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Orlando City vs Colorado Rapids: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Drop Final Preseason Scrimmage

Final preseason scrimmage opens questions about the season ahead.

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3 weeks ago

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Image of Tyrese Spicer attempting a cross against Colorado in a preseason friendly.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City entered the last game of the preseason with a number of questions still hanging out there. What does the back line look like with three off-season departures and the injury to Robin Jansson? How do you replace a unicorn like Alex Freeman? What does the goal mouth look like without El Pulpo there? How is the attack shaping up with Luis Muriel and Ramiro Enrique off playing elsewhere?

The short answer: there’s a long way to go. The back line has problems. Ivan Angulo didn’t appear to be a great replacement, but that may have been an injury replacement. Maxime Crepeau was fine but nothing stood out. The attack is, at best, an incomplete because Martin Ojeda was a late scratch for an illness.

The lineup was a mix of long-time starters and new faces in new places. Crepeau started in goal, with David Brekalo and Iago in the middle of the back line. New possible starters on the defensive wings were Adrian Marin at left back and Ivan Angulo at right back. Wilder Cartagena came back into his familiar role at defensive midfielder, behind Eduard Atuesta, who was flanked by Braian Ojeda and Marco Pasalic. Tyrese Spicer and Tiago played up top.

“(Angulo’s) a winger and we’re trying to fill a spot.” Pareja said after the match. “We have (Zakaria) Taifi who had some difficulties in the week…so we were trying to come up with some solutions.”

Martin Ojeda sat out the game with an illness. Luis Otavio continues to recover from injury while Joran Gerbet will be out for a while after knee surgery.

“Tincho wasn’t available today. He had a fever…so tonight, he couldn’t go. On my drive in, my thought was ‘this may be good. let’s see it that way.'” Pareja said regarding Martin Ojeda. He added that Ojeda had an outstanding preseason, so it was good to see what the team could do without him.

The opening stretch featured a lot of back and forth as the teams felt each other out and probably were still adjusting within their own shapes. Atuesta played as the 10 significantly more than in the past, filling Martin Ojeda’s role. That left Cartagena as the defensive shield in front of the back line.

The Lions put together a few good offensive looks after the first 10 minutes. There was a nice diagonal from Cartagena that turned Spicer loose. Spicer laid it off to Atuesta, who seemed to be of two minds whether to shoot while open or connect with Tiago. At the 12-minute mark, Pasalic slipped a through ball to Tiago who got walled off by Colorado’s Lucas Herrington.

Two minutes later, Atuesta put in a dangerous corner that Iago couldn’t put a head on.

Colorado opened the scoring in the 19th minute as the left attacking side opened up for them and a dangerous cross was slotted home by Rafael Navarro.

Spicer continued to be dangerous and continues to look like someone that can open up the defense with his speed and size. He made multiple runs into space — it’s now a question of turning those runs into assists and goals.

In the 28th minute, Zack Steffen got caught on a backpass with Tiago and Spicer almost in position to take it from him and put it home. In the 33rd, Marin turned Spicer loose in the box but he was knocked off balance and scuffed the shot wide.

Cartagena drew a foul 35 yards out in the 35th. Pasalic was able to deliver the free kick into Marin but Colorado knocked it out for a corner. Spicer got to a ball popped up off the corner but couldn’t put it under the crossbar.

Colorado got a second goal against the run of play with a long cross by Darren Yapi to the head of Navarro. Iago could’ve done more to prevent it but he’s also playing into form with a new team.

The first half ended with a whimper as neither side really threatened to close out the first 45. The only passion shown in the last few minutes was a shoving match after the whistle that got both teams involved. There had been some shoving in earlier corners between Yapi and Iago, so it may have come off of that.

Colorado’s first-half goals were a result of transition play and is exactly the kind of weakness you would expect from a new defensive unit. There’s a lot to put together on the defensive end for a team a week away from opening day. The right side of the defense is where both goals originated from, but it’s way too early to figure out if that’s due to leaning on Angulo playing fullback or the rest of the defense adjusting.

Being a preseason game, we don’t have official stats but Orlando definitely took more shots, probably on the order of 7-4. However, none of Orlando’s shots were on target and Colorado put two in the net, which is the point of the game. Offensively, it feels similar to last year, although you can see where Martin Ojeda was missed today as Atuesta didn’t quite present the same offensive threat.

As in the first half, both teams came out in the second half a little disconnected. In the 53rd, Braian Ojeda won a free kick 40 yards away. Pasalic sent it in but the attacking line was offside. Pasalic had a good game with how dangerous his free kick service was.

Duncan McGuire came on right after, replacing Tiago.

In the 60th, Spicer raced to intercept a pass at the top of the offensive box and was tripped, drawing a dangerous free kick opportunity. Pasalic and Atuesta lined up over it and Atuesta curled the kick around the wall and found the inside of the far post to make it 2-1.

“Marco asked me if I wanted to shoot. I asked him if he was seeing the same thing I was about the first or second post,” Atuesta said. “When I saw one of the players going to the first post…he chose for me.”

“It was perfect because he (Steffen) couldn’t see because of the two players from us, so he (Atuesta) did a good job,” Pasalic added.

Colorado quickly responded. Yapi was turned loose behind the defense and Crepeau came out to try to cut down the angle and left Yapi with a fairly simple goal to restore the two-goal advantage.

Orlando City suffered, as is a familiar refrain, from attacking flash with no real service to the strikers. Tiago was mostly invisible and McGuire was never in a position to do anything with a ball.

Yutaro Tsukada came on for Spicer at the 70th minute mark. Spicer’s night ended with flashes of something but there will need to be more precision.

McGuire finally found himself on the end of a through ball but couldn’t get anything on it. He then ran down a long ball but his touch took him a bit wide and didn’t leave him a great angle to covert.

Colorado was then given a free kick at the top of the 18 off a foul after a bad clearance. Paxten Aaronson tapped the ball to Dante Sealy, who deflected it off the scrum and Crepeau made a good save to turn it around the post. Orlando City couldn’t gain possession in the ensuing play and eventually Aaronson sent in a corner that Herrington was able to use his height to get to and put it in the back of the net to close out the scoring.

Orlando City started to dump the bench with youth as Justin Ellis, Nolan Miller, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Carabello came on for Atuesta, Angulo, Cartagena, and Pasalic over a five-minute span.

The only bright spot of the youth movement was a wonderfully curved long ball from Miller to McGuire, whose touch failed him again but he was able to turn it into a corner.

The game ended with a whimper as the time ran out. The Lions have a lot of questions to answer. Both Pasalic and Atuesta commented after the game that the loss could be seen as good as it gives them things to fix and keeps them focused after two positive results earlier in the preseason.

With the preseason complete, Orlando City opens MLS play next Saturday at 7:30 p.m., against the New York Red Bulls.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions hit the road for the first time in 2026, hoping to turn things around and get their first win of the season.

Published

7 hours ago

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March 7, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday matinee matchup between Orlando City (0-2-0, 0 points) and New York City FC (1-0-1, 4 points) at Yankee Stadium (2:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of the two scheduled meetings between the Lions and Pigeons this season with the return leg in Orlando set for Oct. 24.

Here is what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 7-11-8 in 26 meetings with NYCFC in the all-time series in MLS play and 7-11-10 including one playoff match and one U.S. Open Cup meeting (remember, games that go to penalty shootouts in knockout competitions officially count as draws). Orlando is 2-8-2 on the road in regular-season games in the all-time series. Things have trended the Pigeons’ way the last few years, as the Lions are 0-5-2 in the last seven meetings between the teams.

The teams met twice last year and NYCFC swept the season series. In the most recent matchup, Orlando City blew a late 1-0 lead at home on July 16 through Robin Jansson’s goal. But Rodrigo Schlegel smashed a clearance attempt off Kyle Smith and into his own net just a few minutes before the end of normal time, tying the game. Alonso Martinez scored the winner on a counterattack in stoppage time to end the game 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

In Orlando City’s first road game of the 2025 season, the Lions fell 2-1 at Yankee Stadium on March 8. Martinez opened the scoring in the second half, with Luis Muriel equalizing. However, just two minutes after Muriel’s goal, Hannes Wolf scored what turned out to be the game winner.

In Orlando, on July 20, 2024, the two 2015 expansion rivals played to a 1-1 draw. Ramiro Enrique and Wolf traded goals five minutes apart in the second half to account for all the scoring. The Lions and Pigeons met at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2025, with New York City FC winning 4-2. An early Santiago Rodriguez goal opened the scoring and then things went horribly wrong when an obviously offside Malachi Jones collided hard with Orlando goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar. Both players left the game and both had season-ending surgery to repair broken tibias and fibulas. Javier Otero made his MLS debut in goal off the bench and the Lions allowed two goals in first-half stoppage time to let a close game get out of hand. Orlando pulled two goals back through Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Duncan McGuire, but Mounsef Bakrar sealed the game late for NYCFC.

The teams met at Citi Field — a different baseball stadium than NYCFC’s usual one — on Sept. 20, 2023. The Pigeons were rude hosts, winning 2-0 on goals by Bakrar and Talles Magno. It snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten run but the Lions clinched a playoff spot that day anyway due to other results around the league. These teams also met in Orlando on May 17, and with the Lions poised for a 1-0 win, NYCFC eked out a late 1-1 draw with an 89th-minute Gabriel Segal goal out of nowhere. Ercan Kara scored for Orlando City early.

The teams faced off at Red Bull Arena (one of NYCFC’s many homes away from home) on Oct. 2, 2022, with the Pigeons erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit that Facundo Torres provided. The “hosts” got second-half goals from Alex Callens and Magno to complete the comeback and win, 2-1. Earlier in the year at Exploria Stadium, the Lions got a Tesho Akindele goal at the death, stunning NYCFC as Orlando City won 2-1 on Aug. 28, 2022. Junior Urso and Maxi Moralez had scored early in the first and second half, respectively.

Orlando City had a five-game unbeaten streak in the series (1-0-4) absolutely demolished on July 25, 2021 in a 5-0 OCSC loss at Yankee Stadium. The Lions started a makeshift lineup, and it showed, as the Pigeons got goals from Jesus Medina, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Moralez, Malte Amundsen, and Valentin Castellanos. Why the makeshift lineup? That match was sandwiched between home games against Philadelphia and Atlanta, with quick turnarounds for each. The strategy was sound, as Orlando won the other two games in that nine-day span.

The teams met in Orlando on May 8, 2021 and drew 1-1. Nani smashed a golazo in the second half to put the Lions on top, but Joao Moutinho fouled Tajouri-Shradi in the box and Castellanos scored from the spot to equalize.

The last meeting of the 2020 season happened in the postseason and things got weird. Orlando City ultimately prevailed in penalties after a 1-1 postseason draw on Nov. 21, 2020. Nani put Orlando ahead from the penalty spot, only to see Maxime Chanot equalize on a set piece. Extra time couldn’t settle it, so to penalties we went, and the Lions advanced thanks to a save by Schlegel — after goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was sent off with a second yellow for coming off his line early. Benji Michel’s blast was the difference in the shootout. (Seriously, just click the above link in this paragraph and relive that madness.)

The Lions and Pigeons wrapped the 2020 season series on Oct. 14 at Exploria Stadium, playing to a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller opened the scoring but Keaton Parks equalized just before halftime. The first meeting of 2020 also took place in Central Florida in the MLS is Back Tournament on July 14, when Mueller’s brace and a late Akindele insurance goal led Orlando to a 3-1 win. Medina scored for NYCFC. That win snapped Orlando City’s 0-4-3 streak in the previous seven competitive meetings with the Pigeons. The last match in that winless streak against NYCFC was a 1-1 draw, with the Lions then dispatching NYCFC from the U.S. Open Cup in a penalty shootout on July 10, 2019. That night has been immortalized for the running of The Wall and Adam Grinwis’ heroics in goal.

The teams drew both regular-season meetings in 2019, 1-1 on April 27 at Yankee Stadium, and 2-2 on opening day at Exploria Stadium. NYCFC took all three meetings in a dismal 2018 season series. The Lions went 2-1-0 against New York City FC in 2017, including a win to christen the stadium now known as Exploria with Cyle Larin scoring the only goal in a 1-0 OCSC win. Orlando was 3-1-2 in 2015 and 2016 in the first six meetings with NYCFC.

Overview

Orlando City opened the season with two consecutive losses for the first time in club history. The Lions have played one good half and one bad one in each match but have yet to put a full 90 minutes together. Perhaps getting away from home would be a recipe to change the energy, but in this case, the club travels to one of its least-successful away venues. Orlando has been a decent road team since Oscar Pareja took over, but Yankee Stadium is still a difficult place for the Lions to pull points out of.

New York City FC, meanwhile, has opened the season unbeaten through two games with a win and a draw, and the Pigeons will be at home for the first time. This start is despite Martinez being out of the lineup due to injury. NYCFC opened the season with a road draw against the LA Galaxy and followed with a 2-1 win at Philadelphia. Like Orlando, the Pigeons have had three different goal scorers through two matches.

The Lions must try to keep Wolf at bay, as he’s hurt Orlando before and has one of his team’s goals already this season. Nicolas Fernández Mercau is another attacking player to watch. Moralez is always a dangerous provider and he too has hurt the Lions in the past. Defensive midfielder Keaton Parks has returned after blood clot issues a year ago and has picked up where he left off. In the back, Matt Freese is one of the league’s top goalkeepers, and Orlando will need to be clinical to beat him.

“First, we know in terms of results that we can bounce back. I think our team, in the last game, already gave us signs of improvement, cohesiveness, and doing what we need much more efficiently in order to win,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “Now we need to keep doing that but win games. And there’s no doubt that we are urgent to get results, and on a field this weekend that is a challenge, but I think we have a good mentality and that the boys are ready.”

Orlando City will be without Colin Guske (suspension), Joran Gerbet (knee), Wilder Cartagena (thigh), and Jansson (foot), while Adrian Marin (thigh) remains questionable. The good news is that center back Nolan Miller, who left last weekend’s game with a knock, is not on the availability report. NYCFC will be without Martinez (leg), Malachi Jones (leg), and former Lion Andres Perea (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Dylan Judelson, Eduard Atuesta, Harvey Sarajian, Tiago, Duncan McGuire.

New York City FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Freese.

Defenders: Kevin O’Toole, Kai Trewin, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray.

Midfielders: Keaton Parks, Maxi Moralez, Aiden O’Neill.

Forwards: Hannes Wolf, Nicolas Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda.

Bench: Tomas Romero, Nico Cavallo, Drew Baiera, Strahinja Tanasijevic, Raul Gustavo, Jonathan Shore, Maximo Carrizo, Seymour Reid, Talles Magno.

Referees:

REF: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Gerard-Kader Lebuis.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4TH: Ricardo Montero Araya.
VAR: Geoff Gamble.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

How to Watch

Match Time: 2:30 p.m.

Venue: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY.

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: 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

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC

Get up to speed on this year’s NYCFC team, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

1 day ago

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March 6, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Another weekend brings another opportunity for Orlando City to pick up its first points of the still-young 2026 Major League Soccer season. To do that, OCSC will need to beat a team that is unbeaten through its first two games, as the Lions are heading to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC on Saturday.

A trip to the baseball diamond means I took the time to catch up with Matthew Mangam, who is one of the senior writers over at the independent and always excellent Hudson River Blue. He was kind enough to help us refamiliarize ourselves with the Pigeons, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.

Talk me through NYCFC’s off-season transfer business. Who went out the door, and who arrived to replace them?

Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s biggest loss this off-season was Justin Haak, who joined the LA Galaxy as a free agent. Defensive midfielder and center back Kai Trewin joined the club from Melbourne City, serving as the unofficial replacement for Haak. Alonso Martínez, who tore his ACL, and Andrés Perea, who fractured his lower right leg, aren’t official departures but will spend most of the season recovering from their respective injuries. NYCFC also loaned out Julián Fernández and Mitja Ilenič. 

Of those new arrivals, who has been the most impressive through the first two games of the season?

MM: I’m going to cheat a little bit here and say Keaton Parks — he missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to address blood flow issues in his right leg. Since appearing in the season opener and starting the last game against Philadelphia, Parks looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s contributed on both sides of the ball, bringing great energy and consistency. 

Who is an NYCFC player with the potential to be an X factor in this game, and why?

MM: Hannes Wolf. He scored the opening goal against Philadelphia in true Hannes Wolf fashion: opportunistically pouncing on a deflection in the box and burying it in the back of the net. The only issue is that Wolf struggles with consistency, but in his two seasons at NYCFC, he started each year in good form. I would say Nico Fernández Mercau could also be an X-factor, but he’s playing as the No. 9 — not his natural position — which has clearly affected him a bit.

Will anyone be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

MM: Besides Martínez and Perea being out with long-term injuries, NYCFC is healthy. Talles Magno is coming off a calf injury, which happened in preseason, but he will likely play at least 10 minutes off the bench. Jonny Shore is also working back to full fitness, so it’s unclear if he’ll get any time as a substitute on Saturday.

I expect NYCFC to keep its lineup the same from the win over Philadelphia:

Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, Raul Gustavo, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Aiden O’Neill, Keaton Parks; Agustin Ojeda, Maxi Moralez, Hannes Wolf; Nicolas Fernández Mercau.

I think NYCFC wins 2-0, with Wolf and Parks getting on the score sheet.

Thank you to Matthew for the excellent info on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 3/6/26

Leagues Cup schedule unveiled, Orlando Pride sign Reagan Raabe, USWNT prepares for Colombia, and more.

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1 day ago

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March 6, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Friday! It’s been a bit of a hectic week but I’m looking forward to spending the weekend enjoying some soccer and visiting my family for a birthday. Hopefully Orlando City can get a win on the road on Saturday and bring points back to the City Beautiful. Before we get started, we want to give a shout out to “Flip,” the latest subscriber at the TAM Player level in our Buy Me a Coffee membership program. Thanks for your support and welcome to The Mane Land family! Now, let’s jump right into today’s links!

Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Schedule Revealed

The schedule for this summer’s Leagues Cup is out and we now know which Liga MX teams Orlando City will play against. All three of Orlando’s games in the first phase of the tournament will be at Inter&Co Stadium, starting with a match against Monterrey on Aug. 5. The Lions will then take on Club Leon on Aug. 8 before playing San Luis on Aug. 12. Of the 18 MLS clubs taking part in the Leagues Cup, only the top four will advance to the knockout stage. Last year, the Lions went unbeaten across their four matches against Mexican teams before falling in the semifinals and the third-place match.

Orlando Pride Sign Reagan Raabe 

The Orlando Pride signed forward Reagan Raabe to a short-term contract that will last through June of this year. The 24-year-old has been with the club throughout its preseason as a non-roster invitee. Raabe joins the Pride following a collegiate career with the University of Nebraska, recording four goals and six assists in her final season after missing a couple of years due to injury. Hopefully she can continue to impress the coaching staff and make an impact this year.

Analyzing Colombia Ahead of USWNT Match

The United States Women’s National Team will play Colombia on Saturday in the final game of this year’s SheBelieves Cup. Colombia lost 4-1 to Canada in its first match but bounced back with a 1-0 win over Argentina. One of the top nations in South America, Colombia finished second in last year’s Copa America and boasts a versatile attack that does well with possession or in transition. The U.S. will need to limit Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo as much as possible. The 21-year-old has scored in both of Colombia’s games this tournament and has the talent to create opportunities out of seemingly nothing.

WAFCON Postponed Until July

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was set to begin on March 17, has been postponed until July 25 and is set to last through Aug. 16. This decision comes amid reports that Morocco wished to withdraw as the tournament’s host and it’s unclear at this time if Morocco will still host it later this year. Many NWSL players are impacted by this change, including Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, whose Zambian side will face Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt in the group stage. The tournament doubles as qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the quarterfinalists directly securing a spot in Brazil next summer.

Free Kicks

  • We have some rumored numbers to put to how much Orlando City was offering to pay Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann. Even if the move doesn’t come to pass, I can appreciate the club taking a big swing.
  • Nothing is official yet, but the United States Men’s National Team’s jersey for the upcoming World Cup may have been spotted in the wild. It looks like the Waldo kit with a twist, literally.
  • Toronto FC officially added center back Benjamin Kuscevic on loan from Fortaleza in Brazil’s second division.
  • Walid Regragui stepped down as Morocco’s head coach with only a few months to go before the World Cup. Mohamed Ouahbi will take over for Regragui and it will be his first time coaching a senior team.
  • Relegation is growing into a real possibility for Tottenham, which lost its fifth-straight match after a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
  • Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas on Ted Lasso, made a splash with a pair of goals in an exhibition match while training with Chicago Fire II.

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

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