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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 2-1 as Poor First Half Sinks Lions on Opening Day

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3 months ago

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Image of Braian Ojeda playing the ball against the New York Red Bulls.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City suffered its second straight opening day loss as an awful first-half performance allowed visiting New York to take a 2-0 lead that could have been worse into halftime. The Lions (0-1-0, 0 points) played much better in the second half, and may have been unfortunate not to take something from the game, but the mountain was too steep to climb in a 2-1 loss to the Red Bulls (1-0-0, 3 points) in front of sellout crowed of 24,453 fans at Inter&Co Stadium. Julian Hall scored both of New York’s first-half goals, with Tiago spoiling the shutout late by scoring his first as a Lion deep in stoppage time.

“Two different stories, but probably the worst half that we have played here in Orlando, so no excuses. New York was way better than us in the first half. We could have conceded more goals, even,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The second half, we changed the dynamics. We changed the attitude. We changed many things — the covering of the spaces, the willingness to attack, [and] many other things that just put us back into the game”

Pareja’s first starting lineup of 2026 included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Iago, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Wilder Cartagena and Braian Ojeda started in central midfield with wingers Tyrese Spicer and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top. It was the first Orlando start for Iago, Dorsey, and Braian Ojeda.

Newcomers Braian Ojeda and Dorsey got things started on the night with Dorsey involved in some early advances down the right side. The Lions opened the game with a few forays into Red Bull territory and McGuire looked like he might break out in the fifth minute after a good ball over the top that he tried to play Spicer in but didn’t put enough on it. The Red Bulls countered, getting past Griffin and resulting in some chaos in the box. Cade Cowell put a shot on goal, leading to an early kick save by Crepeau in the fifth minute.

But the Red Bulls took control in the seventh minute and worked some good combination play between Emil Forsberg and Hall who put the first goal away in the eighth as New York ripped Orlando’s defense apart.

New York never let up on the constant pressure and slipped a through ball into the box in the 11th minute, but the move was offside. New York’s press was relentless and the Lions looked out of sorts to say the least with another potential goal for the visitors called offside in the 12th. If that weren’t bad enough, Cartagena had to be subbed off on the play with what appeared to be a hamstring issue, leaving the game for Colin Guske. Some rusty Orlando play led to a turnover in the Orlando half, and the guests should have doubled the lead, but Ronald Donkor put the shot over the bar.

Orlando managed to lump a few balls towards McGuire, but he struggled to win duels throughout the first half.

The Lions had a wasted opportunity to break out in the 22nd, but gave the ball away easily once again, leading to yet another half chance by the Red Bulls in the 23rd. Forsberg’s corner in the 24th minute was headed away, but Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty fired back in right at Crepeau, who made the easy stop. A tragically ill-advised pass just outside Orlando’s 18-yard box led to a counterattack and a blast off of the bottom of the crossbar in the 25th by Cowell.

Finally, the Lions managed something resembling an attack, but that led to yet another effective counterattack that got run out over the touch line, resulting in an easily defended corner in the 29th. In the 31st, a clunky counterattack resulted in Orlando’s only shot on goal in the first half by Pasalic from outside the penalty area, but he fired it right at goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

A foul by Guske in the 33rd around 25 yards out set up a free kick for New York. Forsberg’s ball in was headed away but retained by the attackers and worked into the 18-yard box and ushered out for a corner that was again fended off.

The Lions worked a little possession in the Red Bulls’ half but poor decision making led to another giveaway, breakout, and near goal. It turned into another corner, but this time it was canceled out by a Red Bull foul.

The 38th saw another attempt on goal, this time by Marshall-Rutty, that was tipped out by Crepeau, and then another corner, another save, and another corner, followed by a chaotic scramble leading to a second goal for Hall. McGuire had a chance to clear, but couldn’t, and then Brekalo failed to prevent the pass into the area and Iago was on the wrong side of Hall, who made it 2-0 in the 40th minute.

Another approximation of an attack was carved out by Orlando but again the Lions could not pick out the right pass and the ball fizzled over the end line. The Red Bulls were unfazed and continued their dominant control. Another near goal on a shot by Marshall-Rutty in the 44th went just wide, resulting in a goal kick for Orlando.

Orlando had absolutely no idea how to deal with New York’s control, nor could the Lions fashion anything remotely like an attack. With five minutes of stoppage time left, another poorly executed attack ended up with Spicer taking a yellow card. Even with a late attack by the Lions, they failed to even attempt to send the ball into the box and the first half fizzled to a close.

The first of half ended with New York leading in every category. The Red Bulls held the advantage in possession (53.7%-46.3%), passing accuracy (86.7%-79.5%), shots (15-2), shots on target (8-1) and corners (5-0). The visitors had the all-important 2-0 lead on the scoreboard.

“We started a little bit slow, and I think everybody could see it,” Dorsey said. “I can only speak for myself, but I think from the start, it just needs to be a little bit better. I think Oscar, he just had a tactical switch going into the second half and obviously making some changes and getting us prepared to play in a different style, more aggressive style, which I think helped us, and I think threw Red Bulls off of their game a little bit.”

Pareja made two changes at the break, sending on rookie Nolan Miller for Iago and Ivan Angulo for Pasalic. The duo helped spark Orlando, but the team as a whole simply came out with more aggression. It didn’t turn the result around, but it did change the complexion of the match.

“Collectively, everybody lifted the intensity (in the second half),” Pareja said. “I thought when we came back to the locker room and we felt that we were in that momentum. The other team was way superior than us, and we did a couple of modifications on the tactical part, but I thought it was beyond that. I thought our attitude and our stamina, it just put us in a different stage.”

Dorsey won a free kick on the left side of the box in the 50th minute and it set up the first good chance of the secon half. The ball found its way back to Dorsey in front of goal, and he appeared to score his first goal as a Lion, only to have it waved off by referee Rubiel Vazquez. The ball had bounced up and caught a piece of Dorsey’s elbow prior to the shot, nullifying the goal.

“I didn’t think that it hit my hand. So, you know, I celebrated like that was my first Orlando City goal,” Dorsey said. “But there’ll be more moments to come.”

The Red Bulls worked their way back forward though, and Forsberg pinged one off the post after it was tipped by Crepeau in the 59th minute. Forsberg fired one high less than a minute later. Orlando secured its first corner moments later with a ball over the top, but it was sent high by Miller.

Again the Red Bulls countered and Guske did well to get to the ball and touched it over the end line to snuff out the attack for another corner. Crepeau managed to gather the ensuing ball and started a promising counterattack, but again a lack of precision ended it as Spicer lost control, but a foul resulted a free kick for Orlando just outside the box. Martin Ojeda put the free kick on target, but Horvath made a diving save and sent the ball out for a corner, which was subsequently put into the top of the net, giving possession back to the Red Bulls.

Back-and-forth play ensued, with the Lions somewhat threatening and the Red Bulls always dangerous on the counter. Juan Mina sent another ball off Crepeau and the post in the 67th minute.

Orlando continued to grow into the game, resulting in a corner nearly being sent in by Dorsey but Horvath saved it in the 70th.

In more of the same news, a glorious chance to score was wasted with a wide-open goal on a misplaced header by Angulo in the 74th. The game settled into a somewhat ugly back-and-forth struggle not leading to many chances for either team.

Orlando finally managed a pair of corners in the 83rd and 84th minutes, with the first attempt tipped out for another, which was again sent onto the net’s roof. This was followed quickly by two Red Bull attempts in about two seconds, which were both saved by a now very busy Crepeau in the 85th. It was a remarkable double save, with the Canadian parrying away Omar Valencia’s shot from the left and then smothering Forsberg’s rebound shot with his legs. Crepeau’s final save count was 11 on the night, tying Mason Stajduhar’s single-game club record.

The best that can be said about this one was the Lions made a valiant effort to fight back in the second half, but it was just not effective enough to tip the scales. Tiago had an attempt in the 94th which was too soft and easily saved, but then the effort finally paid off for the Lions with a score from the young Brazilian to salvage a shred of dignity.

Angulo started the play with a great switch from left to right, where substitute Zakaria Taifi ran onto it, before sliding it over to Tiago for his first MLS goal. It was also Taifi’s first MLS assist. Unfortunately, it was also one of the game’s last kicks of the ball.

New York continued its dominance on the stat sheet at full time, finishing with the edge in possession (51.9%-48.1%), passing accuracy (83.4%-81.3%), shots (25-18), shots on target (13-6), and corners (9-5).

“We need to start more on the front foot,” Dorsey said. “And I think we saw a lot of positives coming out of the second half, putting them under pressure.”

“(Pareja’s postgame) message was simple: take the good parts of the second half. Lay the bad parts of the first half behind us,” Miller said. “We look at the film, we look at the detail and what happened, and it’s something to learn from.”

The Lions have a week to get their act together with Inter Miami coming to town Sunday, March 1.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/1/26

Pride and OCB win, Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau called up, USMNT beats Senegal, and more.

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13 hours ago

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June 1, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work and just wrapped up covering high school spring season sports for the school year up here in Chicago. We had the Pride, OCB, and the USMNT all in action, and we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Beat Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday. Barbra Banda scored the opener early in the first half for Orlando, but Bay FC’s Caroline Conti scored the equalizer. In the second half, Banda scored her second goal of the night and added an assist on Cori Dyke’s goal in the 55th minute. Banda went down with an injury late in the match and had to leave the pitch. Since Orlando had already used all its substitutions, the team had to play the final 15 minutes of the match, including stoppage time, down to 10 players, but the Pride held on for the win. Banda has been called up to the Zambia Women’s National Team for the Four Nations Tournament, with the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations set to kick off next month in Morocco.

The Pride will be off until early July due to the NWSL World Cup break. Their next match will be on the road at BMO Stadium against Angel City FC on July 3.

OCB Defeats Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B defeated Chattanooga FC 5-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday. Ignacio Gomez scored for the Young Lions six minutes into the match. Chattanooga FC responded with two goals later in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, it was all OCB as Pedro Leao, Harvey Sarajian, and Justin Hylton each added a goal to extend the Young Lions’ lead to 4-2. Leao added a penalty kick goal as OCB secured back-to-back wins in league play and moved to fourth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 22 points. OCB will face Carolina Core FC Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau Called Up

Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau have been called up to their respective national teams. Reid-Brown will be joining the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team for upcoming friendlies against Georgia and North Macedonia in Bulgaria.

Crepeau will be with the Canadian Men’s National Team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canada has two international friendlies this week, facing Uzbekistan today and taking on Ireland Friday. Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch stated that he has not yet decided which goalkeeper will start in his team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, but Crepeau and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair will split time in goal against Uzbekistan.

USMNT Defeats Senegal in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Senegal 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, Sunday in an international friendly. Former Lion Alex Freeman started the match and played 45 minutes. Sergino Dest struck first to give the Yanks an early lead, and Christian Pulisic scored his first international goal since November 2024 for the U.S. to take a 2-0 lead in the first half. Sadio Mane pulled one back for Senegal to make it 2-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Mane added another goal to level the match, but Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored the final goal of the match to seal the win for the Americans. The USMNT will face Germany Saturday in another international friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, before opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, taking on Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Paris Saint-Germain Repeats as UEFA Champions League Winner in Penalties

Paris Saint-Germain edged Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw Saturday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to win the UEFA Champions League title for the second time in a row. Kai Havertz scored the first goal six minutes into the match to give Arsenal the lead in the first half. However, in the second half, Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, resulting in a penalty for Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot to tie the match. After 120 minutes of play, the match went to penalties, where Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made one save, but Paris Saint-Germain still scored four goals. In the final round, Arsenal defender Gabriel sailed his shot over the net, and Paris Saint-Germain became just the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles in the modern era, since 1992. The other club was Real Madrid, which won three consecutive titles from 2015-2016 through 2017-2018.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando City Academy U-14 squad defeated Inter Miami 3-1 Sunday to win the MLS Next Cup.
  • According to Sportico, Major League Soccer viewership has risen significantly in the first three months of the season.

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

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Orlando City

An Early Look at Orlando City’s Contract Decisions

Here is an early look at the decisions the club will have to make regarding the roster at the end of the 2026 season.

Published

2 days ago

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May 30, 2026

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Image of Wilder Cartagena controlling the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we head into a dead period of Major League Soccer with the arrival of the World Cup break, it’s worth looking into the future to see how the roster may look in the future. Orlando City has one player out of contract after the 2026 season and several that are on the last guaranteed year of their deal but have option years the club could exercise. Let’s take a look at the decisions Orlando City has to make at season’s end.

Ivan Angulo — Attacking Midfielder

The Colombian midfielder has been a tireless worker and a good soldier for Orlando City since his arrival in July of 2022. Regardless of what you think of his finishing (and it hasn’t been good the last two years after back-to-back seasons with five goals in 2023 and 2024 and 15 total goal contributions in the latter of those years) or those games in which he turns the ball over repeatedly, Angulo has generally been an asset to the team. What he lacks in goal production he makes up for in important hustle plays to break up opposition attacks and with his high pressure.

Angulo is out of contract after the 2026 season after signing through the 2025 season in January of 2024. Orlando City exercised his option year for 2026 last November. He could leave on a free transfer and there will be clubs interested in the 27-year-old, who will likely be one of the fastest players in whatever league he’s in for the next several seasons. At a total guaranteed compensation of $582,656, he’s not terribly expensive for a starting-caliber winger. Orlando City should re-sign Angulo or upgrade the position, and perhaps the club wants Tyrese Spicer to show he can take that spot. Spicer has been inconsistent as a starter but generally better off the bench. He hasn’t yet shown himself to be an everyday option.

Wilder Cartagena — Midfielder

The Peruvian midfield stopper has, like Angulo, been a solid performer for the Lions since signing with Orlando City in August of 2022. Last season’s Achilles injury derailed the club’s best-ever midfield double pivot, as Cartagena and Cesar Araujo combined to make life miserable for Orlando’s opponents and did a great job of shielding the back line. He even filled in admirably on the back line whenever Oscar Pareja went to five at the back as an extra center back. Cartagena suffered another injury in the 2026 season opener and is just getting back up to speed, but it seems as if he’s having difficulty breaking through to get enough minutes to round back into form.

Cartagena is on a contract through the end of 2026, which he signed last November, but there is an option year on his deal. At 31 years old and making a guaranteed $530,250 per year, it may be time to move on from the veteran defensive midfielder unless he can regain his form before the end of the season. The hope is that Luis Otavio can develop into a similar midfield stopper and the club has invested in the Brazilian. The Lions also seem more interested in the kind of offense that favors more attack-minded players in the central midfield, which has proven successful in scoring goals so far this year but has failed miserably at preventing them.

Joran Gerbet — Midfielder

The French-born product out of Clemson University signed in February 2025 after being drafted in the first round (No. 27 overall) in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. He had a promising rookie campaign going until sustaining a serious knee injury last October against Columbus and had season-ending surgery. Gerbet will likely be able to return to game action after the World Cup break, and perhaps he could even play some games with OCB during the pause.

He’ll be out of contract at the end of 2026 but there are options for 2027 and 2028 on his rookie deal. If he can return to full speed and produce, the club would likely bring him back. With total guaranteed compensation of $113,400, Gerbet is an inexpensive piece of the roster, and he’ll be eager to earn a new deal. Plus, he’ll have at least one new French-speaking teammate as soon as Antoine Griezmann arrives. Gerbet’s return could mitigate the loss of Cartagena if the club parts ways with the Peruvian international.

Adrian Marin — Defender

The Spaniard arrived in August of 2025 on a deal through this season with a club option for 2027. He wasn’t able to quite jell or acclimate well to Major League Soccer over the course of last season. He entered 2026 looking to lock down the starting left back spot and can play as a center back in a three-man back line, but so far this season he’s been inconsistent at best. While he can send the occasional excellent cross or long ball in to create a scoring chance, contributing three assists already this season, he’s not been quite able to consistently operate at an MLS level.

A good left back can be pricey, so his guaranteed pay of $577,972 isn’t terrible, but he’s not quite lived up to it either. It will be interesting to see if Marin can finish out the 2026 campaign strong and if it’s enough to warrant picking up his contract option or offering him a new deal.

Nolan Miller — Defender

The rookie out of Michigan had a strong start to his first professional year but then showed some growing pains. He signed through the 2026 season back in early February but the club holds options for Miller for the 2027 sprint season, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029. Miller most recently played with Orlando City B on Sunday, helping the Young Lions defeat Inter Miami CF II 4-1 at home. There’s a lot of season left for Miller to make his mark, and playing with OCB during the World Cup break is a good way to get him minutes in a developmental setting.

All indications from the club are that the technical staff believe Miller has enough upside to potentially become an MLS starter. The 22-year-old will be given an opportunity to develop, and it seems likely Orlando City will exercise his option unless the player asks for his release to pursue other opportunities.

Javier Otero — Goalkeeper

If there’s one thing that’s been clear for years, it’s that Orlando City likes to have one primary goalkeeper and a young, inexpensive backup who plays only sparingly, whether it’s Mason Stajduhar, Adam Grinwis, or Otero. The Lions signed Otero to a new contract through 2026 just a year ago in May 2025, with option years for 2027 and 2028. Otero has played well at times and gotten shelled a few times in his MLS career, but he’s filled his role well and is inexpensive at $163,750 in guaranteed annual compensation. Orlando will likely exercise the option on Otero’s deal unless the 23-year-old Venezuelan wants to go elsewhere.

Nicolas Rodriguez — Attacking Midfield

While not technically out of contract, the club may have to do something with Rodriguez, who is currently on loan with Atletico Nacional in Colombia through 2026. The Colombian side has an option to purchase, but it’s unclear whether that will be exercised. The former MLS U22 Initiative signing was suspended in March for an alleged sexual assault earlier this year — charges that Rodriguez denies. He returned to the pitch in May in a loss to Once Caldas.

With the commitment Orlando City made to Otavio, Iago, and Tiago, it’s unlikely the club will bring back Rodriguez unless one of the Brazilians is sold. Rodriguez struggled to get on the pitch with the first team last year, and Tiago seems light years ahead of the Colombian in his development. It seems likely the club will hope Nacional purchases Rodriguez, and if not, the Lions will probably try to sell him or loan him out again. Rodriguez’s contract expires at the end of 2027.

Zakaria Taifi — Fullback/Midfielder

Homegrown defender/winger Taifi is signed through 2026 with club options for 2027, 2028, and 2029. The 20-year-old has shown great promise and made the jump to the first team midway through 2025, although he played sparingly. Taifi already has career highs with the first team in 2026 in games played (10), starts (3), and assists (2). If not for Griffin Dorsey’s play, Taifi might otherwise be seeing regular minutes, although there is work to be done in developing his defending. At present, he projects more as a wingback than a fullback, but the same was once true of Alex Freeman, who improved his one-on-one defending by leaps and bounds.

As a Homegrown Player starting to bear fruit, it is a no-brainer for the club to pick up Taifi’s option after the 2026 season.

Yutaro Tsukada — Attacking Midfielder

Orlando City selected Tsukada with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft in December of 2023. The club signed Tsukada to an MLS NEXT Pro deal through 2024 and then signed him through 2025 with option years for 2026 and 2027, so he’s currently in the first of those two option years.

The young winger has shown some glimpses of quality in both dead-ball delivery and his crafty one-on-one moves out wide, but he’s not been able to break through just yet and he was left off both the senior team and OCB matchday rosters since April 26, despite a club spokesman telling me he wasn’t injured. Tsukada’s budget charge isn’t big ($113,400), but at 24, he’s entering his prime years and hasn’t yet developed into an MLS player. Whether he’s back next year may be up to the player in Tsukada’s case.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: May 31, 2017 vs. D.C. United

Hop in the time machine and relive a wet, weird Orlando City game from almost nine years ago.

Published

3 days ago

on

May 29, 2026

By

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

With no Orlando City match to entertain us for almost two months during the World Cup break, this is an optimal time to reflect on some of the team’s history and enjoy a trip down memory lane. We’re taking one hell of a trip today, as we go almost nine years into the past to reminisce on the Lions taking on D.C. United all the way back on May 31, 2017.

Just how different were things as OCSC got ready to take the field against D.C. that Wednesday? Well for one thing, the ground now known as Inter&Co Stadium had just opened a little over two months previously, and it was still called Orlando City Stadium. Jason Kreis had the reins as the team’s second full-time head coach, and teams were only allowed to make three substitutions per game instead of five.

Kreis set up his team in a 4-4-2 that had Joe Bendik in goal, a back line of Scott Sutter, Jose Aja, Jonathan Spector, and Donny Toia; Matias Perez Garcia, Will Johnson, Cristian Higuita, and Luis Gil in the midfield; and Cyle Larin alongside Carlos Rivas up top.

The defining characteristic of the game in the first half was the conditions in which it was played. The stadium was pounded by rain in the leadup to kickoff, and the wet weather continued during the opening 45 minutes. The Lions had the better of things in the first half, but things could have been different if Larin had been called for a handball in the box in the 15th minute, but the referee didn’t see it, the D.C. players didn’t call for it, and video review wouldn’t be introduced to MLS until later in the season.

D.C. went close through Julian Buscher in the 43rd minute when he turned well at the top of the box and sent a left footed shot toward goal, but Bendik did well to get down and push the ball away with his right hand. Orlando’s best chance of the half came as the first 45 minutes were winding down, when Gil sprung Larin on the break, but the Canadian had to shoot from an angle and Bill Hamid was able to deal with it fairly comfortably in the D.C. net. Before the half could end, OCSC had a penalty shout of its own as Sutter felt he was clipped from behind by Buscher in stoppage time, but referee Allen Chapman disagreed and the game went to halftime scoreless.

The Lions finished the first half with 59% possession and took nine shots but only put three on target, while D.C. totaled three shots with two on target, and 41% of the ball.

The rain mercifully subsided at halftime, but the game continued to be a sloppy affair as the second half got underway. D.C really should have opened the scoring in the 56th minute when a ball played down the right found Lamar Neagle near the penalty spot. He turned and played a great pass into space for Buscher, who was unmarked roughly 10 yards from goal on the left side of the box. Luckily for the Lions, with just Bendik to beat, the midfielder somehow contrived to blast his first-time shot over the bar so badly that it just missed the Heineken sign by a couple of inches.

That scare spurred Kreis into action, as he brought on Giles Barnes for Gil just three minutes later. It proved to be an inspired move, as the Jamaican provided an immediate spark and won a free kick in a dangerous area in the 65th minute after slaloming through several defenders. It fell to Johnson to take the resulting set piece, and he dialed up a doozy, curling a ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Larin fought through heavy contact from Steve Birnbaum and headed the ball into the net beyond a helpless Hamid to open the scoring for Orlando.

The strike ended a scoreless drought of 266 minutes for Orlando, and the team continued to look invigorated after the introduction of Barnes. He played a great cutback pass for Larin just two minutes after the goal, and the Canadian might have scored had D.C. not gotten bodies in the way and blocked it. He then played Rivas in on goal in the 71st minute, but Kofi Opare made a great last-ditch tackle to prevent a shot and MPG wasn’t able to bundle the loose ball over the line as Hamid came out to contest.

That was Perez-Garcia’s last meaningful action of the evening, as he made way for Tony Rocha two minutes later.

In the 74th minute, Orlando had another almighty scare and D.C. wasted its second excellent chance of the game. Aja played a badly underhit pass back to Bendik, and Neagle got to it first as the goalkeeper charged out to try to clear the danger. Neagle took it around him and had only Spector to beat as the last man back, but he put his shot entirely too close to the center back, who was able to make himself big and keep the effort out. The rebound then spun into the air and looked to be falling kindly for Sebastien Le Toux to head into the empty net, but Bendik parachuted in at the last second and acrobatically punched the danger clear.

The two teams then traded decent chances over the next 10 minutes, but a combination of blocks, misses, and a Bendik save kept things at 1-0. Kreis then made his final move of the game in the 83rd minute when Antonio Nocerino entered the game for Rivas.

OCSC looked all set to go more conservative and try to escape with a 1-0 win when it got a fortunate break just two minutes from the end of regulation. Barnes lined up a shot from roughly 25 yards out, and while it was hit with venom, it looked to be straight at Hamid and relatively straightforward. That made it all the more surprising when D.C.’s goalkeeper got two hands on it but either fluffed his attempt at a catch or whiffed on a punch, and the ball squirted past him into the back of the net. Barnes was rewarded for an energetic, game-changing substitute appearance, and the Lions got an insurance goal.

Four minutes of stoppage time passed without incident, and the Lions finished a dominant, but ultimately slightly nervy, performance with a 2-0 victory. Orlando ended the game with an edge in possession (57%-43%), shots (20-10), shots on target (5-4), and passing accuracy (81%-71%).

Current Orlando City staffer Austin David was on our staff and handed out player grades for the game, and he gave Barnes the Man of the Match award with an 8 out of 10. The other high performers on the night were Bendik and Spector, who were both awarded a 7.5 out of 10.

Larin’s goal was his eighth of the campaign, and the victory ended a six-game winless run for Orlando. Sadly, it wasn’t a sign of good things to come, as OCSC immediately endured another five-game winless run that included the infamous 3-1 loss to Miami FC that saw a Stefano Pinho hat trick earn him a move to the Lions at the end of the season. Orlando went on to win just three games the rest of the season, and finished 10th in the 11-team Eastern Conference with 39 points, ahead of only D.C. United.

With any luck, this season will follow a much different arc. Antoine Griezmann will be here before we know it, and the Lions have some time to make some tweaks to the roster, work on things in training, and will have an opportunity to make a cup final in the fall. Here’s to remembering the good parts of the past, and not repeating the bad ones. Vamos Orlando!

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