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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 5-0 loss against NYCFC?

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5 months ago

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Image of Duncan McGuire playing the ball against New York City FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The less that is written about Saturday’s game the better, but Orlando City was walloped 5-0 on the road at New York City FC, in what is becoming an annual tradition for the Lions to lose in New York City against their expansion brethren. An early red card put the team under tremendous pressure, and Orlando City was unable to overcome the waves and waves of attacking Pigeons.

I have my purple pen out (it probably should have been red for this one) and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in an Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, N/A — The Canadian inexplicably lost track of where he was on the field and handled a ball outside of the box in the 16th minute. That poor decision completely changed the game, as the Canadian received a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity and left his team to play down a man for more than 80 minutes (including first-half stoppage time). During the few minutes he was on the field, Crepeau completed three of his eight pass attempts, but those were his only contributions in a game he and the rest of the team will want to forget.

D, Tahir Reid-Brown, 4.5 — Reid-Brown got his second straight start at left back, but while his performance against Miami was decent, that was not the case on Saturday against NYCFC. Reid-Brown looked like a young player in his first-ever road start, and while these minutes will be helpful for him in the future, they were a rough 45 minutes while he was on the field. Reid-Brown often looked tentative and a step slow, especially on NYCFC’s second goal, when he allowed Maxi Moralez all the time he wanted to set up to play a cross into the box. The Lions were playing a man down at the time, so he did not want to rush in on Moralez immediately, but he allowed the NYCFC man far too much space to tee up a cross into the danger zone and the Lions paid for it. This game will be another learning experience for the Homegrown defender, as he saw on Saturday what it takes to perform every week at the MLS level. Reid-Brown completed 68.8% of his passes and made one interception on defense, and as he had also picked up a yellow card for a silly challenge early in the first half, he was taken off at halftime for Adrián Marín.

D, Nolan Miller, 5.5 — Miller played the best defense among all of Orlando City’s back line players, leading the game in defensive contributions with eight. Like everyone else on the back line, he did not finish the match unscathed, as Tayvon Gray intercepted a lofted pass attempt from Miller and was able to turn that interception into an assist when he crossed the ball to Keaton Parks for NYCFC’s fourth goal. Miller’s partnership with his fellow center back David Brekalo was that in name only, as they did not seem to be on the same page throughout the game. The former Michigan Wolverine was the steadier of the two, with a 93.1% completion rate on 29 pass attempts and his stat-stuffing eight defensive contributions, which were composed of one tackle, one interception, one block, and five clearances.

D, David Brekalo, 4.5 — Last season, we thought Brekalo was a center back playing left back, but after watching Saturday’s game, it is possible that he was really a left back masquerading as a center back all along. Brekalo looked completely out of sorts in the middle. It is difficult to be under pressure for nearly the entire game, but the Slovenian looked timid and slow all game long. He was late to react to passes and to step in front of runners, and there were multiple times when it was clear that he and his partner Miller were not on the same page with how they were supposed to play together. Robin Jansson cannot return soon enough, as it is clear that despite having the most experience among anyone on the back line, Brekalo is, at least to this point, unable to lead that group. He completed 69.2% of his passes and added two tackles, one block, and three clearances on what was a rough afternoon for the Slovenian.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 5 — The man with the bun once again looked lively going forward, but his accuracy failed him on Saturday. He created several opportunities down the right flank but none of his crosses found their mark, and he had a great chance to put an uncontested shot on goal from about16 yards out but skied it well high and wide of the net. On the defensive side, he contributed one tackle and five clearances, but his failed clearance attempt in the second half led directly to NYCFC’s final goal, as he was unable to put a lot on the ball and played it directly to Parks, who stepped into the pass almost like a jump shooter in basketball and put a left-footed shot into the opposite corner of the net. That was the story of the day for Dorsey, as he completed only 57.9% of his passes, though he had one of only two key passes for the Lions on the afternoon.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 (MotM) — In a game devoid of any truly outstanding Orlando City players, Angulo stood out the most, as he delivered 90 minutes of high-level work rate while going a perfect 20 for 20 on his pass attempts. He also added a game-high three tackles and two clearances while winning seven of his 12 duels, but my award of Man of the Match to the Colombian is partly due to to his efforts but also due to the fact that so few other players did anything noteworthy during this match. Angulo has a stranglehold on the left wing spot now, and deservedly so after how well he has played ever since he came off the bench during the season opener.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6 — Defensive Ojeda started alongside his third different central midfield partner in three games, and he once again was solid in the middle. The Paraguayan led the team in completed passes with 29, completing them at a solid 87.9% rate, and his heatmap showed touches all over the defensive and middle thirds of the field. He delivered a high work rate in trying to help a defense that was under pressure all game long. In an interesting twist, each Ojeda took one corner kick during the game, but Braian showed why we call him Defensive Ojeda with his corner, as he put it behind all of the attackers and it did not lead to anything for the Lions. It was a solid-but-unspectacular game for the midfielder, and unfortunately for Orlando City, that made it one of the better performances by any player on the afternoon.

MF, Luis Otávio, 5 — The young midfielder made his debut performance on Saturday, and while he showed some flashes of his potential, he will remember this game more for the poor decision to go to ground late in the first half. The Brazilian was trying to track back to prevent a transition attack and decided that the best idea was to try to slide tackle, but even though he got the ball, he did so by going through Nicolas Fernández Mercau. The Pigeons converted the penalty kick, which killed the game off for all intents and purposes, and when the halftime whistle blew a few minutes later, that was it for Otávio, as he made way for Duncan McGuire. During his 45 minutes he completed 92.3% of his passes and had one tackle and one clearance on defense, and while he did not look overwhelmed in his first game, he will need to improve quickly if he wants to jump over anyone on the central midfield depth chart.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 5.5 — Despite Orlando City barely having any possession (31.7%) Pašalić was able to make some attacking runs, but he never really got anything that created real danger. His most threatening play came from a right-footed (!) cross that found McGuire’s head in the middle of the box, but unfortunately, McGuire was not moving forward enough to generate more than a medium-powered header on goal that did not trouble Matt Freese. Aside from that, the Croatian completed 87.5% of his passes and had one clearance on defense, but it was another game of very little contribution for the Designated Player, who came off for Tiago after 78 minutes.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — Offensive Ojeda scored a goal on Saturday afternoon, but alas it was NYCFC’s Agustín and not Orlando City’s Martín who put the ball in the back of the net. The Argentinean was starved of service throughout the match, as he ended up with most his touches in the defensive half of the field and only completed two passes in the attacking half. He connected on a total of 12 passes in the game at an 85.7% completion rate, and he added one clearance on defense, but for the most part, he was invisible and came off after 62 minutes for Eduard Atuesta.

F, Tyrese Spicer, N/A — Spicer paid the price for Crépeau’s poor judgment, as he was sacrificed for Javier Otero due to the goalkeeper’s red card. Prior to that, it was clear that he had a hybrid role of protecting Reid-Brown as a defensive wingback while using his speed to range forward into the attack when Orlando held the ball. Spicer did not have many chances to contribute during his brief time on the field, though during one of Orlando City’s few forays forward he took the team’s only shot of the first half, though it was far from accurate. He did not complete any passes or make any defensive contributions, and it was just bad luck for him that his afternoon was cut short almost right after it began.

Substitutes

GK, Javier Otero (19′), 3.5 — Yankee Stadium was once again a house of horrors for Orlando City’s backup goalkeeper, as he came in for Crépeau and was under attack for the rest of the game. Otero gave up five goals in the match but can be excused from two of them, a well-placed header that snuck just inside the far post and a penalty kick that went into nearly the exact same place. On both goals Otero read the play well and was at full extension but just came up inches short of making the save. The other three shots were more questionable, as he was seemingly wrong-footed on a ball that was driven into the ground and bounced over his head but looked saveable; a well-played cross that he was indecisive on if he should come out to get or not and so he came out late, didn’t get there, and was beaten from close range; and a shot from the top of the box off the weaker foot from an attacker that went to the opposite side than he was expecting, and so he was unable to recover after an initial step in the wrong direction. All three shots were struck well by NYCFC and would have been difficult saves, but Otero saved none of them, and in fact made zero saves throughout his time on the field, just as he did (or did not) two years ago when he came off the bench to replace an injured Mason Stajduhar. It was a rough outing for Otero, who had to come off the bench to play behind a defensive line that is nearly brand new and was playing down a player, but the Venezuelan will need to shake it off because Crépeau will be suspended for Saturday’s home game against CF Montréal.

F, Duncan McGuire, (46′), 5.5 — Another game, another shift with little to no service for McGuire, who came on at halftime but primarily brought hustle to the party and nothing else. He completed all five of his pass attempts and took two shots, one a hopeful attempt from extremely long range that was deflected out for a corner, and the other a header off a cross from Pašalić, which ultimately was the best chance the Lions had at a goal and the only shot on target all afternoon. Big Dunc deserves credit for going full bore whenever he is on the field, but there was little else for him to do but run around as NYCFC dominated the ball throughout the game.

D, Adrián Marín, (46′), 5 — The Spaniard came on in a like-for-like swap with Reid-Brown at left back but did little to distinguish himself during his 45 minutes on the field. The MLS website says he was a perfect 9/9 on his pass attempts, but they miscredited several passes he played that were not completed, and aside from those few completed passes, he did not add much during his shift, contributing one interception and one clearance.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, (62′), 5.5 — We do not know the full extent of Atuesta’s fitness but he looked healthy enough during his shift that he probably could have come on sooner or perhaps even started the game before making way for Otávio in the second half. The Colombian looked in control during his shift and partnered well with Braian Ojeda in the middle, completing 80% of his passes and making one interception on defense.

MF, Tiago, (76′), N/A — The Brazilian came on for Pašalić with 14 minutes to go but only touched the ball twice and did not complete his one pass attempt.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disastrous 5-0 loss at NYCFC. Yuck. 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. FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati.

Published

6 hours ago

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August 16, 2026

By

Image of Luis Otavio playing the ball against FC Cincinnati.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hosted FC Cincinnati at Inter.co Stadium Saturday night in the new red third kits. This was supposed to be a high-scoring affair between two teams that like to score and also like to give up goals. Naturally, that meant it ended in a low-scoring 1-1 draw. Still, it’s hard to be too upset given Orlando City came from behind and managed to earn a point against a team higher in the standings. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

A Head Injury Goal

FC Cincinnati scored the first goal of the match, but it wasn’t without controversy. Cincinnati passed the ball to the top of the box for Evander. His shot went directly into the face of Joran Gerbet, who dropped like a sack of potatoes. That is the moment that Tori Penso should have blown the whistle to stop the play. You know, for a potential head injury. Instead, Penso allowed the play to continue as the ball rebounded off Gerbet’s head to Pavel Bucha who scored the goal. Fortunately, Gerbet was okay not that Penso was overly concerned in the moment. After the match, she stated the play was not stopped because of an immediate shot by a teammate after the deflection. It took about four seconds from hitting Gerbet in the head from point-blank range until the time Bucha shot, and perhaps four seconds is considered immediate.

Relentless Spicer

Tyrese Spicer continued his run of good form for Orlando City with a good run against the Cincinnati defense. As two defenders closed on him, Justin Ellis made a nifty flicked pass from a ball from Ivan Angulo to a streaking Spicer. The speedy winger held off Bucha shoulder to shoulder to win the ball. Bucha fell down and Spicer rounded the keeper before putting it under the crossbar for the equalizer. It was a hard-earned goal and just what Orlando City needed to get back into the match.

Justice for Brekalo

Kevin Denkey got around Maxime Crepeau and looked certain to score, but he hit the right post. The ball bounced out to Evander. David Brekalo battled to win the ball and Evander went down in the box. Penso immediately called a penalty, but the contact was very light. Then the video assistant referee suggested a call against Orlando City needed to be checked. Penso looked at the replay and rightly said no penalty. On top of that, Evander received a yellow for simulation. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

Crepeau Continues to Crush It

Crepeau has been playing well since returning from the World Cup. He continued his good form against one of the best attacking teams in MLS. Despite only being credited with three saves, he once again made several saves on shots from offside players that would not have counted, but were still impressive. Additionally, he got better as the match went on. He had good command of the his area, coming out to get the ball, closing down the angles, and being a big contributor to the point at home.

Good Enough

Orlando City’s defense was not great despite holding Cincinnati to one goal, but it was good enough. For a team that gave up nearly three goals per match prior to the World Cup break, allowing an average of one goal per match, including in this game, is much better. On a sadder note, Bernardo Rhein went off injured in the first half. The youngster had supplanted Adrian Marin on the depth chart and now might be out for a bit depending on how bad the injury is. To his credit, Marin played better than he usually does once he came on. Again, the defense wasn’t spectacular, but it did enough to earn a point.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s result with FC Cincinnati. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Battle Back on Spicer’s Goal

The Lions fell behind before halftime but had the final say in a hard-fought home draw vs. FC Cincinnati.

Published

18 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer battling against FC Cincinnati.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half pulled Orlando City level in a 1-1 draw against normally high-scoring FC Cincinnati at Inter.co Stadium tonight. Pavel Bucha put Cincinnati (7-6-6, 27 points) in front with a goal in the first half, but Orlando City (6-10-3, 21 points) did well to fight back for a point at home.

It was surprisingly low scoring, considering the game featured two of the most porous MLS defenses and an open flow to it, but it’s a big improvement over the 6-2 loss the Lions suffered on the road at Cincinnati just before the World Cup break. While the point is good, Orlando is 0-1-2 in its last three matches in all competitions and will need to start finding the win column again to climb into the playoff places.

“It was a very tough team, tough game, as we expected against Cincinnati. It’s always like this,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “They have a really strong offense. Their team is one of the best teams in the league attacking. I think we created chances by moments. The game was very open. They had chances as well.”

Perelman’s starting XI featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer with Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann leading the attack.

Much of the first 15 minutes was spent between the two penalty areas. Orlando looked to build play patiently, while Cincinnati looked for opportunities to jump passing routes and counter. The first look of the game came three minutes in off a set piece from long range that fell to Kevin Denkey in the box. The Cincy forward fired but the shot was blocked and the visitors were offside on the recycle.

Orlando City’s first look at goal was a shot that Spicer mishit badly, firing well wide of the near post on the left. Ellis put the first shot of the game on target in the 10th minute, sending in a good effort from the top of the box, but Roman Celentano made a good save to tip it over. Cincinnati cleared the initial ball on the set piece but Rhein found Spicer in the box, but again the Trinidad & Tobago international fired wide in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Griezmann got into the box but his shot was blocked behind for another corner and the Lions could do nothing with the set piece.

Orlando was fortunate not to fall behind in the 20th minute as Evander got past Dorsey on the Lions’ defensive right side. The Cincy star man fizzed a low cross to the back post but it was just out of Tom Barlow’s reach. However, the visitors scored anyway a few minutes later.

A shot near the top of the area caught Gerbet flush in the face and he went down immediately. Despite it being an obvious head injury, referee Tori Penso allowed play to continue and Cincinnati regained possession outside the box, where Bucha slotted into the right side of the net to make it 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

“Regarding that play, since I am here in the United States, I learned that in the MLS, we take care about those situations with the players,” Perelman said. “This is why we were expecting that after that kick in his head, the game should be stopped, as it always was. But I haven’t reviewed the sequence. I don’t know if the ball effectively got in the face. I didn’t see the sequence again. Maybe I’m ignoring some rule or maybe it’s OK what the ref did. I don’t know.”

Penso’s response to the pool reporter’s question was that the ball fell to an attacking player who immediately shot and scored, and the player was checked immediately afterward.

Orlando City should have pulled the goal back in the 36th minute. Dorsey got down the right flank and pulled back a nice pass for Ellis around the penalty spot. The Homegrown forward sent a shot on target with his first touch but sent it straight at Celentano for the save. The Lions were offside after the initial shot and the attack broke down.

Rhein went down with a non-contact injury moments later and went directly to the locker room. Adrian Marin subbed on to replace the Homegrown left back.

FC Cincinnati was the more dangerous team down the stretch. Evander fired just inches wide of the right post from the left in the 43rd minute. Ellis then had an opportunity with a free header in the middle of the box in the first minute of added time but sent his effort straight at Celentano again. Ender Echineque then saw his shot blocked just wide by Marin deep in stoppage time, winning Cincinnati a corner, but the Lions cleared and the halftime whistle blew.

The Lions held the advantage at the break in possession (50.6%-49.4%), shots (7-5), shots on target (3-1), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.6%-86%), but a lack of clinical finishing allowed the guests to hold the lead at halftime.

Marco Pasalic came on for Gerbet to start the second half, pushing Angulo into central midfield for a while, with Spicer joining Ellis up top and Griezmann dropping to left wing.

Cincinnati won an early corner after the restart but it was Orlando City that scored off of it. The Lions dealt with the set piece and Angulo ended up with it on the left. He darted past a defender and sent a pass forward that Ellis touched on into the attacking half. Spicer raced for the loose ball with Bucha and won the physical battle, breaking in alone when the Cincy defender fell. The Trinidad & Tobago international rounded Celentano and smashed a shot high into the net to make it 1-1 in the 48th minute.

“I know I’m going to get technical here, but like the spin that (Angulo) put on the pass was perfect for how I wanted to play the ball, you know, so I could redirect it into the path of Tyrese, Ellis said. “It counts as an assist, but the goal was all him, you know. I think he deserves all the credit.”

“(Ellis is) a creative player. He wants to flick. He loves to flick. And you know, I just read that,” Spicer said. “I thought it was going to go more in the air rather than on the ground, but I just had to turn the jets on to get there. You know, once I was one on one with the keeper, you know, I had a good feeling. He’s a good keeper. I think he would have guessed where I was gonna shoot. So I was like, let me try to go around him, and it worked out.”

Orlando tried to take the lead moments after the goal with a series of passes at the top of the area that finally got sent to Griezmann on the right. The Frenchman volleyed a shot on target but it was right at Celentano.

Cincinnati thought it had won a penalty a minute later. Denkey got in behind down the right channel, waited out Crepeau, and sent a shot off the post. Brekalo and Evander both went for the loose ball and Evander went down. Penso pointed to the spot and eventually went to the monitor for a second look. After reviewing the play again, Penso announced that Evander had initiated the contact and she booked the Cincy star for simulation. Orlando City avoided the spot kick.

Echineque rang the post for Cincinnati in the 64th minute. Cutting in from right to left, he fired a shot from near the right corner of the box that hit the left post and stayed out. Following an unsuccessful corner at the other end, Cincinnati came back on the attack and put the ball in the neet in the 71st minute, but the flag came up immediately for an obvious offside.

Former Lion Kyle Smith blocked Spicer’s shot behind for a corner in the 73rd minute. Griezmann’s service found Marin on the far side all alone in space. The Spaniard tried to head it back into the mix of players in front but it floated lazily for an eacy catch by Celentano.

Second-half sub Marco Pasalic fired wide in the 80th minute, as both teams continued looking for a go-ahead goal.

Crepeau may have made his biggest save in the match in the 87th minute, going down to deny Kenji Mboma Dem, who got inside down the right in the 87th minute.

Orlando got a couple of looks down the stretch. Pasalic saw his shot deflect over the bar for a corner early in stoppage time. Substitute Wilder Cartagena blazed a rocket shot just over the crossbar in the fourth added minute.

After the Lions defended a late Cincinnati corner, the final whistle blew, splitting the points between the sides.

At the final whistle, Orlando City held the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on target (5-3), and corners (10-5). FC Cincinnati finished with more possession (53.1%-46.9%) and passed more accurately (90.8%-87.8%).

“We knew which spaces we believe we can hurt (them), and that was the adjustment (at halftime) — try to to hurt them in those spaces and try to to neutralize as much as we can those talented players they have up front, and we we were able to tie.”

“I think it was a different looking game because we’re a different looking team in terms of how we’re playing,” Ellis said, comparing the 6-2 loss at Cincinnati to tonight’s 1-1 draw. “I think we’re a much more steady team, even though I feel today we didn’t have the control that we wanted. It was very transitional. I think we also just limited Evander. He’s, I don’t want to say he’s their whole attack, because they have amazing players, but a lot of the attack runs through him. And I want to give a special mention to Luis Otavio. I thought he was the best player on the field today.”

It’s another short turnaround for the Lions, who host the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions go hunting for revenge for the 6-2 beatdown they suffered in southwest Ohio back in late May.

Published

1 day ago

on

August 15, 2026

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Image of Griffin Dorsey dribbling up the side past two FC Cincinnati defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (6-10-2, 20 points) and FC Cincinnati (7-6-5, 26 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the last of the two scheduled matches between the teams this season.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The all-time series is tied at 5-5-4 in the MLS regular season, but Orlando City has been worse against FC Cincinnati in home matches, going just 2-3-1 in the City Beautiful against tonight’s opponents. The Lions are 0-2-1 in the last three meetings between the sides.

The teams last met on May 23 in Cincinnati in the final match before the World Cup break. How shall I put this…oh yes…the Lions had their asses handed to them by FC Cincinnati to the tune of a 6-2 brutalization that had folks calling law enforcement to report a murder. Evander scored twice and assisted on three other goals to lead the rout for FC Cincinnati, despite Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda scoring the first goal and later tying the game at 2-2 early in the second half. It was all FC Cincinnati after Ojeda’s second goal. Kenji Mboma Dem added a brace for the hosts and Kevin Denkey and Tom Barlow also scored. Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game that “the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story,” and he was right, because it could have been worse.

A year ago, the teams played on Sept. 28, 2025, in Ohio, with Alex Freeman’s goal late in stoppage time salvaging a 1-1 draw for Orlando City, canceling out Denkey’s second-half strike. Prior to that, the teams also met last year on June 28 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, with FC Cincinnati winning 2-1. An Evander brace, which included a poorly conceded set piece goal from distance, was enough to offset Marco Pasalic’s goal.

These two teams met at TQL Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024, with the Lions leaving southwest Ohio with a 3-1 victory in their final road match of the regular season. Ramiro Enrique scored twice and had a third chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick. He also assisted on a goal by Ivan Angulo in an impressive performance. Luciano Acosta scored Cincinnati’s goal.

These two sides also met on May 4 of that year in Orlando with FC Cincinnati claiming a 1-0 road win on a first-minute goal by Acosta. The Lions went down a man early in the game when Rodrigo Schlegel was called for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity on Yuya Kubo. Orlando City had a second-half goal waved off for an offside in the buildup. Cincinnati lost Bret Halsey to a second yellow card late but the Lions couldn’t take advantage.

The teams met in Ohio on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in Orlando.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s early goal. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first-ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a pair of blown halftime leads in Leagues Cup, but with rotation throughout that competition, lots of players played and at least now they can concentrate on MLS and next month’s resumption of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando drew Atletico de San Luis 2-2 after blowing a two-goal lead from the 79th minute on, claiming the meaningless extra point in penalties (5-3) as both teams were eliminated from the knockout rounds. Daryl Dike and Justin Ellis scored Orlando’s goals. The Lions are 4-3-1 at home in MLS play this season but 3-0-1 in their last four league matches on their own patch. Orlando brings a league-worst 47 goals conceded into tonight and a conference-worst goal differential of -17.

FC Cincinnati is coming off a surprising 2-1 home loss to Atlas on Tuesday, which means it will be the better rested team for both matches against Orlando this season. The loss knocked Cincinnati out of the running for the knockout rounds and was the first time Cincinnati failed to score at least two goals in a match since July 25 on the road against rival Columbus — also in a 2-1 loss. What is surprising about that is FC Cincinnati is a scoring juggernaut, co-leading MLS in goals scored with 45 — tied with Inter Miami. Cincy’s Achilles heel this season has been road play, in which the club is 1-4-4 in MLS play. The only reason Cincinnati is as low as sixth in the Eastern Conference table at the moment is because it also ships a lot of goals — 44 so far this season, which is third worst in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando City’s back line and defensive midfield will be stressed for 90 minutes plus stoppage time tonight, as players like Evander, Denkey, Mboma Dem, Barlow, Pavel Bucha, and others will slice through the gaps between defenders and look to get onto excellent through balls. Transition attacks must be avoided, as Cincinnati can turn a takeaway into a goal in seconds. The Lions must control the ball, avoid turning it over in dangerous areas, and stay switched on for potential runners, otherwise the final score might look a lot like it did on May 23. Evander already has 22 goal contributions (11 goals, 11 assists), leading the league in the latter category while being just two goals off the Golden Boot lead. Denkey has also bagged 11 goals to go along with four assists.

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Braian Ojeda (foot), and
Martín Ojeda (thigh). Cincinnati will be without Gerardo Valenzuela (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Joran Gerbet, Tyrese Spicer.

Forward: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Issah Haruna, Wilder Cartagena, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Daryl Dike.

FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Bryan Ramirez, Obinna Nwobodo, Evander, Pavel Bucha, Ender Echenique.

Forwards: Kevin Denkey, Tom Barlow.

Bench: Evan Louro, Kyle Smith, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe, Brian Anunga, Kristian Fletcher, Kenji Mboma Dem, Ayoub Jabbari.

Referees

REF: Tori Penso.
AR1: Brooke Mayo.
AR2: Matthew Nelson.
4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: 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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