Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 2-1 as Poor First Half Sinks Lions on Opening Day
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.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
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