How Orlando City Can Avoid Another Roller Coaster Season

In the past, Orlando City seasons tended to be roller coasters. The club alternates between struggling to score and looking like the best team in the league. All teams have ups and downs during a season, so some of it is to be expected, but if the Lions hope to win MLS Cup, the team will need to avoid the wild swings that have hurt them over the last few seasons.

What can Orlando City do to be more consistent in 2026?

A Good Start

In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Orlando City struggled at the beginning of the season before finding a rhythm sometime in the summer. In 2025, the team started strong before schedule congestion made for a more up-and-down summer. The team surged and then faded down the stretch into the playoffs. Still, a strong start allows for lapses later in the season.

With plenty of longtime players departing, and new faces joining the club, getting positive results early will be a challenge. It almost always takes time for new players to acclimate to a new city, a new club, a new system, and — depending on where they are coming from — a new league. Maxime Crepeau has been in MLS for years, but he will still need to get to know the defense in front of him. Additionally, the returning defenders need to learn how best to work with him.

That process is more difficult for players new to the league or without as much experience as Crepeau. If Orlando City can somehow manage to get good results while in the process of integrating the new players, that will go a long way toward a playoff appearance or a trophy in another competition. The Lions will need the new guys to hit the ground running.

Manage the Minutes

This might be the thing most easy to control and also most difficult to achieve. Orlando still has depth issues to address. Per online reports, it looks like the team will move on from Luis Muriel, which will open up a Designated Player spot. That spot will almost certainly be filled with a striker or attacking midfielder. Center back depth is critical right now, and the Lions need other pieces as well.

Quality depth will be crucial with Orlando City competing in the U.S. Open Cup and the Leagues Cup in addition to the MLS regular season. In the past I have advocated for Orlando City to sacrifice the Leagues Cup in favor of the regular season and the Open Cup, and I will do so again. I don’t see Oscar Pareja following my advice.

Pareja will field the best team he can in any match — setting early Open Cup matches aside. We’ve seen in the past that he will ride a lineup almost to exhaustion. While it may seem like he doesn’t want to change things if it’s working, it probably has more to do with him not trusting the backups. This is where Orlando City’s quality of depth comes into play.

Maintain Production

Orlando City’s Designated Players were very productive in 2025. Martin Ojeda raised his play to a Best XI-worthy level until the end. Marco Pasalic was a pleasant surprise in reproducing the productivity of the departed Facundo Torres. Muriel had his moments as well, though not enough for the money. It was a good year overall for the trio.

Hopefully, Orlando City will add a DP to provide an increase on Muriel’s production. If that happens and the other two can maintain or improve on their goal contributions, then better results are easier to come by. Losses that become draws and draws that become wins make a difference in both the standings and in the mentality of the players.

Defensively, the Lions will need to shore things up, especially with a new keeper in goal. If healthy, it’s possible Robin Jansson can regain his 2024 form. The same goes for Wilder Cartagena. There are still too many holes in the defense for my comfort, but I’m hoping Ricardo Moreira addresses those needs soon.

Postpone the Peak

In 2023, Orlando City finished the regular season in strong fashion and made a run to the Eastern Conference semifinal. In 2014, the Lions also finished the regular season in good form, and made a run to the Eastern Conference final. In 2025, Orlando City limped into the playoffs and was promptly dispatched in the wild card match. If the Lions are to climb the rest of the mountain and raise the MLS Cup, the team will need to peak later in the year and —  like every other team to win a trophy — get a little luck along the way.

Doing so is certainly possible. Theoretically, the new players will be fully integrated into the team by that time. If Orlando City has managed to save the legs of the starters and develop trust in the bench players, then fatigue won’t be as big of an issue. That is where luck comes in. Getting a high enough finish to have good seeding in the playoffs and being fortunate to get an opponent against which the club matches up well can make a difference. As does the next opponent, and so on.

There are other things that can contribute to a trophy winning season. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!