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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s season-opening 2-1 loss against the New York Red Bulls?

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3 months ago

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Image of Maxime Crepeau making a save against New York.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

One half was brutal and the other was better, but unfortunately the half that was brutal was too much to overcome as Orlando City lost its season opener 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls. The one-goal loss was better than last year’s two-goal loss on opening day, but a loss is a loss and Orlando City will need to play much more of its second game like the second half of Saturday’s game, or else the Lions will be staring at a second straight loss to open the season.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue the first grades of the 2026 season, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their season opener.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 8 (MotM) — A goalkeeper tying the club record for saves in a game is not necessarily a good thing, especially when that record is a big number like 11 saves, but all credit is due to the new Orlando City starting goalkeeper as he made some phenomenal stops against New York. His distribution could have been better, not only the 76.1% completion percentage but also some of the decisions about who to attempt to pass to and when, but if the Canadian is going to be able to fly around the goal and get his hands or feet onto just about every shot, then he will be able to quickly put to bed the concerns about replacing Pedro Gallese. Crépeau also showed an infectious intensity as well, pumping his fists after saves and also constantly communicating with the defenders, and pumping them up after they made good plays. He could have done better to push Emil Forsberg wider on New York’s first goal and perhaps he could have gotten to the cross on the second, but in both cases he was stuck on an island and just was not able to make the play. It is rare that a goalkeeper who gives up two goals is the Man of the Match, but for my money Crépeau was the best Lion on the night.

D, Adrián Marín, 6 — The Spaniard was much better in the second half than in the first half, which perhaps may have been due to feeling the need to compensate for playing alongside a left center back in Iago who only just joined the team towards the end of training camp. New York attacked Orlando City’s left side relentlessly during the first half, and ended up with nearly 40% of its attacks going down that channel of the field for the full game. Marín won some tackles in the first half but was dribbled past twice, and was lucky that the Red Bulls, in particular Cade Cowell, did not capitalize on the chances they kept creating on Marín’s side. On the positive side, he was strong in the air, and tied for the team lead in defensive contributions with two tackles, two interceptions and five clearances. He also got forward a lot more than David Brekalo did at left back for most of the 2025 season, contributing two key passes while completing 82.3% of his passes.

D, Iago, 4.5 — There is no sugar coating it, Iago’s debut was not a great one. Or even close to it. The big Brazilian was strong in the air, winning several headers and leading the game in clearances during his 45 minutes on the field, but aside from that he looked like a young player who had just joined the club recently and was thrust into a starting role with no time to gel with his teammates, which is exactly what he is. That does not excuse his mistakes, and he was majorly at fault for both of New York’s goals, but he will improve with time and will benefit greatly from the early minutes when he was thrown into the fire. It is a long season, and the MLS U22 Initiative player deserves the chance to adjust to a new country and a new team. That said, he will need to improve quickly, or he might find himself on the bench during this adaptation period instead of learning on the job. Iago completed 84.4% of his passes and added one interception and five clearances.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — The Slovenian international, like many of his teammates, had a rough first half, but improved quite a bit during the second half. Brekalo got beaten badly by Forsberg for New York’s opening goal and was beaten again by Adri Mehmeti on the second goal, so even though he was much better during the second half, he still was not great overall because of how poor the opening half was. Perhaps he too felt like he had to compensate some for Iago, but that does not excuse some of the poor one-on-one defending and getting dribbled past twice in dangerous areas. Brekalo tied with his left back partner Marín for the team lead in defensive contributions, with two tackles, three blocks, and four clearances, and he completed the second-most passes on the team (37) at an 86% completion rate.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s most recent acquisition nearly had a dream debut, but the shot he put into the back of the net early in the second half came after the ball had hit his arm, and so it was correctly, although disappointingly, waived off. It was still a strong debut performance for the former Houston Dynamo player, especially considering he only arrived in Orlando just days prior to the season opener. Dorsey got forward frequently and was dangerous when he did, though he did not track back quite as well as Alex Freeman was doing by the end of last season. Dorsey needs time to integrate into the team’s system and develop chemistry with his teammates, both those who play further forward on the right side of the field as well as those who play with him on the back line, and if he can continue to attack up the right the way he did on Saturday while also ensuring that the opposition cannot take advantage of his forays forward, Orlando City will be in good shape. Dorsey’s almost-goal did not officially count, but he was able to put another shot on target, one that required a fantastic save by New York’s Ethan Horvath, while completing 74.3% of his passes and adding three tackles and one interception on defense.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — Saturday night was a rough night for Orlando City’s starting left wing. While he was on attack mode throughout his minutes on the field, he missed wide-open teammates multiple times while going for goal himself. Being that his passing completion percentage was only 53.9%, perhaps he would not have completed those passes anyway, but Duncan McGuire was wide open on two occasions and Spicer never even looked in his direction while the Lions were on the break. The Trinidad & Tobago international’s work rate was strong, as he led the team in tackles with four while also adding one clearance, but according to sofascore.com’s tracking, he lost the ball 25 times during the game, which was by far the most of any player, and that, combined with some tunnel vision when he had the ball, hurt the Lions as they tried to climb back into the game.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6 — The man we call “Defensive” Ojeda played, like so many of his teammates, much better as the game went along. However, as one of the two central midfielders, he was responsible for Forsberg, one of the most dangerous players on New York’s roster, being wide open in the middle of the field for the game’s opening goal. Mistakes happen, especially with defensive groups that have not played together before, but that was an egregious one and he will need to work with his partners in the middle to ensure those mistakes are few and far between. Aside from that, Ojeda was solid, though not spectacular, in the middle, completing a team-leading 42 passes at a 91.3% completion rate, and adding three tackles on defense.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, N/A — It was not the return that Cartagena had hoped for, as after just 14 minutes he was clutching his hamstring and walking directly into the tunnel with his hands on his head. Let’s hope that it turns out not to be serious. He completed six of his seven passes while on the field for an 85.7% completion percentage and also had one tackle and one clearance.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 5 — Orlando City struggled to keep any possession during the first half, and that rendered the Croatian nearly invisible while he was on the field. When he did see the ball, he was not on top form, losing 10 possessions and completing only 12 passes, at an 80% completion rate. Pasalic wasn’t the only one doing it, but he dribbled into double teams on multiple occasions, helping New York turn defense into transition opportunities. He put one shot on target but it was from distance, a little rushed, and fairly tame, and he was removed at halftime for Iván Angulo.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Although he, too, was mostly invisible in the first half Orlando City’s other Designated Player had a much better second half. The Argentine came inches away from getting the Lions on the board with a well-struck free kick that was just tipped wide. He also fired a thundering attempt from close range that was blocked. “Offensive” Ojeda led the team with three key passes, but he only completed 10 passes in total (71.4% completion percentage) and Orlando City needs him to have a lot more of the ball if the team is going to have a successful season. Credit New York’s marking in the first half for starving him of the ball, but that’s also partially a failure on the part of Spicer and Pasalic to find him before being closed down. Playing in an advanced position, Ojeda recorded zero defensive contributions, though he had six recoveries of loose balls and put in work on both sides of the ball despite not tallying any defensive statistics.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5.5 — Big Dunc went the full 90, and went hard for the full 90, but came out with nothing to show for it, despite making some of the game’s most impressive runs both offensively and defensively. Spicer missed him twice when he was alone and in a great position to score, and then Angulo played a ball over the top to him but he ended up needing to use his weaker left foot to get the shot off, and it was blocked. Despite playing the whole game, McGuire ended up with fewer touches in the box than second half substitute Tiago and the same amount of touches as midfielders Braian Ojeda and Pasalic, and he needs better service if he is going to be able to get back to his goal-scoring ways of 2023 and 2024. I thought the effort was supreme, especially some of the runs he made while tracking back on defense, but aside from that it was a quiet day for the former Creighton Blue Jay. He completed eight of his 12 pass attempts (66.7%) and added one interception on defense. But he could have done more to clear the ball prior to New York’s second goal.

Substitutes

MF, Colin Guske (14′), 6 — The Homegrown midfielder was thrust into action far earlier than anyone expected. With Eduard Atuesta out with hamstring tightness, Guske was on the bench and forced to come in just 14 minutes into the game after Cartagena went off injured. He showed once again that he is ready to play at the MLS level, and during the second half in particular he dropped back more to help out the defense, which in turn helped his teammates better link to the attacking players. Guske finished with the third-most completions on the team (34) and completed those passes at an 89.5% completion rate while also adding one interception and one clearance. He also made a couple of strong tracking runs in transition to prevent dangerous counters.

MF, Iván Angulo, (46′), 7 — The Colombian came on for Pašalić to start the second half and he played one of his best halves of soccer in his Orlando City tenure, making plays all over the field and really changing the game for the Lions. He did it despite playing more centrally than normal as part of the club’s tactical change at the break. The great pass he played to McGuire could have led to an assist and the pass he played to Zakaria Taifi in stoppage time did lead to an assist. Despite playing for only 45 minutes, he completed the same number of passes (18) as Martin Ojeda and McGuire combined, even though both went the full 90. Angulo completed those passes at an 85.7% completion rate with two key passes, and he nearly scored a goal himself after getting his head on a great cross from Dorsey, but it was just deflected by Justin Che and bounced harmlessly to Horvath. Angulo also added one interception and six loose ball recoveries, and after this performance, I expect we will see him back in the starting lineup shortly.

D, Nolan Miller, (46′), 6 — The rookie from the University of Michigan made his MLS debut, coming on for Iago to start the second half, and he looked completely comfortable on the field. His entrance onto the back line helped steady the ship, and while he did not produce any spectacular plays, he was steady, solid, and composed, helping the Lions deliver a significantly better performance in the second half than the first. Miller completed 80.8% of his passes and had one shot attempt, a header on a corner kick that went over the bar. Defensively, he added one tackle and one clearance, but his most important contribution was his cohesiveness with the back line, which played much better with him in the left center back slot.

MF, Tiago, (76′), 6.5 — Tiago entered late in the second half, coming on for Spicer, and he had a glorious chance to score a goal on his debut but he scuffed the shot, putting it on goal but weakly. He made up for it just moments later, making an excellent off-ball run to put himself in a perfect position to finish a pass from fellow sub Taifi, cutting the lead to 2-1. Aside from those two shots on target, he took a third shot that did not go on target, completed his only pass attempt, and added one tackle and one interception on defense.

D, Zakaria Taifi, (87′), N/A — The Homegrown defender came on late for Dorsey and kept the high level of play at right back trend going by creating Orlando City’s only goal after he made a great run up the right side, took Angulo’s through ball well, and one-timed a perfectly weighted pass across the goalmouth for Tiago to slot home. It was the only pass attempt he made on the night, but it was a key pass, literally and figuratively, as he picked up his first MLS assist and spoiled the shutout on one of the last touches of the match. Taifi made an impact, but he didn’t quite play enough minutes to fairly grade the performance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disappointing 2-1 loss against the Red Bulls. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes

A big first half filled with breakaway opportunities helped Orlando City knock Atlanta out of the U.S. Open Cup.

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5 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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Image of Tiago celebrating a goal with Justin Ellis against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City ran wild over Atlanta United in the first half, building a huge advantage in what was ultimately a 4-1 victory over their Southeast rivals at Inter&Co Stadium in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals tonight. David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey, and Tiago (twice) provided the fireworks in a wild first half that could have seen Orlando ahead by even more goals if not for the offside flag and good goalkeeping by Atlanta’s Jayden Hibbert.

“I’m happy, of course, for the result, as well for the performance. But more than anything, I’m happy first of all for our group of players, because they do a huge effort every day,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “From the very beginning they have been fighting and I’m happy they were able to gift us a performance like this.”

Perelman’s lineup included Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack up top.

The Lions decimated Atlanta in the opening 45 minutes to build a huge 4-0 halftime lead that could have been more if not for Tiago and Angulo being offside on breaks that they finished and a couple of huge saves by Hibbert. Orlando City ripped the Atlanta defense to shreds either by moving the ball quickly or simply placing perfect through balls or long balls into the gaps in the visitors’ three-man back line.

However, the first goal of the game came off a set piece. Atlanta cleared a corner kick in the fifth minute, but Braian Ojeda sent in a good ball on the recycle and Brekalo was able to sneak in behind by timing his run well, nodding home for his first goal of the year to get the scoring party started.

“I’m so relieved that it happened, and it happened in this kind of game, magnitude of importance, and I hope this is the first of many this season, because I know I’m capable of scoring more goals,” Brekalo said.

Three minutes after the opening goal, Dorsey came forward and beat Hibbert but the defense cleared the shot off the line.

Atlanta’s first good look at goal came in the 14th minute on across from the left that found Aleksey Miranchuk on the right. The Atlanta attacker sent his header just wide of the left post.

Tiago nearly got in behind in the 15th minute but the defense knocked the ball away for Hibbert to collect. Orlando scored a minute later anyway. Marin sent a good ball forward for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian got down the left and centered a pass for Dorsey to tap home to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute.

Ellis played Martin Ojeda in behind in the 20th minute. The Argentine put his shot on goal and Hibbert made a good save, but the flag came up for offside anyway, although that one looked clean to me.

Atlanta United could have cut the lead in half a minute later when Emmanuel Latte Lath caught Otero off his line but the chip shot hit the right post.

It was a costly miss for Latte Lath, because Tiago made it 3-0 in the 24th minute on a good hustle play. The Brazilian pressed high and blocked Hibbert’s pass attempt. Martin Ojeda was offside, so he let the ball go and Tiago recovered and fired past Hibbert to triple the lead.

Like Dorsey just did recently, Tiago celebrated with the traditional ball under the shirt to honor his pregnant wife.

“It was recent news that we found out my wife was pregnant, obviously very happy about it, and today we actually found out it’s a boy,” Tiago said. “So, that’s what kind of gave me extra motivation for the goals, for my wife and now my son. They’re the two most important people in my life.”

Angulo got in behind and scored in the 33rd minute but the flag came up for offside again.

Miranchuk redirected a cross on goal in the 34th minute but sent his effort straight at Otero for a comfortable save.

The Lions then had more excellent chances to extend the lead just after Atlanta’s chance. Hibbert made an excellent save to deny Tiago in the 36th minute, getting his hand up just in time to keep it out of the net. Two minutes later, Dorsey bombed forward again on the break but the defense forced him wide. The fullback chipped it toward goal anyway and the defense cleared it off the line just before it could cross. In the 39th minute, Martin Ojeda got behind on a pass from Angulo but Hibbert made another solid save to keep the game at 3-0.

Brekalo got his head to the ensuing corner kick cross but the post denied the center back a brace in the 40th minute. A minute after that, Dorsey blasted a hard shot that Hibbert palmed over the crossbar.

Tiago thought he had his brace in the 44th minute, getting in behind and firing past Hibbert, but the flag came up once more.

Otero made a good save to stop Jay Fortune’s shot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time on one of Atlanta’s best chances of the game.

The Lions went the other way and made it 4-0. Braian Ojeda sent a good through ball to unlock Tiago. The Brazilian put the ball past Hibbert again to bag his first brace in an Orlando City uniform in the fifth minute of stoppage time on the last chance of the half.

“Extremely happy,” Tiago said of his brace. “I know the quality of the player that I am. I’ve spoken to Coach Martin (Perelman) during the week, and he told me the runs I should make, so naturally the goals came out of it.”

At the end of the first half, the Lions had the advantage in shots (11-7), shots on target (9-3), and corners (4-0). Atlanta led in possession (60%-40%) and passing accuracy (85%-80%).

“We were obviously extremely focused on the game,” Tiago said. “We know Atlanta is a tough team. We played them over the weekend, obviously we drew them, so we came into this game very focused, and we knew the quality of the group and knew we could advance.”

“I think I have to give credit to the coaching staff here, where they prepared the plan really well,” Brekalo said. “That was the main point: either take the ball super high or super low when we’re defending and counterattack them, so it worked exactly like the planned, and like we saw first half, I think many times, three or four times, that didn’t result in a goal, could be a goal, I think by a few inches or something. So, I would say that that was the whole plan, so it was either take it super low when in the our last third or super high up, and obviously the hard work of everybody, you know, defenders shifting, midfielders running like crazy. Everybody worked so hard today.”

Atlanta made four substitutions at the break and went to four at the back. This prevented Orlando City from getting the numerous breakaways the Lions enjoyed in the first half. Saba Lobjanidze’s introduction also gave the Five Stripes more bite in the attack.

The Five Stripes offense looked better right from the jump as the visitors looked to get something on the board to make a game of it. Matias Galarza fired just off target in the 49th minute on the good first look of the second half.

Orlando’s first look at goal came three minutes later, when Martin Ojeda fired a hard shot straight down the middle at Hibbert.

Lobjanidze just missed the left post from the right side in the 54th minute as Atlanta pressed numbers forward. Two minutes later, Lobjanidze dropped a cross onto Miranchuk’s head but the redirection went wide.

Tristan Muyumba volleyed a cleared corner kick toward goal in the 68th minute but missed the target badly.

“I think the challenge when we went out in the halftime, we imagined that they were going to make substitutions and strong players were going to come in, because they have a really good roster and talented players,” Perelman said. “And we knew the first 15 minutes were going to be very important. We tried to maintain the plan. I think we were able to do it, maybe not the first five minutes of the second half, but yes, we knew we needed to go over those first 15 minutes, and fortunately we could.”

Having weathered the early second-half storm, Orlando settled into protection mode, still looking to get forward when it could, but not taking many chances in possession. The Lions won a couple of corner kicks in the 72nd and 73rd minutes but couldn’t do anything with them.

Galarza again fired over the bar in the 75th minute, and Lobjanidze missed on a good opportunity in the 83rd minute as the visitors kept coming. A minute later, Latte Lath spoiled the shutout by volleying a beautiful shot just under the crossbar from the top of the box to make it 4-1.

Angulo got forward and fired over the bar in the 88th minute in the first good look for Orlando in quite some time. Two minutes later, the Lions broke forward and Braian Ojeda looked for a passing route, but the defense kept the channels blocked, so the midfielder went for goal himself. It was a good effort, but Hibbert made a nice save to push it wide. The corner kick was cleared out to second-half sub Wilder Cartagena in space. The Peruvian fired from outside the box but sent it right at Hibbert at the near post.

The match ended without another look at goal for either team and the Lions advanced past their rivals.

Atlanta’s second-half surge allowed the visitors to finish with the advantage in possession (59.5%-40.5%), shots (16-13), and passing accuracy (84.7%-79.4%). The Lions finished with more shots on target (10-4) and corners (6-1). Most importantly, Orlando won on the scoreboard by a wide margin.

“I’m happy to move forward in this competition, to put the team in a semifinal, which is important for us, for our club,” Perelman said. “I’m happy for our fans, because they deserve it. They support us always in the good ones and in those ones that are not that good ones. And of course, I’m happy for the entire club, managers, owner, Ricardo (Moreira), everybody here. We work really hard, so I think today is a good day for us and I’m happy for us.”

“I’m so happy that we advanced to the semifinals,” Brekalo said. “The team performed really well. We know we played against the same opponent, a tough game three days ago, so it was not easy, like energy-wise. And yeah, I’m so happy and proud of this team.”

The Lions advance to play the winner of tomorrow’s match between New York City FC and the Columbus Crew on the road on Sept. 15 or 16. Orlando City returns to league action Saturday on the road against FC Cincinnati. After that, the team is off for the World Cup break until late July.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back after conceding late Saturday in their draw vs. Atlanta in tonight’s knockout game against the Five Stripes.

Published

17 hours ago

on

May 19, 2026

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Image of Justin Ellis driving at Atlanta defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a Tuesday night U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network). It’s the second of three scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals — the second in three days — with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 9 in MLS play.

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

History

The Lions are 5-11-8 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 3-6-4 at home. Orlando City is 6-12-8 against tonight’s visitors in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup), 4-7-4 at home in all games played, and 0-1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup against the Five Stripes.

Orlando City and Atlanta United met just three nights ago on Saturday, playing to a 1-1 draw. Griffin Dorsey gave Orlando the lead early but the Lions squandered chances to extend the lead, allowing Jay Fortune’s late goal to steal a point for the visitors.

The Lions led 2-1 in Atlanta on May 28, 2025, on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams just met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

The Lions and Atlanta obviously played just a few days ago and walked away splitting the points, but not all draws are created equal. The Five Stripes rotated more than Orlando City did, which should position them better for tonight. They were already better rested than the Lions and all Orlando did was add more miles to legs that have logged a lot of them this month. To make matters worse, captain Robin Jansson left with a knock at halftime on Saturday.

Orlando got to this point in the tournament by squeaking past two opponents it should have overpowered. The Lions were fortunate to get a 1-0 road win at FC Naples on April 15, with a Nolan Miller goal-line clearance that was perhaps fortunate to not have to stand up to video review. Naples outplayed Orlando City by a wide margin in the game, especially in the second half, but the Lions got the game’s only goal.

In the Round of 16, Orlando went north to face New England and was met by a youthful Revolution side made up almost entirely of prospects. The Revs didn’t even dress stars like Carles Gil and Matt Turner. City fell behind that makeshift lineup three times but fought back to ultimately win it 4-3 on April 29.

Atlanta is 3-0-1 in its last four road games in all competitions (two U.S. Open Cup, two MLS). The Five Stripes got to this point in the competition by beating Chattanooga FC 3-1 in the Round of 32 and Charlotte FC 2-0 in the Round of 16.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze and Miranchuk in particular, but the Lions can’t switch off in their own end regardless of who is on the pitch and what the score is. OCSC has been fragile with late leads and even bringing on defense-for-offense substitutions has not helped. If they again don’t rotate much, the Lions will also need to conserve energy and pick their spots to make long runs as they are playing in their third match in seven days.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Maxime Crepeau, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (4-4-1-1)

Goalkeeper: Jayden Hibbert.

Defenders: Elias Baez, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador, Ronald Hernandez.

Midfielders: Cooper Sanchez, Jay Fortune, Will Reilly, Matthew Edwards.

Attacking Midfielder: Aleksey Miranchuk.

Forward: Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Bench: Lucas Hoyos, Juan Berrocal, Tomas Jacob, Tristan Muyumba, Matias Galarza, Sergio Santos, Saba Lobjanidze.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/19/26

Lions set for international duty, lessons from MLS matchday 14, Austin FC makes changes at the top, and more.

Published

20 hours ago

on

May 19, 2026

By

Image of Marco Pasalic saluting the fans.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! It wasn’t a particularly successful weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but we don’t have time to dwell on the past. Orlando City is set for a big U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Atlanta United tonight, and all three teams will be back in action over the weekend. We’ve got a whole host of things to talk about today, so let’s jump straight into the links.

Lions Called Up for International Duty

A busy summer break from MLS is almost upon us, and that means that the international call-ups are starting to roll in. Gustavo Caraballo will be joining Venezuela’s U-20 outfit as it gets ready for an upcoming youth tournament.

In addition, Marco Pasalic has been named to Croatia’s World Cup squad, so Orlando City will be represented on the biggest stage.

Congrats to both players!

Lessons from Matchday 14

Matchday 14 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so let’s take a look at what we learned from the weekend’s action. For one thing, despite a slightly slow start to the season by his high standards, Hany Mukhtar’s hat trick against LAFC proved that he should still be considered among the league’s elite. Marco Reus flashed his versatility in the LA Galaxy’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, as he played striker and got an assist on LA’s first goal. Finally, while its too early to say things are definitely turned around for Sporting Kansas City, back-to-back wins means that there’s at least something to get excited about, and that’s very welcome in a season that’s been difficult for the most part. The spine of Sporting’s midfield looked improved on Saturday, and having Dejan Jovelic up top is never going to hurt a team’s chances.

Austin FC Makes Personnel Changes

Austin FC followed in the footsteps of the Columbus Crew by announcing the firing of head coach Nico Estevez on Monday. Where Austin went a step further was by also firing sporting director Rodolfo Borrell. The team has begun searches for permanent appointments to both positions immediately, while naming Davy Arnaud as interim manager in what will be his second stint in that role with the club. Austin has endured a difficult start to the season and is currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 3-6-5 and 14 points from 14 matches. The 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday seems to have been the final straw, and Austin will now be seeking its third permanent head coach since becoming an MLS club.

Americans in Midweek Action

Most major European seasons have already wrapped up or will be doing so shortly, but there’s still a number of Americans who will be competing during the working week. Things get started later today when Tyler Adams and Bournemouth play host to Manchester City in Premier League action. The stakes ratchet up considerably on Thursday when Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg play Paderborn in the first leg of the Bundesliga’s promotion/relegation tie. Things then finish up on Friday when Yunus Musah and Atalanta travel to take on Fiorentina in Serie A.

Free Kicks

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

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