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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-1 home win against CF Montreal?

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4 weeks ago

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Image of Ivan Angulo with his Man of the Match trophy after beating CF Montreal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City won 2-1 over CF Montreal at home in the first match following the parting of ways with longtime head coach Oscar Pareja. A strong first half was enough to see the Lions through against a Montreal side that is having struggles of its own. The Cardiac Cats were true to form though, as some desperate defending was needed right up to the end to secure the result.

The grades below come against less-than-elite competition, but the Lions should still be judged on their efforts regardless of the opposition. So let’s take a look at how the Orlando City players performed individually in this game.

Starters

GK, Javier Otero, 6 — In his first start of the year, due to a Maxime Crepeau red card earned in last week’s match against New York City FC, Otero put in a respectable shift. Montreal was not exactly clinical, but when Otero was tested he was up to he challenge — four out of five times anyway. He was generally aggressive, defending his goal on corners and free kicks suffering two fouls in the match. His distribution was something I cant recall thinking about, which is a good thing. A few of his saves were on ping pong balls that he had to react quickly to, which he managed well. For me, one highlight was a tactical “cramp” he incurred which allowed time for Tyrese Spicer to get on the pitch who was waiting out a delayed entry due to Marco Pasalic taking too long to get off the pitch when he was subbed out. It was a good heads-up play by the keeper. Overall, a respectable bounce back after an abysmal match in New York. His pass accuracy was not great, especially for a goalkeeper at 63% on 28 passes. He completed seven out of 15 long balls. There’s no doubt Crepeau will be back between the sticks next week, but you learn by doing, and nothing beats a real match. Oteror did well this time out and that gives a little hope for the next time he’s called into action.

D, Adrian Marin, 7 — In one of his best, if not the best, performances as an Orlando left back, Marin made several key plays throughout the match and, significantly, did not commit any major mistakes. In fact, he had the most tackles of any Orlando player (4), including an absolute clutch tip of the toe tackle on Hennadii Synchuk and a nice steal off of Prince Owusu when he was threatening from the end line. He also had the most fouls on the team at three, suffering one, but given the defensive nature of much of Orlando’s play, that’s kind of understandable and none were considered card worthy. He had five clearances and a blocked shot. He also had an abysmal 52,2% pass accuracy on 12 attempts and did not connect on any of six long balls. Better but not great.

D, Iago, 6.5 — It’s just one game, but Iago acquitted himself much better this time out than in his previous Orlando City matches. He was proactive and anticipated dangerous situations on a few occasions. He had two interceptions and was second only to David Brekalo for the most clearances (8). He also tallied one block and he committed one foul. He passed at 94.1% and hit on three out of five long balls. Iago appeared much more competent and alert in this match and we can, hopefully, take this as stepping stone along the path to greater things. It was against a struggling side in Montreal, but Iago’s play seemed to justify a little more breathing room on its own merit. He is a young player in an alien land and is showing improvement, which might be all we can hope for at this point.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo spent most of his time involved in emergency defending. He did not seem to anticipate a lot, and was mostly invisible. It wasn’t a terrible outing, and maybe his assignment was to hold down his piece of real estate? If that’s the case, then he did pretty well and only committed one foul. He cleared what came his way — a team-high nine clearances — and managed a header on a set piece in the first half. He also recorded a block and hit on three out of four long balls with a passing accuracy of 90.9%.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — This match seemed like a slight regression for Dorsey to me, at least in the attacking phases. It was a good match though, and maybe it’s a function of the rest of the team making more of an impact themselves. He did defend well against Prince Owusu and Ivan Jaime, Montreal’s two most effective attackers on the night. Jaime was a handful in the second half and got past Dorsey on at least one occasion, but overall Dorsey did pretty well against he and Owusu. He committed one foul and suffered one foul. He passed at an 88.9% accuracy with one key pass. Defensively, he had one tackle, three clearances, and a block.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 8 (MotM) — Well that’s two weeks in a row that Angulo managed a Man of the Match effort! Pretty low bar this season, but this match was Angulo’s for sure. From my point of view, there’s something not quite intangible, but close to it about the Colombian. He’s absurdly fast, that’s obvious. His effort is off the charts. He does not generally have the greatest touch when he needs it the most. What he has though, is a pretty good ability to snuff out danger and turn it into an attack. His usual downfall is his inability to maintain composure in and around the 18-yard box. Against Montreal though, he was excellent. He was chasing down broken plays, he was anticipating attacks, and he was precise and thoughtful in his buildup play, even in front of Montreal’s goal. He only took one shot, which pinged off the post and rebounded for Duncan McGuire’s goal, but he was a major factor in both Orlando City goals. He finished with three key passes, two dribbles, and passed at an 87.1% accuracy on 32 attempts. He connected on three of four long balls as well. He was dispossessed twice and had three unstable touches, but at least this time those were offset. He suffered one foul and committed two. All things must be taken with a grain of salt in this early, difficult, and unprecedented season, but Angulo has shown some growth in his game and I think he deserves a lot of credit for that. Let’s hope he can sustain it.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — I’m typically a fan of Atuesta. He was not on LAFC’s cup-winning roster for nothing, but Atuesta gave a lot away in his minutes on the pitch in this one. This was his first start of the season and there has been a lot of change on this roster, which should not be underestimated. However, he had a couple of pretty gnarly give aways and some tortoise-like slowness at times even though he did not lack for overall effort. He had only one interception on the night, committed one foul, and had no other defensive contributions. He passed with 81.8% accuracy on 22 attempts and connected on one long ball in three attempts. He picked up the game’s only yellow card with a late and clumsy challenge. Atuesta just did not seem to be up to the speed of the match this time out and tired notably in the second half, but I expect him to return to form soon after kicking some rust off.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7 — Defensive Ojeda did a great job…especially on offense! He had three key passes and two successful dribbles, and he was fouled four times to slow him down. I really liked his play in this match, and he did a lot to facilitate the success of Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and McGuire. He committed one foul, passed at 92.1% on 38 attempts, and had one long-ball attempt that did not connect. Stats are essential, but they only tell you what they can tell you. The midfielder showed an aptitude for positive passes. That’s what impressed me, not just the success or otherwise of the execution, nor defensive stats, but that he could see what needed to be done in the moment to facilitate the attack. This could just be a one-off case, but he picked out multiple passes that looked to unlock the defense from deep lying areas, and that’s fairly rare. Defensively, he finished with one interception, two clearances, and two blocks. I liked what I saw on this one, so I’m rating him pretty high.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic had two early misses, the second of which he had a half second more or so to settle than he seemed to think. He had four shots on the night, but they weren’t on target, and he got dispossessed three times, had two unstable touches, and suffered one foul. His passing was very good at 91.7% although his one long ball did not connect. Importantly, he played a major role in both goals. His blast from outside the area pinged off mutliple defenders before finding Angulo in front on McGuire’s goal. On the second, it was his give-and-go with Angulo that resulted in Martin Ojeda’s game-winner, with Pasalic picking up a secondary assist.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7 — McGuire had a good night. He only had two shots, but both were on target and one was an opportunistic goal off of an Angulo rebound that hit the post. It was his first goal of the season, and it must be good to get on the scoresheet. He helped out in defense, as usual, with a couple tackles, a clearance, and a block. But he also made some nice flicks to help build up the attack. I think he showed some real vision in this one and he executed it well. He passed at a 58.8% rate, not great but he is a striker, and suffered one foul and committed none. This was a good outing for Duncan in my opinion and it was mostly his help in the build up that impressed me in this one.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 — Offensive Ojeda was his typical effective-attacker self against Montreal. He was all over the pitch facilitating and getting results on his own. He took two shots, both on target, including scoring the winning goal. He recorded two key passes and was fouled once. He passed at a 62.5% rate on 22 attempts, three of his six crosses found a target, and he connected on his lone long ball as well.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi (61′), 6 — I’ll give Taifi some credit for his efforts in his second appearance this year. He was getting involved and clearly put in some hard work in his limited time in this match. He even managed to put his lone shot on target, although Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier saved it easily and a pass to Dorsey or back to Angulo may have been the better decision. Going for goal was understandable though, given the limited opportunities for the substitute. Taifi did pretty well in defense as well contributing two clearances and a vital block late in the match on Jaime, committing one foul. He attempted seven passes with 57.1% accuracy.

MF, Colin Guske (61′), 6.5 — Guske did well in his minutes, helping to snuff out Montreal’s efforts in what had become a pretty defensive posture for Orlando. On the offensive side of things, he took one shot in the 90th minute that was blocked and he was fouled once. He connected on his one long ball attempt and completed all eight of his pass attempts. Defensively he managed one tackle and four clearances, and he committed one foul.

F, Tyrese Spicer (71′), 4.5 — Spicer came on for Pasalic and brought his usual energy but did not produce much. He only attempted three passes and did not connect on any of them, nor his lone long ball attempt. He attempted two shots with one on target, but it was on a breakaway after a bad Montreal giveaway. He should have done better with his 1-v-1 opportunity against the goalkeeper to put the game out of reach. His other was a free kick right into the wall. He was dispossessed once as well. He managed two tackles and a clearance with his defensive efforts.

D, Tahir Reid-Brown (84′) N/A — Reid-Brown did a decent job in this one given his limited minutes. He made three pass attempts completing two (66.7% accuracy) and attempted one cross and one long ball, neither of which found a target. He had no defensive contributions to speak of and wasn’t on long enough to fairly earn a grade.

F, Pedro Leao (84′) N/A — In a bit of a surprise substitution, Orlando City B’s Pedro Leao got his first minutes for the first team. He hit the ground running immediately, getting involved in the attack and earning a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Not much else came from his efforts though, and he suffered two fouls and was dispossessed twice and he attempted two passes with one complete. He also had no defensive contributions.

That’s how i saw the individual performances in a much-needed Orlando win. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 away draw against Columbus?

Published

10 hours ago

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April 13, 2026

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Image of Marco Pasalic trying to create space to shoot against Columbus.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions finally put together a good performance on the road, picking up one point from a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Columbus. The Crew dominated the ball for most of the game but Orlando City had several good chances to bring home all three points, and the Lions will probably be frustrated with themselves that they did not score a second goal. One point is still better than zero points, which is what Orlando City had earned from its first three away matches, and hopefully this game will be a turning point for the Lions.

I have my purple pen out and am ready to issue some grades. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 7 — Columbus dominated the ball for the final 65 minutes of the game, and if not for the Canadian and his six saves, the Lions would have come home empty-handed. Crépeau channeled his homeland by making several hockey-like kick saves, and he also went up high to deny Diego Rossi from close range early in the second half, keeping the Lions in the lead. Eventually, the barrage of attacks overcame the defense and Rossi beat him to the far corner, but on the whole, Crépeau was among Orlando City’s best players, and one of the main reasons the Lions picked up their first road point of the season.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo had been playing center back during the first games of 2026 after primarily playing left back in 2025. He combined the two on Sunday night by playing left center back in what was a back five every time Columbus had the ball. Like most of the Orlando City defenders, Brekalo looked much more comfortable playing alongside Robin Jansson than he had during the previous games this season, and it was one of his better games because of it. The Slovenian had three tackles, one block, and four clearances on defense, and offensively he completed 90% of his passes and made one long run up into the attack, but that his only real foray forwards. Brekalo looked a lot like he did last year during this game, which is a good thing for Orlando City.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 (MotM) — The Beefy Swede made an unexpectedly early return to the starting lineup, and it was a welcomed return. Despite having played zero minutes in 2026, Jansson immediately looked his imperial self in the middle of the Orlando City defense, calming the entire back line while commanding everyone on where to be and who to mark. It is not a coincidence that Columbus scored just minutes after he came off, as the defense looked far less organized without his leadership in the middle of the back line. He contributed one interception, two blocks, and four clearances in his return to the lineup while completing 82.3% of his passes. Jansson came off in the 78th minute after pulling up a bit gingerly, but hopefully that was just a cramp or the result of not having the stamina yet to go a full 90. I thought his contributions to the game and to his team were vitally influential, and for that he was my Man of the Match.

D, Iago, 6 — Sunday’s game against Columbus was easily the best game of Iago’s brief Orlando City career as the Brazilian center back made plays all over the field, leading the game with 13 defensive contributions even though he only played 74 minutes. Iago demonstrated his aerial prowess with six headed clearances out of his nine total clearances, and he also recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one blocked shot. He showed some inexperience by picking up an unnecessary yellow card while in the attacking third of the field, but on the whole, he looked solid, partnering well with Jansson and Brekalo in the middle of the defense. He completed a team-leading 90.9% of his passes and he probably would have gone the full 90 minutes, but he used his head to block a wicked shot by Hugo Picard, which led to him coming off to undergo concussion protocol.

WB, Iván Angulo, 6 — After a series of games in which he was frequently among the best players for Orlando City, Angulo was not in that category on Sunday night, though he had several good moments, and had the game only been 20 minutes long, he might have found himself in the running for Man of the Match once again. The Colombian initiated the game’s opening goal with a wonderful stop-and-go move to free himself before sending a perfect left-footed pass to put Tiago in behind the Columbus defense. Angulo picked up a secondary assist after the Brazilian hit a perfect cross into the middle for Marco Pašalić to deposit into the net. After that pass though, Angulo really struggled on the offensive side, as he lost possession 18 times, with many of those turnovers coming on poorly played passes that went directly to a Columbus player. Angulo also did not move quickly enough up the field to get in line with the rest of the Orlando City defenders on the Crew’s goal, keeping Rossi onside as he made his run toward Orlando’s goal. He completed 82.7% of his passes and had a team-leading three tackles while covering more ground than most players, but his passing and decision-making was just not as crisp as it should have been, both when trying to get the ball out of the defensive third and also when he had the ball on the counterattack.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5 — Defensive Ojeda may have played mostly in the defensive half of the field, but he did not contribute a lot defensively, with only one block and zero other defensive contributions. His partnership with Eduard Atuesta in the middle of the field was not a strong one, as neither of the two really disrupted the Crew’s offensive flow or created links between Orlando City’s back line and the attacking group. Ojeda completed 83.3% of his passes and hustled all over the field, but while his effort was there, it did not lead to much for the Lions. He was partly responsible for Jansson’s exit as well, with a poorly placed back pass that nearly allowed Columbus to get level, but for a great save by Crépeau.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — Atuesta was better against Columbus than he was against LAFC, especially early in the first half when Orlando City dominated possession. As the game went on, he became less influential, however, and struggled to help the Lions hold the ball for any significant time during the latter part of the first half and early part of the second half. He finished with two tackles and one interception on defense, but too often he was just around the middle of the field without doing much. He completed 87.5% of his passes, though most were sideways or backwards, and he was the first Lion to come off, as he was replaced by Luis Otávio in the 64th minute.

WB, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — Dorsey returned from the injured list to get the start, and the right back/right wingback frequently found himself in the right place at the right time defensively in the first half, though his clearances often left something to be desired. He was aggressive offensively as well, getting most of his touches in the opposing half of the field, and his cross into the middle generated one of only a handful of shots for the Lions. He completed 88.9% of his passes while stuffing the defensive stat sheet with two tackles, two interceptions, one block, and three clearances before making way for Zakaria Taifi in a like-for-like swap in the 68th minute.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6.5 — Only two Lions took shots during the game — Pašalić and Tiago — and the Croatian was the only one to put a shot on frame, with his perfectly placed shot in the 15th minute giving Orlando City its first road goal (and first road lead) of the season. He took that first chance well but was unable to threaten again, as on his other two best chances he had his shot blocked and then took a touch too far wide and was unable to even get a shot off on the second. Pašalić played far more in the middle and even on the left side than he had in the past, playing more of a distributor role than his normal winger role, and he frequently also was at the top of the defense alongside Tiago when Columbus had the ball. He completed 72% of his passes and added two clearances on defense, and went the full 90 for the third consecutive game, though he was clearly tired at the end and probably would have come off had the Lions had more available attacking options on the bench.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — The Argentine played out on the left wing for most of this game, and delivered a muted performance. He dropped much deeper than he had in recent games, and aside from a few touches on the right side of the field, he played nearly exclusively in the left channel, just slightly in front of Angulo. Ojeda completed 77.4% of his passes, including one key pass on a long ball over the top to Tiago, but he brought little else to the table as he was held without a shot for the second time this season.

F, Tiago, 6.5 — Duncan McGuire was unable to dress due to injury, so Tiago started and went the full 90 minutes. The off-season acquisition was active throughout, especially on the left side of the attack. He picked up his first assist of the season on a cutback pass to Pašalić, and he took a team-leading three shots, though he was unable to put any on target. The positive part of that was he made excellent runs to put himself into threatening positions, but between his off-target shots and several turnovers on counterattacks, he gave away chances for the Lions to score a second goal, which would have given them some breathing room in a game in which they were under pressure for most of the final 65 minutes. On the defensive side, he was excellent, making one tackle, blocking one shot, and winning three aerial balls to clear them away with his head. Overall it was a solid game from the young Brazilian, and one to build on for the rest of the season.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Otávio, (64′), 4.5 — It was a bit surprising to see Otávio, rather than Colin Guske, come on with Orlando City holding a 1-0 lead, but the Brazilian was coming off a good performance against LAFC, so perhaps the coaching staff was going with the hot foot, as it were. Otávio did not make it two strong games in a row, as despite playing for more than 30 minutes, including stoppage time, he barely contributed to the game, completing only five of his eight pass attempts and making one tackle. He was involved in the Crew’s goal as well, failing to pressure Taha Habroune and allowing the Columbus player to scoop a pass over the defense to Rossi — a pass he likely could not have made with a defender closer to him.

D, Zakaria Taifi, (68′), 5 — Taifi came on for Dorsey and took over on the right side, playing aggressively, just like the man he replaced. He got up the right flank on attack, suffering a foul and earning the Lions a free kick, and defensively he impacted the game with one interception, one block, and two clearances. He only completed one of his five pass attempts, but calling two of them pass attempts is a bit unfair to the young defender because they were part pass attempt and part long clearance attempt, as the Lions were just trying to get the ball out of the defensive zone. It was a solid appearance by Taifi, who continues to show that he can contribute to the senior team.

D, Adrián Marin (75′), 5 — The Spaniard came on for Iago and played as the left center back briefly, before moving to the center of the five man back line when Jansson had to go off just moments later. He did well in that central role, hustling to make a diving attempt to block a shot to help Crépeau on a Columbus counterattack and making one important tackle and winning two headed clearances in the final minutes. Marin was a step late to get to Rossi on the Crew’s goal, although it was not his fault Angulo kept the attacker onside, and he was subsequently unable to recover to stop Rossi from getting his shot off. It will be interesting to see if Marin will start to be used more as a center back or a wingback if Orlando City continues to go with this defensive shape.

D, Tahir Reid-Brown, (78′), 4.5 — Reid-Brown entered for Jansson, and was thrust right into the fire as Columbus was pouring on the attack. Unfortunately, he overcommitted right away, coming out one step too far to try to defend Rossi and losing the Uruguayan as he cut toward the goal after passing the ball to Habroune. Reid-Brown paid for the momentary lapse as Rossi put the ball into the far corner and tied the game. After that, he settled into the game and played well as the left center back on a makeshift back line, logging one tackle, one clearance, and four loose-ball recoveries. He also came forward out of the back, showing some confidence with the ball at his feet, and completed two of his four pass attempts while earning the Lions a free kick after suffering a foul.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with Columbus. 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

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s best performance this season away from home.

Published

12 hours ago

on

April 13, 2026

By

Image of Robin Jansson playing the ball in Columbus.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City had by far its best performance away from home this season, despite leaving Columbus with only a 1-1 draw. It’s tough to only come away with a point after leading for most of the night, but after losing their first three road games and being outscored 16-0, it’s a big improvement from the Lions over recent performances. There were positives and negatives to take from this game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field. But overall the Lions will be happy to return home with a goal and a point.

Here’s what I took from Orlando City’s surprising point in Ohio.

Lions Haven’t Let Recent Struggles Weigh on Them

To say Orlando City has struggled on the road this season would be a massive understatement. The Lions gave up at least five goals in each of their first three away matches, losing by a combined score of 16-0. It would be easy for them to crumble under that weight and continue those struggles, but they didn’t. Instead, they came into this game with aggression, playing the first 25 minutes on the front foot. That positive mentality led to the team scoring its first goal away from home this year just 14 minutes in. It’s a mentality the team can use to transform the season before it’s too late.

The Captain Is Back

Orlando City’s back line has looked lost without its leader. Interim head Coach Martin Perelman shocked everyone by including Robin Jansson — who’s returning from foot surgery — in the starting lineup for this game. With the club’s captain back on the field, the back line looked much more stable. It also allowed David Brekalo to go to left back, his most frequent position since joining the club. The Lions have always looked a little lost when Jansson hasn’t been in the lineup, and they certainly had so far this year. The way they looked Sunday night proved his importance in this team and how he can influence the rest of the back line.

Defenders Can Stay Out Of Their Own Way After All

One of the biggest problems for Orlando City this year — especially on the road — has been defensive players getting in their own way. Own goals, mental lapses, and a lack of communication has been their undoing. The back line looked much more in sync during this game. While Columbus was able to get into the final third at times, they didn’t really challenge Maxime Crepeau often. Whether that’s due to Jansson’s return, the tough conversations this week that Marco Pasalic mentioned postgame, or something else, it was great to see the back line players not shooting themselves in the foot several times as they have in recent weeks.

Lions Need To Convert Chances — Especially On The Road

Orlando City scored early, but that wasn’t the team’s only chance. While the Lions conceded the majority of possession, Tiago had multiple opportunities in the second half to double the advantage. It included a last-ditch block and not converting when being sent behind the Crew back line. The team paid for those misses in the 80th minute when Diego Rossi scored Columbus’ first home goal this season. Instead of cutting the deficit to one, Rossi’s goal equalized and the Lions watched two points slip away.

Maxime Crepeau To The Rescue

Crepeau gave up 11 goals in the two most recent games — five in Nashville and six in Los Angeles. This caused some to question whether he was capable of leading this team from the back. Fortunately, he showed up when his team needed him in Columbus. In the 76th minute, Jansson gave up the ball and Adrian Marin was caught out of position, allowing Max Arfsten to get a free shot on goal. But Crepeau came up big with the stop. The Canadian was called into action again in the 88th minute when Daniel Gazdag had an open chance. This time Crepeau blocked the shot with his foot. The goal was difficult to save and it would’ve been a loss without Crepeau’s second-half heroics.

These were the five things that caught my eye in Orlando City’s draw with the Crew. Let us know what stood out to you in the comments below.

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Lion Links: 4/13/26

Lions draw Columbus Crew, OCB falls to Chattanooga FC, Pride players on international duty, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 13, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work throughout the week, covering high school water polo and lacrosse. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City midfielder Luis Otavio, who turned 19 Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Draws Columbus Crew on the Road

Orlando City drew the Columbus Crew 1-1 on the road Sunday at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Marco Pasalic scored the first goal on the road for the Lions early in the first half. In the second half, Orlando City had chances to extend its lead, and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made some clutch saves. However, Diego Rossi broke through Orlando’s back line and scored the equalizer for Columbus late in the game. In stoppage time, the Crew had a chance to score a late winner, but despite being outshot 19-5, the Lions held on to secure their first point on the road this season. Orlando City will be on the road to face FC Naples Wednesday in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup and return home to take on the Houston Dynamo Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Falls to Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B fell 3-1 to Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium Saturday and saw its three-match unbeaten streak snapped. Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead in the first half. In the second half, Damien Barker John scored twice to put Chattanooga ahead 3-0. Harvey Sarajian pulled one back for the Young Lions, but it was not enough. OCB’s next match will be at home against Carolina Core Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Pride Players on International Duty

Multiple Pride players were in action over the weekend for their national teams during the international break. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda came off the bench in the second half, but Zambia fell 4-0 to Canada in a friendly. Midfielder Angelina came off the bench in the second half as Brazil defeated South Korea 5-1 in a friendly. Zambia will face Brazil Tuesday. Forward Solai Washington was on the bench as Jamaica beat Antigua and Barbuda 4-0 in a 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship qualifier match. Ally Lemos and Simone Jackson started, while forward Seven Castain was on the bench as the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team secured a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Spain. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and England will face Spain Tuesday in a UEFA World Cup qualifying match.

USWNT Defeats Japan in Friendly

The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Japan 2-1 Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA. Rose Lavelle scored the opening goal in the first half to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. In the second half, Lindsey Heaps added another goal to extend the USWNT lead 2-0, and Lavelle added an assist. Japan pulled one back, but the Americans held on to secure a 10-match winning streak for the first time since 2023. The USWNT will face Japan again Tuesday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on Americans in action abroad in Europe. Chris Richards played a full 90 minutes as Crystal Palace defeated Newcastle United 2-1. Christian Pulisic played 73 minutes, but his goal drought for club and country continues at 16 matches as AC Milan fell 3-0 to Udinese. Folarin Balogun scored for AS Monaco, but his side fell 4-1 to Paris FC. Haji Wright played 67 minutes for EFL Championship leaders Coventry City in a scoreless draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Today, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will face Manchester United.

Free Kicks

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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