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The Mane Event: Awarding Gold, Silver, And Bronze to the Best Hairstyles in Orlando City History

A look back at some of the best hairstyles worn by Orlando City players during the club’s history.

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2 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

We are finally, finally, just a few days away from a real, live Orlando City soccer match, and my excitement level has me bouncing around like a bunny (not a good or bad/Bad bunny, just a regular one who bounces a lot) in anticipation of the season opener on Saturday night. Orlando City will host the New York Red Bulls in that game, and then follow that up by hosting Inter Miami, going on the road to play New York City FC, and then returning home against CF Montréal, giving the team three games out of the first four in Inter&Co Stadium and a chance to hopefully start the season off more like the hare than the tortoise.

Speaking of hare, or rather its homonym, hair, the Lions acquired defender Griffin Dorsey this week from Houston, and his acquisition gives them a proven fullback who has five years of experience playing right back in MLS. Dorsey brings that experience and a glorious manbun to the City Beautiful, and it allows us the opportunity, in these last few days before we have actual games to pore over and analyze, to look back at some of the other outstanding hairdos in club history, and, in honor of the Winter Olympics, to award a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medal to the best in-game manes. Let’s begin.

We will start with those who almost made the podium, but ended up long on style (and often on hair) but came up just short.

Brek Shea

Shea’s long, flowing, blonde hair was often on full display as he sprinted up and down the left side of the field in the Citrus Bowl/Camping World Stadium. The former USMNT player was not afraid to diversify his looks during his career, going with short hair, colored streaks, cornrows, a mullet, a manbun and a few looks that cannot be easily described in words, except just to say “Brek Shea.”

Robin Jansson

The Beefy Swede always brings the thunder on the field and the lightning on his head, usually with his blonde hair in a razor-sharp combover. But on occasion, as seen in the photo above, he took the combover to a different level, channeling Scandinavian and Disney icon Elsa by going with a platinum/ice colored combover.

Facundo Torres

Speaking of lightning (or is it lightening?), my son’s all-time favorite Lion, Facundo Torres, perhaps was channeling Orlando’s famed boy bands on occasion by showing off some colored looks that approached but never quite reached the frosted tips that were associated with Lance Bass, Nick Carter, and Justin Timberlake. I am quite confident that those four have never been mentioned in a sentence together, until now.

Junior Urso

The Bear took Jansson’s platinum look to a new level, going from night to day by dyeing his natural black hair a full 180 degrees opposite, and bringing a polar bear to Inter&Co Stadium for the first time.

Pedro Gallese

El Pulpo brought a variety of hairstyles to his goalkeeper box during his years in Orlando, but the bleached short afro was one of my favorites. Most octopi color with dark ink, but as all Orlando City fans know, Gallese was one of a kind, so of course he could go blonde.

Adrian Winter

One of the most beloved former Lions wore a look that is arguably more iconic than, say, a white shirt often worn by a certain current head coach. Winter’s time in Orlando was far too short, but he is always remembered fondly by Lions fans, especially for his 94th-minute goal to equalize against Real Salt Lake in 2016, after which the entire team completely messed, and mussed, up his manbun.

Nani

No Orlando City hair list is complete without Nani’s bleached ponytail, a look that fit perfectly with Nani’s style of play, as it was long on bravado and flair, but came up short at the very end, as it fell just short of making the Orlando City podium for the best hair in club history.

And now, for the medalists…

Bronze Medal: Gustavo Caraballo

Orlando City’s youngest ever player has had less time on Earth than any other Lion to contemplate how to style his hair, yet he came up with one of the best looks in club history. Only Favian Loyola came close to matching the bounce and the flop of Caraballo’s locks, and the picture above does not do the Venezuelan’s current look justice, as his hair has even more flow now than it did when that picture was taken last season. His hair matches perfectly with how he plays the game, as it is a whirling dervish of a look for a whirling dervish of a player, and one who I think will perform at a high level under that high hair.

Silver Medal: Darwin Cerén

The Salvadoran was more of a midfield destroyer than a creative force on the field, but the same cannot be said for his hairstyle, as nobody in club history can match the creativity for the designs that Cerén cut into his hair. Cerén rolled out a new look nearly every week, and those side or back-of-the-head designs went perfectly alongside his faux or full mohawk, which was always cut sharply and styled perfectly. Cerén left the club in 2016, but there has not been a player since who even came close to surpassing his stylish looks. It is fitting that his name is Darwin, because his hairstyle was fully evolved.

Gold Medal: Aurélien Collin

As if there could be any other choice. He may have only played 30 games for the club, but no player in club history had a more distinctive look than Collin’s imperial bald head, sitting above the unusual number 78 on his Orlando City jersey. Some may debate the saying that bald is beautiful, and as I am a proud member of the bald brotherhood for nearly 20 years, you might think I am biased (how dare you?) in saying it unequivocally is, but Collins is one of one, and because of that, he stands alone at the top of the podium, wearing a gold medal that, ironically, displays the king of the jungle with a flowing mane.

[Editor’s note: We did not vote on this. Please direct all vitriol at Andrew.]

The new season starts in just a few days, giving us all the opportunity to see if any Orlando City players will debut new hairstyles that knock any of the current medalists off the podium. If there are any players that I missed, feel free to work yourself into a lather in the comments, and tell me who I missed and how harebrained it was that I forgot that player’s hair.

Once we get that settled, we can turn our attention from the style of their hair to their style of play, in hopes that it starts reflecting success as often as Collin’s head reflected light, which is to say during every minute of every game. It starts against the Red Bulls on Saturday night, and I hope you are as excited as I am to see if the Lions can get their groom, I mean, their groove on and pick up all three points.

Vamos Orlando!

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

The banged-up Lions look to make it three consecutive results in all competitions as the Houston Dynamo visit.

Published

34 minutes ago

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April 18, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer dribbling the ball.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (1-5-1, 4 points) and the Houston Dynamo (2-4-0, 6 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. It’s the only meeting scheduled for 2026 in this cross-conference series between two sides that haven’t met since the 2023 Leagues Cup group stage.

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

History

Orlando City is 2-2-2 in the all-time series (1-0-2 at home) in league play and 2-2-3 (1-0-3 at home) in all competitions.

The last time these sides faced each other came in Leagues Cup play in Orlando on July 21, 2023. The Lions fell behind 1-0 as current Orlando City and former Houston fullback Griffin Dorsey took a dive in the box, drawing a highly questionable penalty on Rafael Santos deep in first-half stoppage time. Amine Bassi scored from the spot to put the Dynamo ahead just before the break. Duncan McGuire equalized just seconds into the second half and the teams played to a 1-1 draw before the Lions won 5-4 in penalties to claim the extra point in the competition. Pedro Gallese stopped Houston’s Hector Herrera on the first shot and no one else missed their penalty, including both Dorsey, Santos, and former Lion/current Dynamo defender Antonio Carlos.

The last time these teams met in MLS play was on June 18, 2022 at Exploria Stadium with Orlando City winning 2-1 on an Ercan Kara brace. One of the goals deflected in off of him, but that still counts. Sebastian Ferreira got Houston on the board but the visitors could not complete the comeback. It was Orlando’s first win in the series since the Lions’ first ever road game back in early 2015 provided the first MLS victory for the club.

Due to the quirky scheduling since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the previous meeting between the teams took place on Sept. 21, 2019 in Houston, with the Dynamo winning, 2-1. Dom Dwyer struck just six minutes in, but goals three minutes apart by Alberth Elis and Christian Ramirez in the 70th and 73rd minutes, respectively, turned that match around.

The teams met in Orlando on Sept. 22, 2018, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. That was a memorable match for former Orlando City goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, who made his MLS debut that night.

The Lions went to BBVA Stadium in 2017 and were wiped off the field, 4-0. A leggy Orlando team flew directly to Houston from Toronto after a hard-fought game against the Reds and saw the rested Dynamo’s speed on full display. Elis, Mauro Manotas (twice), and Romell Quioto provided the goals and it could have been worse.

The 2016 match in Orlando was another 0-0 draw, in what was a forgettable game under Bobby Murphy, who was serving his first stint as Orlando City’s interim coach following the firing of Adrian Heath.

In the first meeting, back in 2015, the Lions went to Texas and came home with a 1-0 victory in Houston. Goalkeeper Tyler Deric — under extreme pressure from Pedro Ribeiro — punched the ball into the back of his own net for the only goal of the match. That was Orlando City’s historic, first MLS victory.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 1-1 draw at Columbus on Sunday and a 1-0 road U.S. Open Cup win on Wednesday at FC Naples. The Lions weren’t great in either match, but they managed to get results on the road as they continue to try to figure things out in a nightmare start to the 2026 season. Orlando is 1-2-0 at home this season and has scored all but one of its six goals on the season in the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium.

Both Tyrese Spicer and Robin Jansson returned to the lineup over the last week and made big impacts. Jansson was a rock in the middle of the OCSC defense in Columbus, and it was not surprising that the Crew only managed to level the game after he subbed off. Spicer scored on a rocket shot Wednesday for the only goal in a game that saw Orlando badly outplayed over the last 30 minutes by USL League One competition. Only a controversial no-goal call prevented what could have been a quick exit from the U.S. Open Cup. Dorsey also returned from injury against the Crew after missing time with a lower back issue.

Houston, like Orlando, is on short rest. The Dynamo were put on full blast a week ago in Colorado, losing 6-2 to the Rapids on the road. Houston took that beating out on USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC on Wednesday, winning 4-1 at home in U.S. Open Cup action. The Dynamo are 0-2-0 on the road in 2026.

The Dynamo attack added Designated Players Mateusz Bogusz, who scored in Wednesday’s game, and Guilherme Santos in the off-season. Guilherme leads Houston in goals (5) and assists (4), easily earning his DP tag in a quick start. Bogusz has started more slowly with just one goal and an assist, but his goal in USOC play Wednesday will have him more confident entering tonight. USMNT midfielder Jack McGlynn has three assists so far on the year despite being limited to four games due to injury. However, McGlynn is nearing a return and could be back tonight.

Orlando City will have to continue improving upon last week’s mostly solid defensive game, while trying to find improvements in the attacking end.

“Houston is a strong team, they have a good roster, and we respect them like we respect all of our opponents,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We are thinking about us, and working on our ways and strategies, and preparing for the game like always.”

Orlando City will be without Wilder Cartagena (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), and McGuire (lower leg), while David Brekalo (lower leg), Dorsey (thigh), and Iago (concussion protocol) are listed as questionable. Houston is much more healthy but will be without Lucas Halter (lower body) and Artur (lower body), while McGlynn (yep, lower body) is questionable.

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Nolan Miller.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Tahir Reid-Brown, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Griffin Dorsey.

Forwards: Ivan Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, Marco Pasalic.

Houston Dynamo (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Bond.

Defenders: Felipe Andrade, Antonio Carlos, Erik Sviatchenko.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Lawrence Ennali, Agustin Bouzat, Diadie Samassekou, Duane Holmes.

Attacking Midfielders: Guilherme Augusto, Mateusz Bogusz.

Forward: Ezequiel Ponce.

Referees

REF: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
AR1: Nick Uranga.
AR2: Rhett Hammil.
4TH: Abdou Ndiaye.
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez.
AVAR: Craig Lowry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 (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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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo

Find out everything you need to know about the Houston Dynamo ahead of Saturday’s game.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 17, 2026

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Image of Duncan McGuire reacting to his goal against Toronto FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City managed to pick up its second positive result in a row on Wednesday when it scraped past FC Naples 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup. The Lions will now turn their attention back to MLS play and try to make it three good results on the spin when they welcome the Houston Dynamo to the City Beautiful.

In preparation for Houston’s visit, I took the time to speak with Dustyn Richardson. He’s the managing editor of Bayou City Soccer, an excellent independent outlet that is dedicated to covering the Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash, and the general soccer scene in the Houston area. He was kind enough to help bring us up to speed on this year’s Dynamo squad, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.

Talk me through Houston’s off-season moves. Who left, and who has been brought in to replace them?

Dustyn Richardson: The Dynamo went through a bit of a re-tooling this off-season. They retained most of their core of players from last season but added a number of new pieces. Houston brought in two new Designated Players in Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz. They also brought in two more players from South America, Brazilian defender Lucas Halter and Argentine midfielder Agustin Bouzat. Perhaps their most surprising move was the return of Hector Herrera. Of course, their biggest departure happened on the eve of the season with the sale of Griffin Dorsey to Orlando.

Former Orlando City player Antonio Carlos is in his first full year with the Dynamo. How has he been doing this year?

DR: Antonio Carlos has been solid. He stepped in mid-season last year and gave the Dynamo some stability that they were lacking in the back. This season, outside his red card against LAFC, he has been their most consistent defender. Felipe Andrade missed the first few games with an injury and Halter is currently injured. Antonio Carlos and Erik Sviatchenko, the two veterans of the group, have been key this season for Houston. He has also worn the captain’s armband for the Dynamo in the games he has started, showing what Head Coach Ben Olsen and the rest of the team think about his leadership qualities.

Houston has had a fairly up-and-down start to the 2026 season, as strong wins over Chicago and Portland have been offset by four losses. What needs to happen for the team to find more consistent form?

DR: They’ve been poor defensively, flat out. The offense can score with anyone but they can’t keep teams from scoring, and in bunches. Olsen has shifted the Dynamo to a much more pronounced back three this season and it has come with its growing pains. If Houston can get its preferred three center back grouping of Andrade, Sviatchenko, and Carlos in the lineup consistently, this should help. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond has also struggled this season, giving up a lot more goals than xG. If they can get things right on the defensive end, this team should be able to compete for a playoff spot.

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

DR: Halter is likely still out and club captain Artur remains out after being injured in preseason. Jack McGlynn has missed the last two league matches after picking up an injury and it will probably be a game-time decision again for this match.

The Dynamo will likely line up in a 3-4-2-1 of Jonathan Bond; Felipe Andrade, Antonio Carlos, Erik Sviatchenko; Lawrence Ennali, Agustin Bouzat, Diadie Samassekou, Duane Holmes; Guilherme Augusto, Mateusz Bogusz; Ezequiel Ponce.

Houston can score and Orlando has given up a ton of goals. With that being said, the Dynamo also concede a bunch as well. I’ll predict a 2-2 draw in this one. 

Thank you to Dustyn for the excellent primer on the Dynamo. Vamos Orlando!

Image of the famous "The more you know" graphic from TV.
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Lion Links: 4/17/26

Caitlin Carducci settling in with the Orlando Pride, Seven Castain scores for U.S. U-23 team, Alex Freeman adjusting in Spain, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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April 17, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Happy Friday! My mood is still buoyed by Orlando City’s midweek win as we get ready for another weekend filled with soccer. The USWNT plays tonight, the Lions are in action on Saturday, and Orlando City B will wrap things up with a match against Carolina Core FC on Sunday. It should be a nice next few days and I’m looking forward to trying out a new brunch spot near me as well. Let’s get to the links!

Caitlin Carducci Builds Orlando Pride Foundation

Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci has been with the team for a few months since being hired in January and is starting to settle in with the club. It’s a different role than the one she had with the Kansas City Current, as she’s making more final decisions here in Orlando. Carducci discussed her focus on building relationships with each player early on, the hiring of Mark Wilson as the club’s technical director, and how she’s creating a solid infrastructure for the club’s operations.

Seven Castain Scores Winner for U.S. U-23 Team

The United States U-23 Women’s National Team wrapped up its trio of friendlies in Spain with a 4-3 win over France. Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain came off the bench and scored the winner for the U.S. in stoppage time. Fellow Pride player Ally Lemos started the match. The U.S. went undefeated over the course of these friendlies, previously drawing against France and Denmark. The Pride had plenty of representation during these games, with Castain, Lemos, Simone Jackson, and Yolanda Thomas all in Europe during the break.

Alex Freeman Finding His Footing in Spain

Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who was transferred to Villarreal earlier this year, spoke on how he aims to improve from this move to Europe.

“Football-wise, this is one of the things I need in my game. I need to take it up a notch and be more technical. It’s something that, if I had to choose a club, I would choose this club in this country because it’s somewhere where I can take my next step,” he says. “It was always the right move for me. I needed to go, not only to prove myself, because I have done that in the past, but to really test myself. I want to show that I am able to do it and be in that environment.”

Along with the language barrier, Freeman detailed how he’s adjusting to the faster pace of the game in Villarreal. The 21-year-old also talked about how sudden the transfer was, his goals this La Liga season, and the warm welcome he’s gotten so far.

USWNT Takes On Japan Tonight

The USWNT will host Japan tonight in Denver in the third match between the two this month. It will be interesting to see how the USWNT responds after losing 1-0 to Japan on Tuesday, particularly in regards to which players Head Coach Emma Hayes chooses for the starting lineup. Japan is a tough opponent that should continue to test the U.S. as both teams prepare for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match will be on April 29 against the New England Revolution. The match will take place in Rhode Island at Centreville Bank Stadium, which is where the Revs just played Rhode Island FC
  • Bernardo Silva announced that he will leave Manchester City this summer after nine years with the club. It’s unclear where he will play next, but I wouldn’t be surprised if New York City FC is in the mix.
  • Barcelona filed another complaint to UEFA over the officiating in its Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid. If recent events are anything to go by, it’s going to be awkward when the confederation rules Barcelona as the victor two months after the final.
  • Amid reports that FC Cincinnati was exploring options to add Neymar this summer, the 34-year-old forward stated that he intends to see through his contract with Santos until it expires at the end of the year.
  • New Zealand forward Chris Wood exited Nottingham Forest’s Europa League quarterfinal against Porto due to a knee injury, putting his availability for the World Cup into question.
  • The Europa League semifinals are set and Forest will take on Aston Villa in an English showdown for a spot in the final. On the other side of the bracket, Freiburg will play against Braga.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo exited Al Nassr’s 1-0 win over Al Ettifaq due to stomach pains that later caused him to vomit according to his head coach.

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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