The team result is always more important than any individual accomplishment, and as a selfless leader, Ojeda surely would have traded his three goals for three points. As we look back on the 2025 season, May 10 certainly stands out as one of the best performances by any player in a single game though, and for that, plus the fact that he ended a 10-year hat-trick drought, Ojeda’s three-goal game is a worthy inclusion in the top 10 moments of the year.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2025 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2025

10. Orlando City clinches a playoff berth for a sixth consecutive season on Alex Freeman’s late game-tying goal.

9. Luis Muriel’s hat trick powers Lions to Leagues Cup knockout rounds.

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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head north of the border to try to build on the win in Miami.

Published

9 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda taking a shot against CF Montreal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday afternoon matchup between Orlando City (3-7-1, 10 points) and CF Montreal (3-7-0, 9 points) at Stade Saputo (4:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the second of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2026, wrapping up the regular-season series early.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 9-9-7 against Montreal in the all-time regular-season series and 11-10-7 in all competitions since they joined MLS. OCSC is 4-5-3 in MLS road games against Montreal in the regular season and 4-6-3 in all matches played away to Montreal (this includes a “road” match at Red Bull Arena during pandemic protocols).

The teams met earlier this season on March 14, with Orlando City winning 2-1 — the club’s first win of the season and its first victory in interim head coach Martin Perelman’s inaugural match at the helm. Duncan McGuire and Martin Ojeda scored on either side of a Prince Owusu goal with all of the scoring coming in the first half.

Prior to the start of the 2026 season, the most recent meeting was a 1-1 draw in Orlando on July 12, 2025. Ojeda gave the Lions a lead that appeared set to hold up, but Rodrigo Schlegel’s foul in the box on Owusu allowed the Montreal forward to level the match late from the spot. That was the second of two matches that failed to find a winner last year. The teams played to a scoreless draw in Montreal on April 19. The Lions’ efforts at bringing home a road win took a hit in the second half when Rafael Santos was sent off.

The teams met in Orlando in the 2024 Leagues Cup on July 26, with the Lions running rampant in a 4-1 home victory. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique, and Ojeda staked Orlando to a 4-0 lead. Josef Martinez scored for Montreal, although his bid for a brace was denied when Pedro Gallese stopped his penalty kick attempt.

The two sides met in Montreal on April 20, 2024 trading goals in a 2-2 draw at Stade Saputo. Mason Toye opened the scoring early, but Torres equalized from the spot a few minutes later. Ariel Lassiter appeared to win it late in normal time for the hosts, but Ivan Angulo struck in stoppage time to earn Orlando City a road point. These teams opened the 2024 season against each other in Orlando and played to a 0-0 draw. The Lions dominated the stat sheet but had a goal waved off for offside and simply weren’t lethal enough.

The teams met twice in 2023, completing the season series on Sept. 30, 2023, with Orlando winning 3-0 in dominant fashion. Jonathan Sirois’ own goal opened the scoring, and Thorhallsson and Torres added strikes for Orlando City. That revenge for OCSC, after Montreal defeated Orlando City 2-0 on May 6 at Stade Saputo. A Robin Jansson own goal got Montreal started in the second half and Romell Quioto added a second goal four minutes later.

These two sides played their biggest game against each other in the 2022 MLS playoffs, with CF Montreal knocking Orlando City out of the postseason by a 2-0 scoreline on Oct. 16, with goals by Ismael Kone and Djordje Mihailovic — the latter coming deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot.

Each team won at home in the two-game, regular-season series in 2022, with Montreal thumping Orlando 4-1 on May 7. Joel Waterman, Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, and Zachary Brault-Guillard did the damage on the scoreboard and Orlando City managed just two shot attempts, with Joao Moutinho’s goal on a set piece spoiling the shutout. Orlando City did not have either starting center back for that match, and it showed. The teams also met on opening day of the 2022 season, when Orlando City captured a 2-0 home win behind second-half goals from Alexandre Pato and Benji Michel.

In 2021, the teams met in Montreal with the Lions earning a 2-0 road victory on Decision Day to clinch a playoff spot. Sebas Mendez and Daryl Dike provided the goals. That season’s matchup in Orlando came on Oct. 20, 2021, with the visitors managing a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller struck for the Lions just before halftime, but Rudy Camacho answered on a corner kick header shortly after the restart. The first meeting of 2021 took place Sept. 15 in Orlando with the Lions falling 4-2 and finishing the game with just nine men after both Nani and Andres Perea were sent off. Quioto led Montreal with a goal and two assists. Mathieu Choiniere and Quioto put Montreal up 2-0, but despite already being down one man, Jansson and Ruan tied things up. The visitors got two more from Lassi Lappalainen and Sunusi Ibrahim.

The teams met at Red Bull Arena in late 2020, as the team then known as the Montreal Impact played home games in New Jersey due to the pandemic. Orlando City got a Dike goal in the 39th minute to win 1-0 on Nov. 1, 2020. It was the second meeting of the 2020 season, with Orlando also beating Montreal 1-0 in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout rounds on July 25 to advance to the quarterfinals. Tesho Akindele scored the game’s only goal on a Montreal defensive mistake.

Orlando City snapped a six-game winless streak against Montreal (0-5-1) in MLS regular-season play dating back to 2016 when the Lions put the Impact to the sword in a 3-0 drubbing at Stade Saputo on June 1, 2019. Nani (penalty), Akindele, and Will Johnson supplied the offense that day. The Lions fell 3-1 at Exploria Stadium on March 16, 2019, and Ignacio Piatti was a big reason why, scoring his ninth and 10th career goals against Orlando, adding to a strike by Orji Okwonkwo. Dom Dwyer added a cosmetic goal late for Orlando City.

Montreal did not allow a goal against the Lions in 2018, sweeping the two-game set, and the Impact shut out Orlando City in three of the six meetings in that 5-0-1 run. The lone draw in that time frame was a 3-3 shootout in Orlando in 2017, in which the Impact led deep in stoppage time, only to see Jonathan Spector’s well-placed header steal the Lions a point.

Orlando won the first two meetings in 2016 by a combined score of 6-2. The teams split three meetings in 2015, with each going 1-1-1.

Overview

Orlando City is heading into its fourth consecutive road game in all competitions and is coming off a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over rival Inter Miami a week ago. Trailing 3-0, the Lions rallied behind Ojeda’s hat trick and Tyrese Spicer’s late winner to stun the Herons and become the first team to record an MLS win at Nu Stadium. Having a full week off between games for the first time since the second week of April might mitigate the natural tendency for a team to suffer a letdown after an emotional win, but the Lions have quietly won three of their last four matches in all competitions despite conceding nine goals in that span, because they’ve scored 14 of their own. Ojeda has scored five of his seven goals this season over that set of matches, climbing into the Golden Boot race, while Homegrown Justin Ellis has a four-match point streak in all competitions.

The Lions are still just 1-4-1 away from home in MLS play this season, so despite winning the first meeting back in March, they’ll need to stay focused for 90 minutes to get a result in Quebec.

Montreal, meanwhile, has gotten off to a rougher start than Orlando City this season. While the Lions sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with 10 points, Montreal is in 14th on nine points, but has a game in hand, is 2-1-0 in its three home matches this season, and has won its last two at Stade Saputo in league play and its last three on its home ground in all competitions. Tonight’s hosts are coming off a 5-0 home win over Alberta Premier League side Calgary Blizzard SC in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday using a mixed lineup of regulars and rotational players. CF Montreal last played an MLS match a week ago, lowing 3-1 at Atlanta United.

Owusu, who scored in the first meeting this season, is easily the biggest threat on the Canadian side, with six goals and four assists in 10 appearances. Wikelman Carmona has added three goals and two assists from the Montreal midfield.

To get the win tonight, Orlando’s defense must show up. The Lions can’t count on putting three or four goals in the net each game, especially as these consecutive road matches continue to add up. A better showing from the defense is needed, as the team continues to bleed goals and has surrendered a league-worst 32 in 2026. Montreal’s defense is fourth worst in the Eastern Conference having conceded 23 times in 10 games but held the Lions to two in Orlando in March.

“They changed their coach, so that changed a lot of things for them that we’ve analyzed, just like they’ve analyzed us,” Perelman said ahead of the match. “We’re going to prepare for the game like we always do, knowing they’re at home. We want to go there with a lot of energy, fighting as always for the points, because at the end of the day, that’s what we want.”

Orlando City will be without Joran Gerbet (knee), while Nolan Miller (knee) and Marco Pasalic (thigh) are listed as questionable. Montreal will be without Fabian Herbers (lower body), Owen Graham-Roache (lower body), Bode Hidalgo (lower body), Hennadii Synchuk (lower Body), Josh-Duc Nteziryayo (lower body), and Brayan Vera (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tyrese Spicer.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, David Brekalo, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tiago, Duncan McGuire.

CF Montreal (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Thomas Gillier.

Defenders: Luca Petrasso, Efrain Morales, Brandan Craig, Dawid Bugaj.

Midfielders: Matty Longstaff, Samuel Piette, Victor Loturi.

Forward: Ivan Jaime, Prince Owusu, Wikelman Carmona.

Bench: Sebastian Breza, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Olger Escobar, Aleksandr Guboglo, Tomas Aviles, Frankie Amaya, Kwadwo Opoku, Noah Streit, Daniel Rios.

Referees:

REF: Marcos DeOliveira II.
AR1: Jeffrey Greeson.
AR2: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 4:30 p.m.

Venue: Stade Saputo — Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

TV/Live Stream: 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!

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Orlando City Has Chance to Finish Strong Before World Cup Break

The Lions have an opportunity to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference before the World Cup break.

Published

1 day ago

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May 8, 2026

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Image of Duncan McGuire celebreating a goal with Ivan Angulo against CF Montreal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City only has four more league games to play before Major League Soccer takes a break until late July to accommodate the World Cup. While the Lions have started to move in the right direction with two wins in their last three league games, the good guys still sit 13th in the Eastern Conference table. Fortunately, Orlando has a good opportunity to make up some ground in the standings before the league goes on its summer sabbatical. Let’s take a look at why.

For one thing, despite the rough start to Orlando’s season, the Eastern Conference as a whole hasn’t had a particularly strong go of things either. Nashville SC is atop the standings with 23 points, but no other team has eclipsed the 20-point mark, and Orlando is just five points behind fifth place D.C. United. Contrast that to the Western Conference, where the San Jose Earthquakes have 28 points at the top of the table, five teams have 20 or more points, and Orlando would be 10 points out of fifth place.

Another factor in OCSC’s favor is who it’ll play in its next four games. The Lions will only face one team currently above the playoff line, while they’ll also take on the two teams directly below them, and the team directly above them in the standings.

First up is Saturday”s road match against CF Montreal — a team the Lions have beaten already this year — which currently sits one point and one place below Orlando in the table. After that, Orlando gets a midweek game on Wednesday when it hosts the Philadelphia Union. Philly is currently last in the East with six points, and while the Union’s 17 goals conceded is actually sixth best in the conference, the total of nine goals the team has scored is comfortably the worst.

A few days after hosting Philly at home, Orlando will welcome Atlanta United to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, May16. The Five Stripes are currently level with OCSC on points but sit one spot ahead of the Lions in the standings due to a superior goal difference. The toughest test, at least on paper, will come in the final game before the break when the Lions travel to face sixth-place FC Cincinnati. Anything can obviously happen once the games are being played, but in theory this stretch of the schedule is a more welcoming one than the period that saw Orlando play New York City FC, Nashville, and LAFC on the road in quick succession.

Then there’s the state of the Lions themselves. The defense admittedly still needs some work, as Orlando is yet to keep a clean sheet in the league and has conceded fewer than two goals in only four of its 11 games. Thankfully, the offense is improving though. Orlando has scored 10 goals in its last three league games, and bagged an additional four against a heavily rotated New England Revolution side in the U.S. Open Cup.

Outside of the actual product on the field, OCSC is slowly but surely starting to get healthier. Eduard Atuesta and Wilder Cartagena have both made returns from injury, Robin Jansson has been back in the starting lineup for a few games now, and Duncan McGuire also made an appearance from the bench in the 4-3 win over Inter Miami. Injuries haven’t been the only thing that have hampered Orlando this year, but they certainly haven’t made life any easier either, and having key players back is never going to be a bad thing.

Given how topsy turvy this season has been so far, it’s anyone’s guess as to how these next four games will play out on the field. But given the middling state of the Eastern Conference, the quality of the upcoming opponents, Orlando’s improved offense, and an increasing pool of healthy players, the Lions have a good opportunity to start digging themselves out of the hole they find themselves in at the bottom of the standings. The games still need to be played, but given how hopeless things looked in March, it’s just nice to have some reasons to be hopeful. Now all the Lions need to do is take advantage of the chance in front of them. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 5/8/26

Orlando City prepares for CF Montreal, Pride host North Carolina tonight, Johnny Cardoso injured, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 8, 2026

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Image of goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! We have some exciting games ahead of us over the next few days, with three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy. It all starts with the Orlando Pride’s game tonight, with Orlando City playing Saturday afternoon, and Orlando City B wrapping things up on Sunday. Make sure to plan your weekend accordingly! Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Gets Ready for Road Match

The Lions are on the road this weekend for a game in Canada against CF Montreal on Saturday. Orlando is coming off of a dramatic 4-3 win over rival Inter Miami, with Martin Ojeda scoring a hat trick. Ojeda has had Montreal’s number in recent years, scoring at least once against the Canadian club each year for the past three years. Orlando hasn’t lost to Montreal since 2023, but it also hasn’t won on the road against Montreal since 2021. Saturday’s match will also be a reunion of sorts for goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who joined Montreal’s academy at age 15 and played there for nine years. He was excellent in Orlando’s win in Miami, so hopefully he can keep it up in his home country.

Orlando Pride Host North Carolina Courage Tonight

The Orlando Pride are back in action tonight with a home game against the North Carolina Courage. Both teams are coming off of losses last week, with the Pride falling 4-2 to the Washington Spirit. Tonight’s match will pit the league’s top two scorers against each other, with Barbra Banda scoring seven so far while Ashley Sanchez has scored five. The Pride will play three consecutive road games after tonight, putting an emphasis on a strong showing at home. It’s also Survivor Night at the stadium, so make sure to bring any immunity idols if you’ll be in attendance. The Pride could use any advantage they can get.

Johnny Cardoso Injured Ahead of World Cup

Atletico Madrid announced that American midfielder Johnny Cardoso was diagnosed with an ankle sprain he sustained in training, casting doubt on his availability for the World Cup next month. He’ll now work on rehabilitation before the club provides a timetable for his return. The 24-year-old started in the United States Men’s National Team’s game against Belgium in March, but he had to exit that camp due to injury as well. Hopefully he has a smooth and successful recovery from this.

English Clubs Reach European Finals

Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League, overcoming a loss in the first leg to secure a spot in the final. John McGinn scored twice to help his team reach its first major European final since 1982. Villa will play in the final on May 20 against SC Freiburg, which also bounced back from a loss in the first leg by beating Braga 3-1 in Germany. A red card to Mario Dorgeles in the sixth minute reduced Braga to 10 men early on and Lukas Kubler bagged a brace for Freiburg.

In the Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace won 2-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk to advance to the final on May 27 against Rayo Vallecano. As a result of this week’s semifinals across the continent, English clubs are in contention to win the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.

Free Kicks

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

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