Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 5-0 as Lions Get Blasted Badly Again on the Road
The Lions set a new low in 2026 performances, getting deservedly beat down by a Nashville team that had played three days earlier.
After a brief respite with a feel-good win over CF Montreal, the Lions went back to getting throttled, falling 5-0 to Nashville SC at Geodis Park. The hosts led just five minutes in through Cristian Espinoza, and Sam Surridge scored from the penalty spot before the break and added two more goals in the second half. The Lions (1-4-0, 3 points) wasted the few chances they created in a thorough defeat to Nashville (4-0-1, 13 points), and Warren Madrigal added to the Lions’ misery with a goal late.
That the loss wasn’t worse came down to a few big saves from Maxime Crepeau and some near misses by Nashville attackers on a night that thoroughly exposed the inexperience and lack of quality of Orlando’s back line and an underachieving midfield.
“We faced a team who is in another moment than us,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Of course, we’re sad because we represent our community, our people, but as I spoke with the players, everybody, can be sure that this team is going to be fine. We’re going to work as we always did, and we’re going to be fine.”
Fullback Griffin Dorsey offered up a more blunt summary of the game.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. I think it’s pretty obvious at this point,” Dorsey said. “We need to prevent goals. We need to score goals. We just have a lot of work to do. We’re not going to quit, we’re not going to give up, we’re not going to throw in the towel. The season’s long, f**king long year, and we have a team that’s f**king willing to fight, so with all the results that have happened up until now, we can promise you as a player pool, as a coaching staff, we will continue to f**king push every day to be better.”
Perelman’s lineup changed yet again due to mounting injuries to the squad that kept Eduard Atuesta and David Brekalo out. Crepeau returned from his red card suspension to start in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Iago, Nolan Miller, and Dorsey. Luis Otavio slotted into the starting lineup for Atuesta, joining Braian Ojeda in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top.
Nashville, which played on the road in a heavy downpour Wednesday night, looked like the fresher team from the jump, and the Lions wasted no time falling behind. Left with space in the right channel wide of the penalty area, Espinoza smashed a cross or a shot that hit the crossbar close to the near post, beating Crepeau and making it 1-0 in just the fifth minute. Marin gave Espinoza at least 12 yards of space on the play, forcing Angulo to mark two players. The Colombian could not track back quickly enough to prevent the shot/cross and it was costly.
The hosts kept Orlando pinned in their end for stretches and the Lions were sloppy trying to break out of the pressure, allowing Nashville to stay on the front foot. Nashville won a corner in the 12th minute when Dorsey did well to block a point-blank header from Surridge out for a corner. The ensuing set piece was recycled to Maxwell Woledzi at the top of the area but he fired over the bar.
Orlando City had a chance to tie things up against the run of play when a good ball in behind found McGuire, but he tried to go over Brian Schwake and the shot was at a good height for Nashville’s keeper to make a good save in the 14th minute.
Surridge was left completely unmarked two minutes later, sending a header just wide but he was ruled offside anyway, sparing both the striker and Orlando’s defense some blushes.
Nashville won another corner in the 25th minute and it helped the hosts double the lead. Miller was on Jeisson Palacios but panicked and pulled the center back down by his shirt. Victor Rivas immediately pointed to the spot and booked the rookie defender. Surridge scored from the spot to make it 2-0 a minute later.
Orlando City won a corner in the 31st minute but did nothing with it, and the hosts took control again. Surridge fired from point-blank range after getting onto a back-post ball in the 34th minute. Crepeau made a good reaction save. The rebound went out to the right, where Nashville smashed it into the outside netting.
Crepeau made another good reaction save in the 36th minute when Mukhtar laid off a pass for Patrick Yazbek’s shot from point-blank range. The Canadian goalkeeper could only make himself big and hope for the best, and the shot hit him and rebounded away. Nashville regrouped and Mukhtar tried to set himself up for a shot from distance but he telegraphed the attempt and Braian Ojeda was able to deflect it to take the sting out of the attempt.
Angulo got Orlando’s last look of the half, trying a shot from outside the box in the 43rd minute. It went just wide, and Schwake may have gotten a fingertip to it but a goal kick was given.
The hosts closed the half strong, winning a corner and then setting up Espinoza for a shot that went just wide of the left post in stoppage time. The halftime whistle finally provided the Lions with some relief.
Nashville dominated the stat sheet as it did the scoreboard in the first half, finishing with a big advantage in possession (64%-36%), shots (9-4), shots on target (5-1), passing accuracy (90.2%-76%), and corners (3-1). The score was only 2-0, but it could have been much worse, and the possession definitely felt more lopsided than the statistician says.
“The (halftime) message (from Perelman) was not prevent whatsoever. The message was, we’re going out there to push for a goal, one goal at a time,” Dorsey said. “Obviously, that didn’t happen, but we’re never going to go out there just to prevent, just to stay stuck in and not get scored on. The message was very clear that we’re going to push for a goal, and we’re going to push to get back in this game. I think at two-zero, we did have some opportunities. Obviously, the game got away from us, but once again, we’re a team that’s going to push for for whatever we can.”
Colin Guske subbed on for Otavio at the half. The young Brazilian MLS U22 Initiative player has played 90 minutes of MLS soccer and departed with a -5 goal differential when on the pitch. While circumstances dictated some of that, Orlando’s inability to control the midfield was partially due to his play, and Guske helped settle things down a bit after coming on.
Orlando City won some early set pieces in the second half but couldn’t pay them off due to wasteful service. The best opportunity to climb back into the game came on a long throw by Marin that ricocheted through the area to Pasalic, but his shot from close range deflected off a defender and out for another corner opportunity that the Lions wasted.
It nearly got worse for Orlando in the 52nd minute with a ball into the box that took a fortunate deflection away from a Nashville attacker, allowing the defense to clear. It didn’t make much difference, as Surridge scored again three minutes later.
Orlando City turned the ball over in the attacking half, igniting the counterattack. Iago got caught straying too far from Mukhtar in transition, and Dorsey and Miller both took the same guy, with the fullback arriving late. The ball popped out in front to Nashville’s top scorer, who was wide open in front of goal. Surridge easily made it 3-0 in the 55th minute.
Dorsey had a chance to stop the bleeding in the 58th minute. McGuire fed the right back a good ball to send him in on goal. Dorsey beat Schwake but couldn’t beat the left post. The ball caromed off the upright and just past the onrushing Angulo, allowing Nashville to clear the danger on Orlando’s best scoring opportunity of the night.
That pass, which should have been an assist, was McGuire’s last involvement on the night. Tiago replaced him and Zakaria Taifi came on for Marin. Taifi was gifted a great opportunity shortly after coming on. Taking a layoff at the top left corner of the box, the Homegrown fullback had space to shoot, but his curling effort was off target, sailing over the crossbar at the hour mark.
Moments later, Tiago drew a foul near the right corner. Martin Ojeda went for goal at the near post, but he missed and instead found the outside netting in the 65th minute.
Nashville punished Orlando’s wasted chances almost immediately on yet another transition attack when Espinoza stole the ball off Taifi. As the hosts poured forward with numbers, Iago and Miller both closed down Espinoza in the middle, leaving him a gaping channel on the left. Espinoza easily threaded a diagonal pass to Nashville’s most dangerous attacking threat, who extended the lead to 3-0 in the 67th minute.
Yutaro Tsukada replaced Dorsey, taking over the left wing spot and moving Angulo to right back. Aside from that, nothing really changed. Iago picked up a yellow card after getting drawn too high by Mukhtar, who then easily rounded him. The Brazilian chopped him down from behind, taking the booking.
For a brief moment, Orlando City players thought they’d gotten something to go their way when Angulo got forward and sent a good, low cross in front for Tiago, who flicked it into the net. However, the young Brazilian was just about a foot offside and the goal didn’t count.
Three minutes later, Taifi and Iago each made desperation blocks in front to keep the match at 4-0. That didn’t last long, because Iago’s deflection went out for a corner and the hosts made it pay off. Nashville sent a ball in to the top of the area, and Madrigal curled in a screamer to make it 5-0 in the 80th minute.
The Lions learned nothing from the first 80 minutes and kept giving up excellent transition chances. Ahmed Qasem missed just wide of the right post in the 82nd minute, and Crepeau was forced to make a critical save on a Mukhtar breakaway after the Nashville Designated Player’s run was ignored by the back line near midfield.
After Orlando couldn’t pay off a set piece that Tsukada won, it was Woobens Pacius’ turn to have a wide open shot on the counter, which he sent just wide in the 86th minute.
Orlando City’s last good chance to spoil the shutout came two minutes later, when Martin Ojeda found space just outside the box and smoked a shot just over the crossbar.
Madrigal was left alone again in the third minute of stoppage time but he couldn’t hit the target on the final good opportunity of the match.
Nashville didn’t just destroy the Lions on the scoreboard. The hosts owned every major category on the stat sheet, finishing with more possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (18-10), shots on target (9-1), and passing accuracy (90.2%-83%). By winning a few late ones, Orlando managed to equal Nashville’s five corner kicks.
“It’s tough to analyze now the game,” Perelman said. “As I said, I think this is a moment to stay calm, to work. We need to work. We need to work. We will do it. We know this league, this (season) is long, and we know how to how to go through the league. And I will repeat it once and once and once again, we’re going to be fine, because we’re going to work.”
“There’s no doubt that we we knew that they had just played away and yeah, the message for us was was pretty clear on the fact that we wanted to start strong, and that obviously didn’t happen,” Dorsey said. “So, once again, we just have some work to do, and in all facets of the game, start to finish.”
It’s unknown how much work will be required to fix a defense that is now on pace to concede 115 goals this season. The club’s record for goals allowed over a full season is 74, which is 41 goals fewer than what the 2026 team is on pace to concede. Orlando City has been outscored 10-0 in its two road matches — both 5-0 losses — but this time the Lions weren’t down a man for more than 70 minutes, finishing the game with a full 11 that looked more like seven or eight at times.
Orlando City has a pause for the international break before it continues this three-game road trip with a visit to LAFC on April 4.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/5/26
Pride fall to San Diego Wave, Tyrese Spicer has successful foot surgery, USMNT beats Mexico, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work covering high school soccer and flag football throughout the week. We only had the Pride in action over the weekend, but we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Pride Fall to San Diego Wave at Home
The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave on Friday at Inter.co Stadium in the latest in a series of games that they had to have. Orlando trailed 2-0 in the first half, conceding twice on defensive errors. In the second half, Barbra Banda pulled the Pride within one after she buried a penalty kick that she won herself. However, it wasn’t enough, as Orlando couldn’t find a late equalizer and San Diego took all three points. The Pride are off this weekend due to the international break but will return to action on Oct. 18 to face the Houston Dash on the road.
Tyrese Spicer Has Successful Foot Surgery
Orlando City forward Tyrese Spicer underwent successful foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, the club announced on Friday. Spicer had suffered the injury while away on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago in a Concacaf Nations League match against Haiti on Sept. 24. We at The Mane Land wish Spicer a speedy recovery, but his 2026 MLS season is likely over.
USMNT Shuts Out Mexico in Friendly
The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 3-0 on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis came off the bench to make his second USMNT appearance in the second half, playing 25 minutes. Former Lion Alex Freeman started and played 90 minutes. Julian Hall scored the opener in the first half for the Yanks. In the second half, Cavan Sullivan doubled the Americans’ lead to become the USMNT’s youngest scorer in team history just four days after Mathis Albert set that mark with his goal against Chile on Tuesday. Malik Tillman added the final goal as the Yanks have won three consecutive matches during the international break. The USMNT will close out this round of friendlies on Tuesday, taking on Canada at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN.
Other Lions on International Duty
Multiple Orlando City players represented their national teams over the weekend during the international break. Forward Marco Pasalic was on the bench but did not play for Croatia in a 7-0 defeat to England in a UEFA Nations League match on Saturday. Croatia will face Spain on Tuesday. Lions defender David Brekalo was on the bench but came on after halftime and played 45 minutes for Slovenia in a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. Slovenia will take on Scotland on Tuesday. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena started and played 45 minutes for Peru, while former Lion Yoshimar Yotun was also in action in a 2-0 loss to Canada in a friendly. Peru will play Colombia on Tuesday in another friendly match.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, notched another assist over the weekend in a 3-1 win against Brooklyn FC in the USL Championship.
- Check out this piece on the Orlando City website featuring Head of Player Care Pedro Cox and Team Administrator Danny Quesada, who help welcome new players and their families, get acquainted with the club, ensure their needs are met, and thrive off the field.
- The Lions were at Osceola Heritage Park on Saturday and spent time with the Orlando City U-12 squad during training.
- Arsenal will reportedly not move forward with plans to expand the Emirates Stadium beyond its current capacity and will instead focus on improving hospitality, retail, and the fan matchday experience.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Flashback Friday: Oct. 2, 2021 vs. D.C. United
Take a trip down memory lane and relive a game that took place five years ago today.
Having suffered three losses in a row in all competitions, Orlando City’s recent results haven’t exactly made for pretty viewing. Fortunately for us, the Lions don’t return to action until Oct. 10, meaning that we have a brief reprieve from the torment that has been visited upon us for the last 270 minutes. Even more fortunately, we have the ability to reminisce on much happier footballing times in the City Beautiful, and all we have to do is hop into our time machine and rewind to four years ago.
The day was Oct. 2, 2021, and with the Lions sitting seventh in a jam-packed Eastern Conference, the men in purple badly needed points in order to keep pace in the race for the playoffs. The good guys were in the midst of a five-game winless streak, and the season was starting to get dangerously close to going off the rails. Enter D.C. United, a team that Orlando had already beaten earlier in the year but was in the thick of the fight for a postseason place right alongside the Lions.
Oscar Pareja ran out a lineup that featured Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan; Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso in defensive midfield; Nani, Mauricio Pereyra, and Benji Michel ahead of them; and Daryl Dike leading the line.
Things did not get off to a good start for Orlando. D.C. won the ball in OCSC’s half and got it forward quickly to Julian Gressel in the half-space on the right. He took a shot from distance that Gallese might not have been expecting, and it flew past the Peruvian to open the scoring after just six minutes had been played.
Orlando responded well, with Nani having a shot blocked and Dike putting a decent look over the bar in the 14th minute. Ruan nearly forced an own goal just a couple minutes later, but the corner kick that was awarded when a deflected ball skittered just wide of D.C.’s post proved to be the Lions’ salvation. Pereyra put a high, looping ball into the area that Urso headed toward goal, and Bill Hamid did well to get down and keep the ball out. The rebound was a juicy one though, and Jansson was well placed to pounce and thwack the ball high into the net to level the score with 17 minutes gone.
The rest of the first half was a mostly quiet affair, aside from the 35th minute, when OCSC probably should have gone ahead. Nani played a great ball that put Michel through on the left side of the box, but he curled his shot just wide of the far post after cutting back onto his right foot. The Lions dominated every statistical category but the scoreline at the break, with edges in possession (64.7%-35.3%), shots (7-4), shots on goal (2-1), and passing accuracy (87.1%-76.7%).
Emmanuel Mas came on for Moutinho at the half, and it’s possible that the switch unsettled Orlando slightly, because the team was on the back foot to start the second half thanks to a combination of some bad giveaways and difficulty dealing with the high tempo that D.C. brought out of the break. Paul Arriola put a shot just over the bar three minutes after the restart, and there were some hairy moments after that which forced Urso into a goal-line clearance to keep the game level.
The game evened out after the shaky start to the second half, but both teams found dangerous chances difficult to come by until the late stages. D.C. made a goal-line clearance of its own in the 88th minute. Silvester van der Water and Dike combined, and while Dike couldn’t get a shot off, he did find Tesho Akindele, only for Hamid to save the Canadian’s effort, which was cleared before van der Water could pounce and put it home.
Ultimately though, OCSC got the late goal it was looking for. The Lions won a corner in front of The Wall deep in stoppage time, and Chris Mueller whipped in a dangerous ball for Dike, who made a run across the near post. The big striker flicked his head at it, and the ball nestled into the side netting at the far post with Hamid helpless. Cue the bedlam in the purple palace.
That proved to be the last action of the game, as the Lions ran out 2-1 winners to put an end to the winless streak and pick up a valuable three points. Similar to halftime, Orlando finished the game with more shots (12-11), shots on target (4-2), corners (9-5), possession (64.8%-35.2%), and passing accuracy (86%-75.3%). Marcus Mitchell was on hand for Player Grades, and he gave the Man of the Match honors to Jansson with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high performers included fellow center back Carlos, who also graded as a 7.5 out of 10, while Mendez and Dike both received a 7 out of 10.
The three points proved to be valuable ones, as the Lions shot from seventh all the way up to third in the Eastern Conference, although they would ultimately finish sixth and exit the playoffs in the first round after a road loss against Nashville SC.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/2/26
Orlando Pride host the Wave, Orlando City’s kit room carousel, analyzing Mexico ahead of U.S. match, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Sports are in full swing this time of year and we have plenty of soccer to look forward to over the next few days. Apart from working and enjoying the upcoming games, I plan on heading to the movie theater to check out the Primetime movie, as I’ve heard nothing but great things. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando Pride Take on San Diego Tonight
The Orlando Pride host the San Diego Wave tonight in a crucial home game as the season winds down. While the Pride are fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the Wave will aim to close the gap with Gotham FC in the NWSL Shield race. Orlando enters this match on a short turnaround after traveling back from its 3-1 win against Bay FC on Sunday on the other side of the country. Interim head coach Yolanda Thomas spoke on the team’s preparations to deal with San Diego’s pressure and energy ahead of tonight’s home game.
Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Heads to England
Charles Raycroft is leaving Orlando City as its director of equipment operations after 11 years with the club to become Liverpool’s Head of Kit Operations. He’s been with Orlando since 2016 and the club sent him off in style with a jersey and plenty of thanks for his time in the City Beautiful. With Raycroft heading across the pond, Chafik Tounzit was promoted to become the club’s new director of equipment operations. We wish both the best of luck in their new roles!
Analyzing Mexico Ahead of USMNT Match
The United States Men’s National Team will take on Mexico on Saturday in the first match between the two rivals since the World Cup. It will also be the first time Rafael Marquez will take on the U.S. as Mexico’s head coach rather than as a player. Many eyes will be on 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, who has already scored once this window, but Luis Romo and Erik Lira are other players the Yanks will need to keep from creating too many chances. MLS players Chucky Lozano and Germán Berterame are attacking options at Mexico’s disposal as well.
Naomi Girma Will Miss U.S. Friendlies
Center back Naomi Girma will be unavailable for the United States Women’s National Team’s matches against Spain this month after sustaining a muscle injury with Chelsea. The injury bug continues to bite Girma, who has yet to play for Chelsea this season. Hopefully she’ll be able to get back to full fitness before the USWNT’s match against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals on Nov. 27. Girma’s replacement on the current roster will be named at a later time, so we’ll see if this opens the door for former Pride defender Emily Sams to join the team after not being initially called up.
Free Kicks
- The Orlando Pride moved up a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings after winning 3-1 against Bay FC.
- American defender Jordyn Bugg signed a new contract with the Seattle Reign that will last through the 2030 season.
- Ashley Sanchez was named NWSL Player of the Month for the second month in a row after scoring five goals in four games for the North Carolina Courage in September. She now has 20 goals this season, tying the league record.
- Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League without Cristiano Ronaldo and Head Coach Jorge Jesus spoke on how one player is not bigger than the national team.
- We’ll end today’s links with an incredible goal from Detroit City’s Kobe Hernandez-Foster deep in his own half. While it was scored on an empty net, it’s no small feat to get that much accuracy and power on a shot from that far out.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Photo Gallery
Loss to San Diego Exposed Orlando Pride’s Roster-Building Failures
Lion Links: 10/5/26
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 9/23/26
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-2 as Lions Get Pounded in Philly
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links 9/22/26
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 9/21/26
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 9/24/26
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory