Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Finally Earn Road Point

The Lions earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Columbus in Robin Jansson’s first game of the season.

Published

5 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In a draw that felt simultaneously like a loss and a huge win, Orlando City (1-5-1, 4 points) finally showed some defensive grit and determination that has been woefully missing in captain and starting center back Robin Jansson’s first match of the year. A strong start, the captain’s return, some great goalkeeping, desperate defending, and a little luck saw the Lions through to a point on the road against a struggling Columbus Crew (1-3-3, 6 points) side still looking for its first home win. Jansson’s return seemed to be felt throughout the team which fought desperately to redeem itself after a record-setting bad start.

“We were able to maintain the level of energy,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “I think we started the first 20-25, minutes, really, in a really good manner, when we scored, not only compact and solid, but also…controlling the game with the ball. I think we could score maybe one more goal there. Then, in the second half, we knew…they’re gonna try to attack more, and that will allow spaces for counterattacks, which we have, and…we couldn’t score. And then the game is the game.”

Perelman’s starting XI featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a three-man central defense of David Brekalo, Jansson, and Iago, with wingbacks Griffin Dorsey and Ivan Angulo. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta played in central midfield, while, Tiago, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic manned the attack. Duncan McGuire was a late scratch after picking up a knock late in the week in training.

The Lions came out looking like a team that knows how to play football. They pressed and combined and put Columbus under significant pressure early on. The back line was particularly good at reading the Crew’s attacks and snuffing them out, one way or another.

On the other side of the ball, Angulo was aggressive and made good things happen in the opening half hour. Winning the ball, making a quick stop-and-go move, and sprinting down the left side, Angulo sent in an outstanding pass to send Tiago behind on the left. The Brazilian then sent a nice cutback pass to an on rushing Pasalic, who fired home under pressure in the 14th minute to put the Lions ahead early and give some much needed optimism to the team.

“We trained this, not only this week, but it’s something we tried to improve from training to training this last week, and I give props to the team and to Martín [Perelman], the coach, that we have the patience after these losses and we come here with motivation,” Pasalic said. “He motivates us, the team had their heads high, you know, we keep it high after these losses, and it was important to come here and try to show that we can score goals. We created a lot of chances today, especially me. I could’ve scored one more goal. I’m sad about it, but the most important thing, in the last games we don’t create as many chances like today, so this is a good way to go.”

Minutes later, Angulo took advantage of a bad back pass and made an opportunistic run and an accurate pass to Pasalic, whose shot was blocked.

Disaster struck for Columbus when Wessam Abou Ali suffered a non-contact knee injury. He was able to continue, but later went down again and had to be stretchered off.

Dorsey and Brekalo made some good defensive plays early to defend crosses. Brekalo fouled Rossi to prevent a promising attack in the 29th. However, Columbus was beginning to grow into the game and Orlando was beginning to struggle to posses the ball.

In the 32nd minute, Pasalic made a great run but a touch took him wide, resulting in a spoiled attempt that was blocked. On the other side of the pitch, Abou Ali went down without contact in the Orlando 18-yard box during a Columbus attack and was stretchered off in the 35th. This left the Crew without one of their most productive attackers. You couldn’t tell from how the game shifted though, as Columbus began to use quick, accurate passing that the Lions struggled to deal with.

The defending became more and more reactionary and frustrated, resulting in a yellow card to Iago in the 41st for a completely unnecessary foul in the back on Max Arfsten. Brekalo took his turn getting a yellow in the 43rd for persistent infringement, although this one was a bit soft. Columbus kept pouring it on, creating increasing half-chance after chance, but the Lions managed to fend the attacks off. Tiago was particularly effective defending the barrage of set peices.

The half ended mercifully, with Orlando still leading 1-0.

Columbus led in possession (56.2%-43.8%) and shots (5-3), with both teams tied in shots on target (1-1). The Crew dominated the corners (6-0), and led in passing accuracy (90.7%-84.6%).

The second half started like the first half finished with the motivated Crew on the front foot. Orlando could not seem to stop Columbus from playing right through the entire length of the field, leading to a corner in the 54th minute barley surviving the Crew’s relentless efforts.

Tiago earned himself a yellow card defending a Columbus attack by fouling Steven Moreira.

The Lions did have their counterattack chances though and unbelievably were unable to capitalize on a Patrick Schulte gaffe in the 56th minute. Ruby Camacho sent a difficult pass back to Schulte, who kept the ball in play, but teed it up for Pasalic, who tried to pass it back to Martin Ojeda with no one in goal. But Camacho tracked back to interfere with the pass to Ojeda, saving a the Crew from a tap-in goal by Orlando.

Columbus had many chances but was lacking just a little precision which helped keep the Crew off the scoreboard.

Again Orlando created a promising chance in the 57th, with Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Tiago combining well and Tiago fighting off pressure from Sean Zawadski. Tiago passed right to Malte Amundsen though instead of Ojeda or Pasalic crashing the box.

Jansson was a predictably reassuring presence as he was reading plays and snuffing out chances, but Orlando was still not able to do much but defend deep and launch hopeful balls over the top, with the occasional Angulo attack in the mix but usually leading to a bad touch and no shot.

Luis Otavio came on for Atuesta in the 64th minute giving the veteran some rest and some needed minutes for the young player. In the 65th minute, Angulo’s pace snuffed out a counter, as he contributed to the defense about as much as he did to the offense on the evening.

A common theme was a well placed ball over the defense by Martin Ojeda to Tiago, but unfortunately each time the chance went wanting.

Zakaria Taifi came on in the 68th minute for an active Dorsey who returned from a back injury. In the 70th minute, Iago defended a strong shot with his head and went down for a few minutes and was held off in the sidelines to undergo concussion protocols.

Following the restart, the Lions were awarded a dropped ball, which Ojeda once again sent over the Crew to Tiago who, once again, failed to make anything of a tremendous opportunity, as a poor touch prevented him getting in behind for a scoring chance. Following this play, Iago was subbed based on the concussion assessment and Adrian Marin replaced him.

Jansson lost out on a shoulder-to-shoulder with Jamal Thiare, who played it out to Arfsten, but Crepeau made the save. Orlando countered and again a great opportunity went wanting — this time, after some beautiful buildup via a short Angulo cross that missed a wide-open Martin Ojeda.

Jansson hobbled off the pitch in the 78th, replaced by Tahir Reid-Brown, and Orlando City was officially out of subs.

“Robin was planning to leave the game at the moment, so he’s fine,” Perelman said. “He was coming back from a long period of time without activity, so we knew he wasn’t going to be able to complete the game. Of course, (the) Iago substitution [hurt] us more.”

That sub was costly, because Columbus quickly equalized. In the 80th minute, Columbus finally scored at home for the first time this season via a Diego Rossi shot roofed into the net. Taha Habroune chipped the entry ball over the defense for Rossi, kept onside by Angulo. Reid-Brown was a bit late to recognize the danger as well and was caught on the wrong side of the Columbus forward. Marin was also a tad late getting over to try to block the attempt.

Orlando was clinging to a point, and Marin earned a yellow for a necessary tactical foul, snuffing out a Crew counter in the 82nd. Pasalic earned himself a yellow as well in the 86th for an pulling back Amundsen.

Crepeau kept the Lions in the match with an excellent reaction kick save in the 88th minute on a powerful Daniel Gazdag shot. The Canadian international had to receive medical attention shortly after for an injury to his left hand, but he was able to continue.

The referee added ten minutes of stoppage time that eventually bulged to 12 as the Lions tried to hang on. Angulo looked fatigued in the 96th minute, sending a throw-in right to Rossi which nearly led to another Columbus goal if not for a near miss on a Gazdag header.

The Crew kept coming, but a committed defense, including a great tackle by Marin in the 99th kept the Lions alive. The final whistle blew and the Lions could go home with a much-needed and well-earned result.

The Crew heavily dominated every statistical category though, including possession (60.7%-39.3%), shots (20-5), shots on target (7-1), corners (8-1), and passing accuracy (90.7%-78.7%).

“I’d say we started really good,” Pasalic said. “We hadn’t conceded a goal for 80 minutes, then we made the changes and that mistake happened, but it’s football. I’m happy that the team showed mentality today, that we showed that we can handle things after these big losses. And, I mean, on one side, I say this team didn’t deserve these losses in the past, so I’m not going to speak about it anymore. I look to the future, and we can connect the future games to this game today.” 

Up next, the Lions will hit the road in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 to face FC Naples at Paradise Coast Sports Complex on Wednesday. The Lions return to MLS action with a home match against Houston on Saturday.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links 9/22/26

Cosette Morche up for weekly honors, lessons from matchday 27, key players in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

on

September 22, 2026

By

Image of Cosette Morche during her NWSL debut vs. Washington.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weekend for Orlando’s three soccer teams, as they all lost and did so by an aggregate score of 12-5. Fortunately, we’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s not dwell any further on the horror show that was the weekend slate, and instead dive into today’s links.

Cosette Morche up for Weekly Honors

Despite the Orlando Pride falling at home against the Portland Thorns, a bright spot has emerged from the game in the form of Cosette Morche being nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. She made a fantastic triple save in the 17th minute to frustrate both Sophia Wilson and Pietra Tordin and keep the score at 1-0. Unfortunately, the Pride went on to lose 4-1, but Morche continued a trend of strong performances in net since taking over for the loaned-out Anna Moorhouse. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Lessons from Matchday 27

Matchday 27 is in the books for Major League Soccer, and there are plenty of things to be learned from the weekend’s action. A number of young players called up by the United States Men’s National Team turned in impressive performances, as Cavan Sullivan had a goal and an assist, Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre helped Sullivan and the Union overturn a 4-3 deficit against Sporting Kansas City, and Julian Hall scored the winner in the Hudson River Derby. Elsewhere, Nashville clinched a playoff spot and did so in style by knocking off a good Chicago Fire team 3-0. Finally, St Louis City beat Toronto FC 3-1 and now has a mind-boggling 16-game unbeaten streak in the league that grows to 18 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Women’s Champions League Key Players

The UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off today, so this is an excellent time to familiarize yourself with some of the most important players in the competition. Some of them may be familiar to you already, like Real Madrid’s Colombian attacker Linda Caicedo or Chelsea midfielder Lauren James. Midfielder Patri Guijarro will be an important piece for Barcelona following the summer departures of Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo, while Annamaria Serturini, Remina Chiba, and Redondo are in a similar situation for Juventus. Finally, there are players on less heralded teams, like Uka Modesta for Austria Wien and Lowiese Seynhaeve for OH Leuven.

Granit Xhaka Dropped by Switzerland

We finish our main story section today with an odd one, as Granit Xhaka has been left out of the latest Switzerland squad after he admitted to using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Amid an investigation into a Swiss doctor who was allegedly producing false certificates for unvaccinated individuals, Xhaka has admitted to using falsified paperwork. Not only has he been left out of the Swiss squad, but he could also face legal repercussions, and the player confirmed that he is currently in the process of speaking to the authorities. Xhaka is Switzerland’s all-time leader in appearances, and has been a key member of the team for a number of years.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City somehow rose two spots to no.10 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • The Orlando Pride held fast at no. 12 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
  • For better or worse, Orlando City will be back in the red kits for Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s road loss to the New England Revolution?

Published

2 days ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was minutes away from drawing the New England Revolution Saturday night, which would’ve been a big point in the Lions’ quest for the postseason. But two second-half injury-time goals saw that point dissipate. Instead, they followed their U.S. Open Cup semifinal defeat with a crushing 4-2 loss.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players fared in the disappointing result.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5 — None of the four goals were specifically Crepeau’s fault, with one being a deflection and the other three coming from poor defense. But the goalkeeper’s four goals conceded matched his number of saves. It can also be argued he should’ve come out earlier on some of the goals to cut down the attacker’s angle. In addition to his four goals conceded and four saves, he ended the game with 39 touches and completed 74.1% of his 27 passes, including seven of his 14 long balls.

D, Bernardo Rhein, 5.5 — The teenager got the start at left back in this game, touching the ball 58 times. He completed 83.3% of his 42 passes, but neither of his two long balls nor his lone cross. Defensively, Rhein recorded a tackle and a blocked shot before being replaced in the 77th minute by Harvey Sarajian in an attacking change.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — The Orlando City captain had 65 touches in this game and completed 98.1% of his 53 passes, including three of his four long balls. Defensively, he had an interception, a team-high six clearances, and an aerial duel won. But his age showed as he was unable to keep up with the counterattacks the other way. While it wasn’t a bad game for Jansson, I can’t give a higher grade to a key component of a back line that conceded four times.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Jansson’s center back partner had 52 touches and completed 95% of his 40 passes, including one of his two long balls. He took one shot in the game, but it was off target. Defensively, Brekalo recorded a tackle and six clearances, and won two aerial balls. Similar to Jansson, Brekalo wasn’t necessarily bad, but was part of a center back pairing that helped concede four goals.

D, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo started this game at right back and moved to left wing and left back as the game progressed. As you would expect, the Colombian pushed forward quite a bit. He ended the game with 69 touches and completed 81.3% of his 48 passes, including one of his three long balls. His most impactful play came in the 62nd minute, when he shielded his defender to tuck away the Lions’ first goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1. That was his lone shot of the night. Defensively, he added five tackles and two interceptions, providing one of the team’s best performances.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — In the team’s third game in eight days, Spicer got the start in the midfield. He touched the ball 20 times and completed 72.7% of his 11 passes, including his lone long ball. Other than that, he did little offensively before being replaced by Zakaria Taifi at halftime, allowing Angulo to go forward. Defensively, he added a tackle and an interception, but the Lions could’ve used much more from the speedster.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet once again was in the lineup for the Lions, playing his typical defensive midfield role. The Frenchman had a team-high 72 touches and completed 98.5% of his 67 passes, including two key passes and both of his long balls. The midfielder’s only shot was blocked, but it bounced off Peyton Miller’s hand for a penalty. He also contributed defensively with a tackle and an interception. Gerbet was replaced by Tiago in second-half stoppage time to bring on an attacker after the team fell behind again.

MF, Luis Otavio, 5.5 — The quick turnaround gave Otavio a chance to start, though he only played 45 minutes. The Brazilian had 21 touches and completed 94.1% of his 17 passes, including one of his two long balls. He didn’t contribute any shots in the attack and only recorded a clearance defensively in what was a rather forgettable performance. His night ended at halftime when he was taken off for regular starter Eduard Atuesta.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 5.5 — With Antoine Griezmann injured, Pasalic got a rare start. He touched the ball 35 times and completed 91.7% of his 24 passes, including one of his two long balls. The attacking midfielder took two shots and put one on target. Defensively, he recorded two tackles and a clearance before being replaced by Daryl Dike in the 71st minute.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 (MotM) — Ojeda is starting to look more like his old self since returning from injury and was the primary attacker for the Lions in this game. The Argentinian had 59 touches and completed 79.6% of his 44 passes, including a key pass, two of his three long balls, and two of his four crosses. He also put two of his three shots on target. Ojeda was instrumental in the attacking movement that ended with Angulo’s goal, working a give-and-go straight up the middle with Justin Ellis. In the 88th minute, he converted the game-tying penalty, keeping his record from the spot perfect and pulling him to within one goal of Facundo Torres for the club record. He was the best player for me and earned my Man of the Match.

F, Justin Ellis, 5.5 — Ellis was active in this game, touching the ball 67 times and completing 76.1% of his 46 passes, including one of his two long balls and one of his two crosses. His only shot was off target. The forward added two tackles in his last game before heading out on international duty.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5.5 (45’) — Taifi came on at halftime for Spicer, allowing Angulo to move forward into his natural position. The Homegrown Player had 24 touches in his 45 minutes while completing 85.7% of his 14 passes. He had three key passes, completed his lone cross, and didn’t complete either of his two long balls. The defender didn’t do anything else offensively, but added a tackle and a clearance.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 (45’) — A regular starter, Atuesta got the first half off before coming on for Otavio. The Colombian touched the ball 41 times and completed 94.1% of his 34 passes, including a key pass and two of his three long balls, but neither of his two crosses. Additionally, his only shot was on target. Defensivley, Atuesta didn’t record any statistics.

F, Daryl Dike, 4.5 (71’) — Dike came on for Pasalic in the 71st minue with the Lions looking for a goal. It was another disappointing performance for the striker, who only had six touches and completed two of his four passes. Despite coming on to score, his only shot was off target and he didn’t contribute anything defensively.

F, Harvey Sarajian, 5 (77’) — Sarajian came on for Rhein in the 77th minute, another move aimed towards finding an equalizer. The rookie had seven touches in 13 minutes while completing 83.3% of his six passes. Sarajian also didn’t contribute much in this game, failing to take a shot or build an attack.

MF, Tiago, N/A (90+5’) — Tiago came on in the dying minutes for Gerbet after Orlando CIty fell behind again. The attacker only recorded three touches, completed his lone pass, and drew a foul in his brief stint on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in this disappointing loss. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/21/26

All of Orlando’s soccer teams lose, Lions unveil Vinicius Nogueira, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda playing the ball against Inter Miami.
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 over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride defender Cori Dyke, who turned 26 on Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Bernardo Rhein, who turns 19 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Concede Two Late Goals in Loss at New England

Orlando City fell 4-2 to the New England Revolution on the road on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, conceding twice in stoppage time to drop a point. After trailing 2-0, the Lions came back with second-half goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda, with the latter from the penalty spot just before the 90 minutes were up. However, in stoppage time, the Lions imploded, with Peyton Miller and Carles Gil closing out the night with two goals each for the Revolution. The loss snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten streak in league play, and the Lions left Foxborough with no points instead of at least one. Orlando City will be back on the road for its next match on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.

Lions Unveil Vinicius Nogueira

Orlando City unveiled left back Vinicius Nogueira on Friday with a photo shoot at Inter.co Stadium.

The Lions signed Nogueira on Aug. 27 on loan from Bulgarian First League side PFC Ludogorets through the end of the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with an option to make the move permanent. The 24-year-old Brazilian was on the bench during Orlando City’s match against the New England Revolution on Saturday but did not play.

Pride Fall at home to Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride lost 4-1 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, and while the team is still mathematically alive for the postseason, the home defeat made things even more of a longshot than they were. The Pride started slowly and were down 2-0 before Ally Lemos pulled one back in the first half. Orlando missed several scoring chances, and in the second half, Portland scored two goals to put the match away. Orlando will travel to the West Coast to take on Bay FC on Sunday.

OCB Falls to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day

Orlando City B lost 4-2 to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day Sunday at Osceola County Stadium, falling all the way to 10th and out of the playoff places. Atlanta struck first early before Issah Haruna tied it up for the Young Lions. However, Atlanta got an own goal when Tristan Himes punched a set piece deliver in off Harvey Sarajian to retake the lead, and Ignacio Saurez-Couri added another to make it 3-1. Justin Hylton scored for OCB to cut the deficit to one before halftime. In the second half, Dominik Chong-Qui scored the final goal to secure Atlanta’s win. For the Young Lions, the season ends in disappointment again, missing the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second straight season.

Free Kicks

  • Just two days after Gabi Nunes and the Orlando Pride mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Nunes signed with Liga F side Atletico de Madrid Femenino on Friday.
  • New York City FC is reportedly signing defender Matt Miazga after he was waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month.

🇺🇸 BREAKING: NYCFC set to sign center back Matt Miazga, per sources.- Miazga waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month- Miazga, 31, is former MLS Defender of the Year. Boosts defensive options for NYCFC down the stretchwww.nytimes.com/athletic/760…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-09-18T13:17:04.926Z

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

Continue Reading

Trending