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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Win First Match of 2026 Season

The Lions picked up three vital points and a much-needed win after the departure of Oscar Pareja.

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6 months ago

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Image of Martin Ojeda and Ivan Angulo celebrating a goal against Montreal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It was a tumultuous week for Orlando City players, coaches, fans, and the front office, but a workmanlike effort and goals by Duncan McGuire and Martin Ojeda led the Lions to their first win of the season tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. All of the scoring happened in the first half as Orlando City (1-3-0, 3 points) defeated CF Montreal (1-3-0, 3 points) 2-1 in front of an announced crowd of 18,035.

Prince Owusu scored the only goal for the visitors off a set piece, but the energy and work rate by the Lions won the day as Orlando picked up a victory in the club’s first match since parting ways with longtime head coach Oscar Pareja in the midweek.

“This game belonged to the players. And the players did an amazing effort,” said Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman after the match. “This is only because of them. They are the protagonists. They did it.”

Perelman’s first lineup in charge for what ultimately became his first MLS win featured Javier Otero in goal for the suspended Maxime Crepeau, playing behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Iago, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in the central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and McGuire as the forwards.

Montreal tried to play route one soccer over the top and often ceded possession to set up the press. Orlando didn’t create much in the opening minutes of the match but controlled more of the ball, looking to work it up the flanks with diagonal balls over the first line of press when in possession.

Pasalic found some space for the game’s first shot in the fifth minute, but it deflected out for a corner off a defender. Nothing came from the set piece, but two minutes later Pasalic was set up by Martin Ojeda and fired just wide of the right post.

Montreal put together a couple of corners in the 16th and 17th minutes, but the visitors couldn’t make them pay off. That allowed Orlando to strike first a minute later.

Pasalic again shook free outside the area and blasted a shot through the traffic. The ball pinged around off multiple Montreal players and Angulo got to it first. The Colombian slipped it past goalkeeper Thomas Gillier but hit the left post. McGuire was first to the rebound, slotting home his first goal of the season in the 18th minute. It was the striker’s 31st career goal in all competitions, tying Nani for fourth on the club’s all-time list.

“I saw where Marco was, saw that he had the ball. And obviously, we all know his ability to hit the ball with with a lot of power,” Angulo said. “And so I tried to be aware of that and be in a good spot in case there was a rebound, and there was, and it fell to me. So I shot it, and unfortunately hit the post. But Duncan was there to pick up that rebound and score it.”

“Marco did a great job to cut in and draw some defenders, and then Ivan was very smart to follow the shot,” McGuire said. “And then, I mean, as a forward, you can’t ask for a better opportunity when it just bounced off the post right to you. So yeah, it was pretty simple, but it was a great team goal.”

Just minutes after the restart, Montreal won a corner and pulled the goal right back. Wikelman Carmona sent a good ball in toward the back post. Marin was knocked down in the scrum but no foul was given and Owusu slammed a free header past Otero to tie the game in the 24th minute.

“It’s definitely hard when you score a goal, and then shortly after you get scored on,” McGuire said. “You can either put your head up or down, and the boys stayed positive. And once we conceded the goal, we all talked, and we knew we were okay, and we knew we were getting the better of them. So we stayed positive. We knew we could hurt them in behind and and we were able to do that.”

The back-and-forth play continued, with Montreal winning another corner in the 30th minute but Otero caught it. The Lions went the other way with Angulo turning his man and slipping a through ball to McGuire but it was a bit soft and the defense arrived. The ball deflected back to Angulo, who continued his run to the top of the box before dishing off to Pasalic and running onto a return ball. This time Angulo fed Ojeda, who smashed it inside the right post to make it 2-1 in the 31st minute.

“With where I was in the box, I always try to potentially find a teammate that’s in a better position there, just because it was a difficult spot,” Angulo said. “And ‘Tincho’ (Ojeda) was the one that was in the better position. And so I was able to lay it off to him for the goal, but just very happy to be able to help the team.”

Both teams failed to pay off some dangerous free kicks late in the half and the Lions took their one-goal lead into the break.

At the break, Montreal held the advantage in possession (56.9%-43.1%), corners (5-2), and passing accuracy (89%-81.9%). The Lions attempted more shot (9-6) and put more on target (3-2).

Montreal created something immediately after the restart, with Hennadii Synchuk finding a pocket of space outside the area and blazing a shot over the crossbar in the 46th minute. The game settled down for a bit after that early chance, but eventually Montreal started putting on pressure. Former Lion Luca Petrasso shook free on the left but fired well wide of the left post in the 57th minute.

Orlando started generating some counter opportunities as Montreal pressed for a tying goal. A simple ball over the top sprung Martin Ojeda down the left in the 60th minute but he left his shot too close to Gillier, who made the save. A minute later, substitute Zakaria Taifi, who had just entered the game, was sent to the right by Angulo and fired a shot but it was right at the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute.

Synchuk was able to sneak in behind the back line in the 63rd minute but Marin madea great desperation tackle from behind to knock it out for a corner. The Lions cleared the danger but Ivan Jaime freed himself for a hard shot from the left five minutes later, with Otero punching it awaay

Tyrese Spicer, who subbed on for Pasalic, should have put the game away in the 75th minute, blazing behind the Montreal defense, but the Trinidadian could not beat the visiting goalkeeper, who made the save but conceded a corner. The ensuing set piece fell in the box for Braiain Ojeda, who could not steer his shot on frame.

Those could have been costly missed opportunities in another game, but in this one, Montreal couldn’t take advantage despite pressing the attack down the stretch. The visitors won multiple corners as the time wound down and nearly paid one off in the 83rd minute, when Efrain Morales got a header on frame. Otero spilled it but was fouled by Samuel Piette, ending the danger.

Perelman turned to youngsters Tahir Reid-Brown and Pedro Leao to help see out the game, subbing on the youngsters for Dorsey and Martin Ojeda. The Lions played five across the back, looking to stay compact and organized, but they sometimes weren’t.

Leao won a free kick with one of his first touches. It was a good spot for a set piece, dead center and about 25 yards out, but Spicer hit his shot attempt into Montreal’s defensive wall.

The visitors came close to equalizing in the third minute of stoppage time. Jaime got into the box and cut inside before sending a shot on goal that Taifi blocked. Brekalo’s clearance attempt on the wild goal-mouth scramble hit an opposing player and stayed in the danger area, but Iago was able to clear.

That was the last gasp for Montreal, with the Lions holding on for their first win of 2026.

As a result of pushing for an equalizer, Montreal managed to stuff the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (60.8%-39.2%), shots (22-16), corners (10-4), and passing accuracy (88.3%-77.3%). The Lions put more shots on target (6-5).

“Very difficult game. You know, it was difficult, but we’re very happy for getting the win tonight, and really happy that the team was up for it and went out there on a high,” Angulo said.

“I mean, in 48 hours, you have not much time to put a lot of information on the players, but the truth is that at the end of the day, it was more than 48 hours,” Perelman said. “We have been working hard, and we try to be pragmatic, we try to be versatile. We try to put a lot of energy in a difficult context to bring some happiness to our people. This is what the players did. This is how we embrace the situation and fight.”

“Definitely a difficult week,” McGuire said. “You know, all of us were very sad to see Oscar go. Luckily, you know, Martin is someone that we’re very comfortable with, have a relationship with, so it definitely helped this week with making it more of a smooth transition. We just said in the locker room, that tonight’s win was for Oscar, and I love the fight that we saw from the boys tonight from the first minute til the end. I think we gave it our all, and hopefully it’s the first many (wins).”

The Lions are back on the road a week from tonight to try to make it two in a row at Nashville SC.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

7 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

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

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Antoine Griezmann.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Anibal Godoy.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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