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Orlando City Taking Risk with No Immediate Plan to Hire New Head Coach

Ricardo Moreira is showing a lot of faith in a coach who has not yet been able to solve the team’s problem conceding goals.

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2 months ago

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Image of Martin Perelman coaching during training.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

When a team that has made the postseason for six consecutive years is 4-6-2 under a head coach, as Orlando City is under interim head coach Martin Perelman, one of the last things the fan base will want to hear is that the club is not taking advantage of a six-week break in the schedule to install a new coach. On paper, it was always a great spot to make the change, giving plenty of time for a search prior to the break. During the break, it could give most of the team the time to get to know the new gaffer, as it could almost become a second preseason.

It’s understandable for the club to give Perelman a chance to turn things around. Perelman, however, had hardly distinguished himself in terms of wins and losses while in charge of the club’s reserve side, Orlando City B. In his two full seasons of 2022 and 2023, Perelman’s side missed the playoffs his first year and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference in his second, getting eliminated by Columbus Crew 2 in the first round of the 2023 postseason. His two-year record was 19-23-10 with five shootout wins, though he improved the team from a 6-13-5 mark in the 24-game 2022 season to 13-10-5 in a 28-match 2023. The improvement was good, but the roster was also better, led by Jack Lynn’s standout season of 19 goals and six goal contributions by a young fullback named Alex Freeman.

He then became an assistant with the first team under Oscar Pareja in early 2024.

This season, Perelman inherited an Orlando City team that was 0-3-0 and had been outscored 11-3. Since taking over, Perelman has led the Lions to the aforementioned 4-6-2 record in MLS games and Orlando City has been outscored 33-20. On the other hand, Perelman has managed to navigate through three U.S. Open Cup matches to get Orlando into the semifinals, but did that by squeaking past a third-division team, having to come from behind in a wild 4-3 match against what was essentially a developmental side and two aging veterans for New England, and then finally looking like the better side against an Atlanta United side — one of the few teams that has struggled worse than Orlando this season — that stayed on the road an extra three days to play in Orlando twice in a week.

Getting this far in a knockout competition isn’t nothing, but it is fair to point out that the Lions didn’t beat a murderer’s row to get there.

So, it’s understandable if some fans are raising eyebrows over Perelman continuing on as Orlando City’s coach for now, which is something Sporting Director and General Manager Ricardo Moreira recently said is happening, as reported by WESH.

Here is what Moreira said in the WESH story:

“I can confirm that Martin will continue to be the interim head coach of the team when the MLS season resumes after the break,” Moreira said. “We believe that this stability is really important for us right now, especially in the middle of the season and especially with bringing in someone like Griezmann.”

Moreira added: “We understand that bringing someone like Griezmann changes the whole landscape of the club. Integrating him into an existing group and a locker room that already has its own identity is really important. We want to maintain continuity and stability, and we believe Martin brings that to the club.”

Bringing in a star player like Antoine Griezmann makes it even more important to get the coaching situation sorted out. Moreira’s remarks about an identity are true, but the identity of a team is largely dictated by the head coach, while the style of play the club wants is dictated by the front office hiring the kind of coach who excels at whatever kind of soccer that is. If you want a run-and-gun style, you don’t hire Diego Simeone or Jose Mourinho. If you want your club to squeeze the life out of opponents defensively and grind them to bits, you’re not seeking the next Johan Cruyff. Those styles don’t align.

Moreira seems to want a more fluid attack than what Orlando had under Pareja. That’s fine. We all love seeing the team score goals. Perelman’s Lions have scored 20 goals in 12 MLS games, reaching four goals in four of those matches. That’s exciting.

Yet the same team continues to look completely inept on the road, with a record of 1-6-1 (1-5-1 under Perelman) away from Orlando. The Lions have been shut out three times on the road under Perelman and have been outscored 23-5 in the six non-wins and 27-8 in all road games under their interim manager. In only one match away from home has Orlando City held its opponent to fewer than two goals, and that was a 1-1 draw at Columbus in which the Lions led from the 14th minute until Diego Rossi’s equalizer in the 80th.

Perelman has yet to show he’s the guy who can get that done without completely throwing Pareja’s noted stability in the back into a wood chipper. The identity of the current Lions seems to be “score at least two or three goals just to have a chance.”

Pareja’s team gave up an uncharacteristic 11 goals in the first three games, which is terrible, but the Lions also played those matches without captain Robin Jansson on the back line, and with rookies, youngsters, and new arrivals were playing in front of the club’s new goalkeeper. One of those three games was also played a man down for 84 minutes. It was the worst start in club history but also a small sample size. Could Orlando have turned things around under Pareja? We’ll never know.

Under Perelman, the team has suffered losses of 5-0 (at Nashville), 6-0 (at LAFC), and 6-2 (at Cincinnati). Three of the worst outings in club history came in just a 14-game span and one of those was the team’s most recent game. The Lions also shipped two goals late in a 3-2 road loss to D.C. United, conceded three times to mainly MLS NEXT Pro players in a 4-3 U.S. Open Cup win against New England, gave up three goals in a half at Inter Miami before an astonishing and historic comeback win for their only road victory of the season to date, and conceded three times in a 4-3 home win against an offensively challenged Philadelphia Union team vying for the MLS Wooden Spoon.

There have been a few good performances as well, with the team’s most competent soccer coming in half a game against Miami, in a 4-1 home win over Charlotte, and in a 4-1 U.S. Open Cup win over an Atlanta United side that is struggling in its own right. But there hasn’t been enough quality to suggest that things are getting better, aside from the team’s offense at home. It’s only a matter of whether Orlando City scores enough goals to have a chance to win, because when the offense doesn’t score at least two times, this team hasn’t won a league game. It seems incapable of keeping a clean sheet, with even the one it kept in a U.S. Open Cup match against FC Naples perhaps coming only due to a lack of video review of a potential equalizer.

Perelman’s Lions are conceding an average of 2.75 goals per game in MLS play over 12 matches. That’s a much larger sample size than Pareja’s three games and Perelman has had a healthy Jansson and David Brekalo for most of his run and has had the benefit of Griffin Dorsey, Iago, and Braian Ojeda all having spent more minutes on the pitch with their teammates.

Even when it seemed the defense was starting to figure it out, having “only” conceded seven goals in a four-match span (all competitions) — soaring to new heights of allowing just 1.75 goals per game in that time — Orlando was embarrassingly torched for six goals by FC Cincinnati in the final match before the World Cup break.

Replacing Perelman doesn’t guarantee better defensive performances, but it’s hard to imagine them getting worse than the league-history-making pace with which the team is conceding goals through the first 15 matches.

While Moreira didn’t promise the job to Perelman or say he won’t hire a new coach, Orlando City fans will want improvement quickly when play resumes, because the remaining season is slipping away.

“We’re going to support Martin and stick with him,” Moreira said. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t monitoring the market and understanding the full landscape of available coaches. There are a lot of coaches who have been discussed, and we’re aware of every situation. I’m very active in my networking and my knowledge of the market, and we’re well aware of the coaching landscape and the status of coaches who may be available. But the decision right now is to keep Martin.”

To be fair to Moreira, there is no doubt some coaches that are perhaps on his radar may not become available until after the World Cup, and they may also want a break before diving into their next challenge. That would mean not coming in until at least September, at which time Griezmann may or may not be able to make a difference in the playoff race on a team that can’t stop leaking goals. The Frenchman’s presence, work rate from end line to end line, and ability to make those around him better can help, but only so much.

Other available coaches may be better suited coming into the club in the off-season to lay their foundation. As we saw with Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous spell at Celtic, sometimes you can’t fix or change things on the fly.

Moreira undoubtedly knows when those on his list of potential coaches might become available, and that may be the driving force for the moment in continuing with the status quo. And yet, Perelman may still yet prove to be the right coach in addition to being a good soldier for Orlando City by ultimately turning the ship around. It hasn’t looked likely yet, but it’s still possible.

At this point, there have been few signs Perelman can find any sustained success — at least with the current roster. There is a lack of balance, and it’s hard to discern whether the players aren’t good enough, if Perelman’s system isn’t capable of providing a competent transition defense, if the pairing of Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta is simply not able to provide coverage to the back line, or if it’s a combination of some or all of those things.

One thing we know is that the team’s lack of success will continue if the defense doesn’t improve while maintaining the attacking capability it has shown since late April.

Moreira may have handcuffed himself to Perelman in a way that makes it hard for ownership to avoid changing general managers if things continue the way they’ve been. The team can’t just bounce around in positions 10 through 13 in the Eastern Conference and hope Griezmann can get the Lions over the hump. Defensive solutions must be found, especially on the road, where scoring goals is tougher, because the club isn’t on pace to just break the league’s record for goals conceded — it is on pace to destroy the record. The Lions can’t keep getting embarrassed in every stadium not colored purple.

The coming months are among the most critical in club history, as they will dictate whether Orlando City remains a perennial playoff team or squanders one of the biggest signings in MLS history.

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

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

Published

4 hours ago

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August 16, 2026

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

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

A Head Injury Goal

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

Relentless Spicer

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

Justice for Brekalo

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

Crepeau Continues to Crush It

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

Good Enough

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

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

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

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

Published

16 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published

1 day ago

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August 15, 2026

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

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

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

History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overview

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

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

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

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

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

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

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

Forward: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

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

FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

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

Forwards: Kevin Denkey, Tom Barlow.

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

Referees

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

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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