Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-2 loss against Inter Miami?
Orlando City continued its disappointing start to the 2026 MLS season with a 4-2 loss to Inter Miami. The Lions took a 2-0 lead in the first half despite conceding most of the possession, but fell apart in the second 45 minutes. It ended a two-loss, two-game homestand in which the team was outscored 6-3.
Let’s take a look at how the Orlando City players performed individually in this game.
Starters
GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5.5 — If this was a 45-minute game, Crepeau would’ve had a much higher score. He was stellar in the first half and a primary reason the Lions had a two-goal halftime lead. But it was a game of two halves as he conceded four goals in the second period of play, including three from outside the box. In total, the Canadian faced eight shots, saving four. He completed 67.9% of his 28 passes and three of his 12 long balls. A 5.5 grade might seem a bit harsh after his first 45 minutes, but it’s hard to give a good grade to a goalkeeper when he conceded four times.
D, Tahir Reid-Brown, 6 — It was a first-team debut for Reid-Brown, who had 46 touches in 90 minutes. The 19-year-old Homegrown left back completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including one of his three long balls. He ended the game with a tackle, an interception, and a clearance without doing anything on the attacking end. I’m taking into account that it was his first-team debut, but he was pretty solid, even if he were a veteran.
D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Brekalo started again at center back, touching the ball 55 times. He completed 88.1% of his 42 passes, but none of his four long balls. The veteran recorded an interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high six clearances, winning a team-high four aerial duels. He had two shots on the attacking end with one on target and hit the woodwork. However, probably his most impactful moment came in the 85th minute when he slipped, allowing German Berterame to get to the end line and set up the go-ahead goal. That mistake drops his grade a little in my view.
D, Nolan Miller, 6 — The other half of the center back pairing started a professional game for the first time and played well. He had 39 touches, completing 96.8% of his 31 passes, including his lone long ball. The rookie had four clearances and a blocked shot, doing a terrific job on Lionel Messi in the first half. Unfortunately, he came off injured in the 59th minute right after the game-tying goal and was replaced by Iago. Miller and Brekalo have looked good together so far and Miller has been very good in both games he’s played in so far. Hopefully this injury won’t keep him out for long.
D, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — Dorsey had another week under his belt before this game and it showed. The right back looked much more comfortable with his new club, touching the ball 46 times and completing 77.8% of his 27 passes. He also completed a key pass — his first assist as a Lion — one of his two long balls, and one of his two crosses. Defensively, he had a tackle, an interception, two blocked shots, and won an aerial duel. The defender took one off-target shot in the attacking end. His biggest impact came in the 24th minute when the right back made a strong run into the Miami third before finding Martin Ojeda just inside the box. After receiving the ball back, he laid it off for the attacker, who doubled the team’s lead, recording his first assist with his new club. This is the type of game Orlando City fans hope to see regularly from Dorsey and will take some of the sting out of losing Alex Freeman.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo got the start in this game after a strong second half against the New York Red Bulls last week. He touched the ball 35 times and completed 89.7% of his 29 passes, including a key pass. The attacking midfielder didn’t attempt any shots or crosses, largely because the team conceded so much possession and he dropped defensively to the outside on the left, giving Orlando a fifth defender. However, his cross to Marco Pasalic at the top of the box in the 18th minute set up the game’s first goal. The attacker was replaced in the 79th minute with Eduard Atuesta. After sitting in the first half against New York, Angulo has now had three quality halves for the Lions.
MF, Colin Guske, 5 — Similar to Angulo, Guske got his first MLS start after playing well in the season opener. The 19-year-old had 57 touches and completed 73.9% of his 46 passes. However, all six of his long balls failed to find their intended target. He recorded two interceptions and four clearances defensively while drawing three fouls in the attack. It was a solid performance, but he suffered two yellow cards for his first sending off of his MLS career. While the first was a booking for pulling Messi back on a counterattack, the second was very questionable. Regardless, he put himself in a position for the fouls to be called. It might be a bit harsh, but his grade dropped due to the late sending-off.
MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 (MotM) — Ojeda touched the ball 62 times in his second Orlando City game, completing 93.8% of his team-high 48 passes. He completed four of his five long balls while putting his only shot off target. The midfielder also contributed defensively with a tackle, two clearances, and an aerial duel in arguably the strongest Orlando City performance. His completion percentage in a game where the team struggled to keep possession and overall play earns him my Man of the Match.
MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic was much better than last week, touching the ball 34 times and completing 70% of his 20 passes, including a key pass. His biggest moment on the attacking end came in the 18th minute when he brought an Angulo pass down well and placed it inside the near post to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Defensively, the Croatian had two tackles and two interceptions before being replaced by Tiago in the 79th minute. This is more of what Orlando City fans expect from Pasalic and is a good sign moving forward.
F, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Like Pasalic, Ojeda was better in this game. He had 48 touches and completed 69% of his 29 passes, including a key pass, two of his three long balls, and one of his two crosses. He took a team-high four shots and put a team-high three on frame. In the 24th minute, he used the outside of his left foot to curl the ball into the far corner after a quick one-two with Dorsey, doubling the Orlando City lead. He also had two clearances in his 90 minutes of action. It was good to see Ojeda get on the scoresheet and he was a much larger part of the attack, something the Lions need if they have any offensive production this year.
F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — McGuire was disappointing for the second consecutive game. The big man only won one aerial duel, losing several throughout the game. He touched the ball 22 times and completed 75% of his 16 passes, including a key pass. Despite being a striker, he didn’t take a single shot and was completely invisible in the final third. He did draw two fouls and record two clearances, but the second poor performance makes you wonder how long it will be until Oscar Pareja goes to Tiago or another player up top.
Substitutes
D, Iago (59’), 6 — Iago entered the game in the 59th minute for an injured Miller and had the best performance since joining the club, including preseason. He had 28 touches in 31 minutes, completing 95.7% of his 23 passes with a long ball. Despite his lack of playing time, he equaled Miller and Guske’s four clearances — second-most on the team. He also drew a foul in what was a solid game, despite being a center back for two goals from the opposition.
F, Tyrese Spicer (66’), 5.5 — Spicer replaced McGuire in the 66th minute, moving up top initially before dropping into the midfield. He had 16 touches and completed 71.4% of his seven passes without any key passes, crosses, or long balls. His lone shot was off target and he had an interception, but didn’t create the offensive spark for which he was brought on.
MF, Eduard Atuesta (79’), 5 — Atuesta made his season debut after missing the first game with an injury shortly before kickoff. He came on in the 79th minute for Angulo, touching the ball 22 times and completing 70.6% of his 17 passes, including one of his three long balls. The defensive midfielder had three interceptions in his 11 minutes, but the most important thing was to see him healthy on the field as Orlando City’s injury list continues to increase. His decision to let a ball run through the midfield rather than play it was costly late in normal time, as the turnover led to Guske’s second yellow and the fourth Miami goal.
F, Tiago (79’), 5.5 — Tiago came on with Atuesta as Orlando City’s final two subs, replacing Pasalic. Playing up top, he touched the ball seven times and completed 75% of his four passes. He didn’t take any shots, but had a tackle and an interception in what was a largely invisible performance for the forward.
This is how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s two-goal loss to their in-state rivals. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from yet another rough watch on the road.
Orlando City got smacked around in North Carolina in its second-to-last game of the regular season in a 4-0 loss to Charlotte FC. The loss puts the team’s playoff hopes in serious jeopardy, although it does still control its own destiny heading into Decision Day on Saturday. What follows are my five big observations from a thoroughly unenjoyable viewing experience.
Early Goals Overwhelm Orlando
Outside of the opening five minutes of each half, the game was a relatively even affair, with both teams having plenty of possession and chances to go along with it. Unfortunately, OCSC was positively awful in the first five minutes of each half. The Lions gave up a bad free kick on the edge of the area after five minutes had been played, and then displayed a shocking lack of defending on the back post (yet again) to giftwrap the game’s opening goal to Charlotte. In the 49th minute, Orlando allowed Allan Saint-Maximin to waltz through the heart of the midfield practically unchallenged and power a shot low and hard past Maxime Crepeau to double the lead and all but doom the Lions’ chances of taking anything from the contest. Charlotte’s two late goals made the score even uglier, but the early strikes in each half were the ones that truly changed things.
More Yellow Card Accumulation
A recurring theme for Orlando in recent games has been missing players due to yellow card accumulation, as David Brekalo was unavailable for this one, Eduard Atuesta was out against Chicago on Wednesday, and Marco Pasalic missed out on the trip to play Toronto FC. Iago made sure the pattern will continue on Decision Day when he picked up a wholly needless yellow card in the 25th minute — for either an unnecessary foul or for dissent afterward — in a home stretch that has seen Orlando without Robin Jansson, Tyrese Spicer, and Griffin Dorsey. In addition to other myriad absences through injury, players getting themselves suspended for no reason certainly hasn’t made the end of the season any easier. Brekalo will be back from suspension for the final game of the season, but the Lions will have another makeshift defense when they welcome one of the best teams in the East to Central Florida.
Possession Without Product
Orlando finished the game with slightly more possession than the home side (51.3% to 48.7%) and actually outshot Charlotte 17-14, but the Lions were far less effective with the ball than the winning side. OCSC put eight shots on target while Charlotte only managed six, and while Kristijan Kahlina made some sharp saves, Orlando had trouble carving out any truly clean looks at goal. Charlotte’s early lead enabled the hosts to be more cautious opening themselves up, so the Lions were often shooting through traffic, from the edge of the box, or from a tight angle. It isn’t often that this team doesn’t get at least one goal on the board, but it was hard to say it deserved to get on the scoresheet in this one.
Quiet Night for Crepeau
Maxime Crepeau wasn’t able to have much of an impact on proceedings, but I don’t hold him at fault for any of the goals. His defense left him completely exposed on the first, the second from Saint-Maximin was a well-placed rocket through traffic, he did exceedingly well to then save a penalty on the third only to be let down by slow-reacting teammates when Abdoulaye Doucoure slammed home the rebound, and Rodolfo Aloko was left completely unmarked in the box on the fourth. I can’t help but feel bad for the Canadian international this year. He had a rocky start to the year, but has often kept Orlando in games once the season resumed post-World Cup, and the team wouldn’t still be in the hunt for a playoff spot without him. Lately it seems like the Lions get tuned up if he isn’t able to make at least several outstanding saves that he has no right to make, and that’s how it proved to be in this game.
Road Struggles Continue With a Vengeance
At the end of the day, the Lions once again looked outclassed on the road. It’s difficult to get results away from home in MLS, that’s no secret, but Orlando’s form has been truly horrible. Orlando finishes the year with three wins, 10 losses, and four draws on the road during the 2026 regular season, and has scored 30 goals while giving up a league-worst 56. The team has averaged 1.88 points per game at home, and a paltry 0.76 when it has to leave the safety of the nest. Having a high-octane offense doesn’t matter if you can’t consistently keep the ball out of the back of your own net, and the Lions have struggled to do that on the road. There are a lot of things that this team needs to fix in the off-season, and becoming even marginally better away from home is just one item on a very long list.
That’s how I saw an ugly penultimate match of the regular season. What did you think of this one? Be sure to have your say down in the comments.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 4-0 as Lions End Road Trip with Blowout Loss
The Lions’ playoff hopes are in trouble after another poor road performance.
Orlando City was wasteful in front of goal and terrible in the defensive end once again in a costly 4-0 loss to Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon. The Lions (12-14-7, 43 points) will rue the missed opportunities that could have helped them stay in the game, but two unnecessarily conceded set pieces, an early second-half goal, and another late strike gave Charlotte (15-10-8, 53 points) a comfortable home win.
It was a result reminiscent of the 0-3-0 start to the season that saw Oscar Pareja depart as head coach.
Henry Kessler, Allan Saint-Maximin, Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Rodolfo Aloko did the damage on the scoreboard for the hosts, who finished a man down after a late red card for a brainless obscene gesture toward Wilder Cartagena. Charlotte FC got its first-ever home win against the Lions in the regular season in emphatic fashion.
“Very disappointed in the result in this moment,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “We do the best that we can. Sometimes it is not enough. It’s not good enough. Like today, we are the first ones aware of that.”
Perelman rotated little from the squad that blew a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 at Chicago in the midweek, despite most of that starting XI playing either all 90 minutes or the vast majority of those minutes. Maxime Crepeau started in goal behind a back line of Vinicius Nogueira, Cartagena — deputizing for the suspended David Brekalo — Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Braian Ojeda and Luis Otavio played in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann up top.
Each team got an early spell of possession in the opening minutes, with the best opportunity being a blast from Pasalic on the right that forced a good diving save from Kristijan Kahlina.
But then the Lions handed Charlotte an easy opening goal. Braian Ojeda committed a foul he had no reason to commit against Saint-Maximin near the left corner of the box. Ashley Westwood sent in a good cross to a completely unmarked Kessler, who simply nodded his free header down and past Crepeau for a simple goal and a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
“I think today they were ready on 90 minutes, and we lacked focus those moments of execution and mental focus on the set piece,” Crepeau said. “Free header, where we knew that they were going to play those sorts of balls between me and the defenders. It’s a free header when nobody is around. It’s unacceptable, because it’s just mental focus at that point.”
“It’s a mistake that we shouldn’t commit when you play this type of game at this stage on the road. Against these opponents, it’s hard.”
That was the 75th goal conceded by Orlando City in 2026, which set a new club single-season record — not a mark the Lions wanted to set, but nothing has changed in the way the team has defended all year. They went on to concede goals nos. 76, 77, and 78 before the final whistle.
Charlotte got a chance to make it 2-0 just moments later when Liel Abada got his shot blocked in the 10th minute. Djibril Diani collected the rebound and sent a soft shot skipping wide. Charlotte kept the ball for a spell and created a good opportunity in the 20th minute when a cross in from Orlando’s defensive left found Idan Toklomati in front alone, but he couldn’t get any power on the header, giving Crepeau some catching practice.
Martin Ojeda took a cutback pass from Angulo in the 22nd minute in good position on the left, but with Kessler closing fast, the Argentine had only enough time to toe poke it toward goal with his weaker right foot and Kahlina made a comfortable stop.
Saint-Maximin was permitted to run straight down the right channel with the ball in the 24th minute but Iago was able to block his shot.
Through the middle of the first half, the Lions looked discombobulated, not creating anything and often turning the ball over after crossing midfield. During that spell, Charlotte didn’t create a lot either, but that didn’t stop Iago from committing a clumsy challenge and then demonstrably disagree with the call to earn a yellow card in the 25th minute, suspending him for the season finale against New England with the Lions already short of bodies on the back line. Both the foul and the reaction were unnecessary and emblematic of the Brazilian’s lack of discipline during his first season in Orlando.
Toklomati was poorly marked on a corner in the 27th minute but couldn’t get his header down, sending it high over the bar.
With so few looks at goal to that point in the game, Braian Ojeda tried a hopeful shot from a long way out in the 34th minute but sent it wide of the right post. A minute later, Martin Ojeda took a pass in the center at the top of the box but Westwood blocked his shot and it hit the Argentine’s arm on the rebound, ending the threat.
A Saint-Maximin cross cleared Iago in the 37th minute but about a foot too far in front of Abada at a wide-open back post.
The Lions closed the half looking a bit better and with more urgency. Angulo won a set piece from distance in the closing minutes and Griezmann sent a good curling cross in front of goal. Otavio couldn’t make good contact with it in the air, knocking it off Iago’s chest and down in front of goal, where it hit the right post. The rebound came back to Iago, but he sent it wide of the same post.
The last good look of the half for either side fell to Orlando in the 44th minute. A ball across the box deflected through everyone in front and fell to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian had a defender closing, so he fired a hard shot with his weaker right foot and sent it just wide and into the outside netting.
At the break, the Lions held the edge in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (10-7), shots on target (3-2), and passing accuracy (89.9%-88.7%), with Charlotte winning more corners (3-2). The difference was that Orlando was punished for shoddy set piece defending on a free kick that shouldn’t have been conceded while lacking clinical finishing on two excellent chances.
Perelman sent Eduard Atuesta and Adrian Marin on for Otavio and Nogueira at the break.
The changes didn’t help, and Orlando allowed Charlotte an easy second goal right just moments after the restart. Saint-Maximim came right down the center. Orlando’s back line dropped back to stay with the passing options while Pasalic jogged behind. With no pressure on him, the forward blasted a shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute.
“We tried to adjust for the second half, and then the second half again it’s opened by I think a sequence very difficult, and then the game is is hard, and we couldn’t perform as we should,” Perelman said.
“He’s dribbling at our defense. He has a fake shot and we (commit) a bit fast, and then he has an open shot, I think right above the box, and he smashes it,” Crepeau said. “And those moments are difficult. When it’s right around a restart, it’s difficult for us to absorb that, and it hurt us.”
Orlando could have pulled that second goal right back two minutes later. A ball played centrally in front from the left was cleared only as far as Braian Ojeda in the box. The midfielder had time and space but sent a soft shot at the goalkeeper.
Martin Ojeda tried a volley effort in the 55th minute on the left side but he didn’t hit the shot well and it sliced wide of the left post. Five minutes later, it was Pasalic making a mess of a shot, sending a left-footed effort wide from the top of the box in the middle.
Perelman sent attacking subs on down the stretch to try to claw back into the game, but without having to go forward, Charlotte was content to stay organized and look for counterattacking opportunities. That made it difficult to find space for chance creation and made for some nervy defensive moments. Iago was caught cheating forward to maintain possession, allowing an odd-man break in the 66th minute but a heavy touch and an offside flag prevented further damage at that time. A minute later, Pep Biel cut in from the left and blasted a shot from distance that crashed off the crossbar behind Crepeau.
Kahlina made a brilliant save in the 70th minute that won’t count, after Griezmann’s free kick found Adrian Marin for a flicked header. Kahlina made the diving save but Marin was offside anyway.
Crepeau kept things from getting worse (for the moment) in the 74th minute, getting down to deflect a cross that would have given Charlotte an easy tap-in goal at the back post.
Martin Ojeda’s header went straight at Kahlina a minute later, and seconds after that, the Argentine, looking like he felt every one of the 256 minutes he played during the last eight days, fizzed a shot over the crossbar.
Griezmann fired an acrobatic volley shot in the 77th minute as Orlando kept trying to cut into the lead. Kahlina, who might become the latest Orlando City opponent to win Player of the Matchday honors in a season filled with such occurrences, made yet another diving stop. Griezmann sent a low shot a minute later off a cross into the box that bounced in front, but Kahlina squeezed his knees together and made the block. The ball popped high into the air, with Daryl Dike soaring over the defense to get to it, however, the big striker jumped too early and Charlotte survived the rebound.
Charlotte put the game to bed a few minutes later on a play that started with an Orlando corner kick. Griezmann sent a ball in that found its way to the top of the area. There were no Lions in a spot where you’d normally expect at least one attacker, but Eduard Atuesta had run from the middle to the left inviting a short corner to be played. Perhaps someone missed an assignment on the set play, but Charlotte broke with numbers the other way.
Angulo caught up with Aloko as the two men entered the box, but a heavy touch was taking the Charlotte forward wide on the right. Angulo applied pressure from behind and unnecessarily made contact from behind that referee Victor Rivas felt was too heavy (it was), awarding Charlotte a penalty. Saint-Maximin took the spot kick, sending it toward the left post. Crepeau made the save, but he couldn’t control the rebound.
Doucouré was easily the first to the ball, slotting home the hosts’ third goal in the 84th minute as three different Charlotte attackers were quick to get into the box while Orlando players were caught flat-footed.
“He has a lot of penalties under his belt throughout his career, so I knew I just needed to hold a bit longer to make him choose a side, basically,” Crepeau said. “And I was able to go to the right side, and we were not able to follow up on the rebound. And 3-0 was the goal that hurt us, because at 2-0 you still believe a little bit and the three, 10, maybe 15 minutes before the end hurts us a lot.”
With the outcome all but official at that point, things took a weird turn in the 89th minute, when Rivas went to the monitor to review something that happened off the ball. Saint-Maximin had been chirping with Cartagena and grabbed his crotch. Rivas sent the Charlotte attacker off for making an obscene gesture, though it was too late to impact the match. In fact, instead of Orlando spoiling Kahlina’s shutout, the Lions meekly failed to even threaten to get a shot away and the hosts added a goal in stoppage time. With three defenders tracking Biel’s run, no one bothered to even look at Aloko, who took a cross from Tyger Smalls and beat Crepeau while Marin bathed in all the space in which he was defending no one.
The final whistle was a mercy to an Orlando City side that has slipped into the play-in game positions.
At full time, Orlando held a deceptive statistical advantage. The Lions led in possession (51.1%-48.9%), shots (17-14), shots on target (7-6), and passing accuracy (87%-85.3%). Both teams finished with four corner kicks.
“We don’t like this result. We don’t like this way,” Perelman said. “This is not the way we want. But we will, for sure, like we did it in the past, we will recover ourselves, and we will prepare (for) the next one, because this team started the season in a really difficult situation, went through very difficult moments, and was very resilient. So, this is not going to be the exception for us, and we’re going to be ready for next one.”
“We know what’s happening at the moment,” Crepeau said. “We need a win against New England. That being said, today is not acceptable for every player that got rostered. It’s not good enough. A lot of people deserve better than what we have put out there today. That’s the reality of things.”
The Lions end the regular season with a terrible 3-10-4 road record, having not won away from home since Sept. 9, going 0-3-2 away and conceding 17 goals (3.4 goals against per match) in that span. If they squeak into the postseason, the road is where they’ll be, so that’s not a great sign. It was also the first time Orlando City has been shut out in a game since May and ended Griezmann’s five-game goal-scoring streak.
Orlando City dropped to ninth place and awaits results from the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC on Sunday. If both teams lose, they would be unable to catch Orlando on points on Decision Day. The Red Bulls are at Nashville, which has already clinched the Supporters’ Shield, while Toronto visits lowly 14th-place Atlanta.
The Lions return home for their regular-season finale against the high-flying New England Revolution a week from today.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions head to Charlotte looking for an elusive road win after blowing late leads in the last two away matches.
Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday matinee matchup between Orlando City (12-13-7, 43 points) and Charlotte FC (14-10-8, 50 points) at Inter.co Stadium (1 p.m., Apple TV). This is the second of the two games on the slate between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2026.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 5-1-3 in the regular-season series and 7-3-3 in all competitions against Charlotte. Orlando City is 1-0-3 on the road in the regular season and 1-2-3 away across all competitions against the North Carolina-based side.
Orlando got its biggest win in the series in the most recent meeting, a 4-1 home win for the Lions on April 22. The Lions rode a big second half to the victory after Luis Otavio and Morrison Agyemang traded first-half goals. Martin Ojeda notched a brace after halftime and Ignacio Gomez scored his first MLS goal to add some late insurance.
The teams last met in Charlotte on July 5, 2025, playing to a 2-2 draw at Bank of America Stadium. The hosts took a 2-0 lead on goals by Pep Biel and Bill Tuiloma, but Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic brought the Lions back to earn a point on the road.
Earlier in the 2025 campaign, the teams met on May 14 in Orlando, with Luis Muriel and Ojeda giving the Lions a 2-0 lead inside the game’s first 25 minutes. Wilfried Zaha pulled the visitors within a goal before the break, making for a tight second half, but Enrique’s late goal put the game to bed in Orlando City’s 3-1 home win.
Prior to 2025, the teams met in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Orlando City claimed two of the three matches, winning the first outright, dropping the second on penalties after a late goal was called offside in the buildup, and advancing after a penalty shootout win following the third match of the best-of-three series.
On Nov. 9, 2024, Facundo Torres’ penalty late in stoppage time canceled out a Karol Swiderski goal and sent the deciding third match to penalties with a 1-1 score. Pedro Gallese made two saves and Orlando City won the shootout 4-1, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The teams played eight days before that in Charlotte, without either side scoring in normal time, as Torres’ strike was disallowed for offside on Nico Lodeiro on Muriel’s through ball. Charlotte won the ensuing penalty shootout 3-1 after the scoreless draw to tie the series at 1-1. That followed Orlando City’s 2-0 home win the previous Sunday. Torres and Ojeda scored the goals on either side of halftime to lead the Lions to the Game 1 win. It was the first time Orlando scored more than one goal in an MLS playoff game.
The teams met a month and a half prior to their first playoff meeting on Sept. 18 in Orlando. The Lions got second-half goals from Torres and Duncan McGuire to win 2-0, claiming the first multiple-goal win in the series. The teams also met on June 19, 2024, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and played to a 2-2 draw. The hosts struck first with an early Kerwin Vargas goal and the Lions pulled one back through McGuire in the second half. But despite Charlotte going down a man on Scott Arfield’s red card, Brandt Bronico restored the hosts’ lead shortly after McGuire’s strike. Torres struck back moments later but the Lions could not find a winner on the road.
The previous match was also a draw at Bank of America Stadium, finishing 1-1 on Aug. 30, 2023. Enzo Copetti’s late penalty appeared to wrap things up for the hosts on a rainy night in Charlotte, but Ojeda’s seeing-eye set piece equalized just before stoppage time as the teams split the points.
Charlotte claimed a 1-0 “home” victory in U.S. Open Cup play on May 9 of that year. That game took place at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC, rather than at the club’s regular stadium. The first matchup of the 2023 season didn’t go any better for Orlando City, finishing as a 2-1 Charlotte win at Exploria Stadium on March 18. Copetti and Vargas put Charlotte up 2-0 by halftime. Ojeda pulled one back, but the Lions were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t pull level.
In 2022, the teams met at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 21. After a scoreless first half, Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead on the road, only to see McKinze Gaines equalize just four minutes later. Tesho Akindele’s late goal lifted Orlando to a 2-1 victory.
Orlando City won the first-ever meeting between the sides on April 30, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. Ruan scored the opening goal and set up Torres on the counter for the second as the Lions took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Christian Fuchs scored from the spot after Rodrigo Schlegel was called for a foul in the box in the second half, but that was as close as Charlotte got in what was ultimately a 2-1 Orlando victory.
Overview
Orlando City enters the match in an odd way, because although the Lions have gone unbeaten in their last five games (2-0-3), they’ve also dropped three late leads in the last four, coughing up six points in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. That includes Wednesday’s match at Chicago, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and the home game against New York City FC a week ago, another 2-2 draw. Orlando led in the 69th and deep in stoppage time of those games, respectively. Antoine Griezmann is almost singlehandedly willing Orlando to stay above the playoff line with a goal-scoring streak of five matches.
But the Lions enter tonight just 3-9-4 on the road in league play in 2026 and haven’t won away from Orlando since Sept. 9 at Atlanta and going 0-3-2 in five road matches in all competitions since then.
Charlotte enters tonight fresh off a 4-0 home beatdown of CF Montreal in the midweek and although both clubs are on the same rest, Orlando has traveled to Chicago and Charlotte over the last few days and stayed on the road in between, while tonight’s hosts have been sleeping snugly in their beds since returning home from a 3-2 loss at Portland a week ago. Charlotte FC is 9-3-4 at Bank of America Stadium in MLS play this year and have won two straight on their own patch.
Orlando City will need to be patient to avoid giving up dangerous counterattacks, as the Lions have struggled to defend them all year, and the club will be without three-quarters of its starting back line, with Griffin Dorsey and Robin Jansson out with injuries and David Brekalo suspended for yellow card accumulation. The back line will be a makeshift one, which is less than ideal against players like Biel (13 goals, 16 assists), Idan Toklomati (15 goals, 6 assists), and Liel Abada (8 goals, 5 assists). Charlotte has the Eastern Conference’s sixth-best offense and the East’s fourth-best defense, led by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
In addition to being without Brekalo (suspension), Jansson (foot), and Dorsey (back), Orlando also won’t have winger Tyrese Spicer (foot). Charlotte will be without Will Cleary (illness), Nimfasha Berchimas (lower body), Archie Goodwin (lower body), Aron John (upper body), and Tim Ream (lower body).
Match Content
- Our most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for today’s match, as well as a preview of the game.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Vinicius Nogueira,Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Zakaria Taifi.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Braian Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann.
Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Nolan Miller, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis, Tiago, Harvey Sarajian, Daryl Dike.
Charlotte FC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina.
Defenders: Harry Toffolo, Henry Kessler, Morrison Agyemang, Nathan Byrne.
Midfielders: Pep Biel, Ashley Westwood, Djibril Diani.
Forwards: Allan Saint-Maximin, Idan Toklomati, Liel Abada.
Bench: Tyler Miller, Andrew Privett, David Schnegg, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Luca de la Torre, Brandt Bronico, Nathan Richmond, Tyger Smalls, Rodolfo Aloko.
Referees
Ref: Victor Rivas.
AR1: Mike Nickerson.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4th: Nabil Bensalah.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Kathryn Nesbitt.
How to Watch
Match Time: 1 p.m.
Venue: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte.
TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
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