Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

5 months ago

on

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/16/26

Orlando City wins friendly, Orlando Pride beaten at home, MLS season returns tonight, and much more.

Published

5 hours ago

on

July 16, 2026

By

Image of Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal during Orlando City's 2-1 friendly win at FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

How’s it going, Mane Landers? For those of us in Florida, it looks like some storms could be heading our way this week. While that can be a bit annoying if you have outdoor plans, hopefully it will make some of this oppressive heat a bit more bearable. Both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B are on the road on Saturday, so we may get to dodge some dreaded weather delays as well. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins Friendly at FC Dallas

The Lions went to Texas for a friendly against FC Dallas and won 2-1 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium — home of North Texas SC, FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro side. Antoine Griezmann seems to be settling in nicely with the club, scoring yet again in this friendly after doing so a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Martin Ojeda also got on the scoresheet in the first half and you can check out both finishes below.

While I don’t put too much stock in friendlies, it sure does feel better to be on the winning side of them. This was the final tune-up for Orlando before the Lions hit the road for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in their first league game since May.

Orlando Pride Shut Out At Home

The Orlando Pride hosted the Boston Legacy and weren’t able to get a result in a 1-0 loss at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute to give Boston the lead. Orlando had its chances to equalize but couldn’t manage to put together a finished product in the end. This was Orlando’s third loss to an expansion side this season (0-3-1) as the Pride picked up only one point out of 12 in four matches against Boston and Denver. It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Pride, but hopefully that means they’ll come back stronger in Saturday’s road match against the Utah Royals.

MLS Season Returns Tonight

MLS is back! While the Lions aren’t in action until Wednesday, the season resumes tonight with an exciting slate of games. Many eyes will be on the match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, as it could include Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut. While it’s a brand new team and league for the forward, he’d be going up against a familiar face in former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller, who has helped Vancouver climb to the top of the Western Conference. Other intriguing matchups tonight include a Canadian clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC and a rivalry game between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. On Friday, Nashville will host Atlanta United before the LA Galaxy and LAFC square off in the latest edition of El Trafico.

Argentina Will Face Spain in World Cup Final

Argentina orchestrated yet another dramatic victory this World Cup, beating England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup final to face Spain. After a scoreless first half, Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute with his first goal of the tournament. England shifted gears and parked the bus to defend its lead, but Enzo Fernandez scored an equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina its winner in stoppage time. Lionel Messi assisted on both goals, and Argentina is now just one game away from winning its second consecutive World Cup. Sunday’s final should be a great match pitting Argentina’s potent offense up against a Spanish defense that has only conceded once all tournament.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Alex Freeman was noted as one of many players whose stock likely went up due to their World Cup performance. Hopefully, a solid summer translates to more playing time with Villarreal and an eventual transfer for Orlando City to benefit from due to the sell-on percentage.
  • Duncan McGuire wasted no time scoring for his new team, putting the ball in the back of the net early on in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 friendly win against America de Cali.
  • The Galaxy added Finnish forward Robert Taylor as a free agent, signing him to a contract through the end of the year with an option for all of 2027 as well.
  • The Philadelphia Union are reportedly finalizing the return of Kai Wagner, who only just left the Union for Birmingham City in January.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Australian forward Luka Jovanovic, who scored 11 goals last season for Adelaide United.

🇦🇺 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes are finalizing a deal to sign Australia youth int'l forward Luka Jovanovic from Adelaide UnitedJovanovic, 21, was co-Golden Boot winner of the A-League with 11g/3a in 1,639 mins last season. Joins on a U-22 initiative deal.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T16:58:50.262Z

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/15/26

Daryl Dike’s potential return, Orlando Pride prepare for Boston, World Cup news, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

July 15, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Oh boy, do we have some news for you today. Between the Orlando Pride match tonight, the World Cup this afternoon, and some potential big signings, we have a lot to get to. We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Tristan Himes. Now, let’s get to the links.

The Return of Dike(?)

Forget “It’s coming home,” rather he’s coming home! Per Tom Bogert, Daryl Dike is set to return to Orlando City after his multi-year stint with West Bromwich Albion. Dike had a rough go of it in England, mainly due to injuries he sustained. I figure he just needs some Florida sunshine and the team at Orlando Health to help find the form that made him a terror to Orlando City’s opponents.

It also seems that the departure of Marco Pasalic is not a done deal. There has not been an official bid as of yet, and if Orlando City’s valuation isn’t met, then he may be staying. If he stays, he bolsters the attack. If not, well that’s what Dike is coming back to do and it would supply the Lions with plenty of coin to bolster the roster.

Orlando Pride Set for Boston Legacy

The Orlando Pride host expansion side Boston Legacy FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The Pride will look to avenge a 2-1 loss earlier this season in Boston. After defeating the Kansas City Current over the weekend, Seb Hines’ squad will want to keep the home winning streak going. This may be Barbra Banda’s last match before heading out for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament later this month, so take the opportunity to head to the match if you are in the Orlando area.

World Cup News

France was unable to keep things going as Spain defeated Les Bleus 2-0 on Bastille Day. La Roja now wait to see whether Argentina or England will be the opponent in the final. As they have done so many times this World Cup, the Spanish did not allow a goal and did enough offensively to advance. Lamine Yamal earned a penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal slotted home to give Spain a lead in the 22nd minute. Pedro Porro added another in the second half and France was unable to muster any magic.

Later today, England and Argentina square off to see which team will play the Spaniards. The amount of history between these teams at World Cups is enough to make most watch the match. I think the bigger question is which team does Gianni Infantino want to win, and will we see the same shenanigans we’ve seen in previous matches featuring these two teams? Don’t worry, England. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

USMNT Reflections

There’s been a bit of space and time for all of us to process the USMNT’s performance at the World Cup and it isn’t all doom and gloom. None other than Carli Lloyd said that despite the way it ended, it was a successful outing for the U.S. Matt Freese is trying to see the positives even though he made a costly mistake that gave up a goal to Belgium. Folarin Balogun said what I was thinking in that a certain phone call about his red card did affect the USMNT’s nerves heading into the match against Belgium. Lastly, the future could be bright thanks to these five USMNT prospects.

Free Kicks

🇨🇱 Atlanta United has signed Chile int'l defedner Paulo Diaz. Versatile but likely to play center back.Joins on a free transfer after spending years at River Plate. Diaz, 31, has 56 caps for Chile.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T14:06:23.290Z

That will do it for today. Check back later for our coverage of the Orlando Pride’s match against Boston Legacy FC. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/14/26

Marco Pasalic transfer rumor, Marta up for weekly award, MLS transfer roundup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

July 14, 2026

By

Image of Marta looking for an outlet in action against Kansas City.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. I write to you from Texas, specifically Dallas, as I was in Austin to see friends over the weekend and decided to pop up the road to take in the energy of the World Cup semifinal that will be played in the city later today. I won’t be attending the game, since I don’t wish to sell one of my kidneys but am looking forward to mingling with some of the fans who have traveled here for it. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Marco Pasalic Transfer Rumor

There have been some quiet rumblings for awhile now that Marco Pasalic may leave Orlando City during the summer transfer window. We now have a more concrete report regarding a potential departure, as the streets are saying that the winger is set to sign for newly promoted Hull City, with a price tag of at least €7 million.

If the move does come to pass, it would reunite him with manager Sergej Jakirovic, who he briefly played for during his time at HNK Rijeka. Jakirovic also stated in a recent interview that he wants to sign Pasalic, so this is a rumor that could have some legs.

Marta Up for Weekly Honors

The Orlando Pride picked up an excellent win on Friday by knocking off the Kansas City Current 3-0, and Marta has been rewarded for her efforts in the victory with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. The Brazilian legend bagged the team’s first goal shortly after halftime, when she found herself in space well outside the box and unleashed a low left-footed drive into the bottom corner for her 50th goal as a Pride player. For some reason, she was snubbed in the Goal of the Week voting despite her impressive strike, so make sure you go vote for her for Player of the Week!

MLS Transfer Roundup

With the MLS summer transfer window opening on Monday, we’ve got a slew of moves to get caught up on. We begin with confirmation of an item that we covered in Monday’s Links, as Nathan Ordaz has officially moved to D.C. United in exchange for up to $2.875 million. The New England Revolution have extended Matt Turner’s loan from Lyon, with the new deal lasting through December. It also has an option to extend the loan again until December 2027, after which the Revs have a purchase option. Atlanta United has signed Paraguayan center back Junior Alonso on a free transfer, with his deal running through the 2028-2029 season. Finally, Charlotte FC has announced the signing of forward Allan Saint-Maximin as a Designated Player. He will occupy the DP slot vacated by Wilfried Zaha.

USWNT Announces Fall Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team has announced that it will play a pair of October friendlies against Spain in a matchup of the reigning World Cup champions against the reigning Olympic champions. The USWNT will face the top-ranked team in the world on Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington D.C., and again on Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. The Oct. 10 match will also have a pregame retirement celebration for USWNT defender Crystal Dunn. This will be just the fourth time that the two teams have faced each other, with the U.S. winning two of the three previous meetings. The two friendlies will be the last games that the USWNT plays before beginning World Cup qualifying.

Previewing France vs. Spain

The World Cup semifinals begin today, with France and Spain set to throw down in Dallas. For France, the stars are too many to count, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise all taking turns lighting up both the field and the scoreboard for the team that has made back-to-back appearances in the final. As far as Spain goes, all the focus is on Lamine Yamal, as the young winger has been key to Spain’s success despite scoring just one goal. If Nico Williams is able to start on the opposite wing, the French won’t be able to key so heavily on Yamal, and it could open up more space for him in which to operate. The matchup between the youngster and Lucas Digne will be key, as will the ability of either Mikel Oyarzabal or Ferran Torres to be effective up top for Spain.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Daryl Dike is leaving West Bromwich Albion. We know a team that just traded a striker.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending