Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 3-2 as Poor Start Sinks Lions
The Lions conceded a brace to teenager Mijahir Jimenez and fell on the road to the New York Red Bulls.
Orlando City was unable to maintain its torrid start out of the break as the Lions fell 3-2 on the road against the New York Red Bulls in a six-point match in the standings. The Lions (6-10-2, 20 points) were trying to catch up to New York (7-7-4, 25 pts), which is above them in the standings, at Sports Illustrated Stadium. With their win tonight, the Red Bulls are now unbeaten in their last seven against Orlando City.
Mijahir Jimenez picked up a brace (his first MLS goals) in his first MLS start, and Emil Forsberg picked up just his second goal of the season for New York to go along with an assist. Tyrese Spicer scored and picked up a secondary assist on a goal by Griffin Dorsey.
“We did not start fast enough,” Dorsey said after the game. “That was a message from the coaching staff all week. This is a very aggressive team. They like to start hot. There will definitely be some things to learn from this game. They exploited some spaces, especially in that first half.”
Maxime Crepeau started in goal after coming off the bench in the MLS All-Star Game, where he netted six saves in 34 minutes. Defending in front of him were Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta protected the middle inside of wingers Tiago and Ivan Angulo. Justin Ellis started up top alongside Antoine Griezmann.
Orlando City started out of the gate with an aggressive kickoff, dribbling right into top of the box before losing it. The Red Bulls countered with a shot by Cade Cowell that Brekalo blocked. The teams exchanged a couple of sloppy possessions before New York settled in the offensive end. In the fifth minute, Forsberg opened up Gustav Berggren in the box for a shot that beat Crepeau’s save, but Berggren was ruled offside.
The Lions proved to be a bit loose with their passing in their defensive end in the first 10 minutes, as there were a couple of times when passes to Crepeau were off and led to him having to dump the ball wide or rush to clear. However, they grabbed possession in the 12th minute, and Ellis hit Angulo at the top of the box, where he dribbled in but had his shot blocked by Justin Che. On the ensuing corner, Ethan Horvath punched the ball to the top of the box and Atuesta volleyed it to the bottom of the crossbar, missing a goal by no more than a couple of inches.
At the 17-minute mark, Dorsey was a little slow reacting to Angulo’s defensive pass-off of Julian Hall, who dribbled to the middle and unleashed a shot to the left corner which Crepeau parried away. Six minutes later, after some continued offensive pressure from New York, Forsberg passed to Berggren wide. He crossed it into the middle and Jimenez slotted it home. Brekalo lost his mark on Jimenez which led to an easy tap in.
In the 27th minute, Angulo tapped the ball past Dylan Nealis, who brought the Colombian down from behind, leading to the first yellow card of the game. Nothing came of the ensuing free kick and, between a tight Red Bulls defense and some sloppy handles from Orlando City, the Lions struggled to mount any offensive threat, failing to put a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
New York continued to cause trouble down Marin’s side as, at the 37-minute mark, the Spaniard was caught high and Atuesta lunged and missed on a ball. Cowell played the ball back to the top of the box, and Brekalo blocked Forsberg’s shot. Five minutes later, Marin was beaten again by Cowell, who rocketed a shot that Crepeau had to parry away for a corner.
In the 43rd minute, Marin played too loose off Cowell, who hit a smart pass to Forsberg through four Orlando City players. Forsberg took his first touch wide and blasted a goal home past Crepeau.
The best moment for Orlando in came in the 45th minute, when Ellis found Dorsey on the right but the fullback put his shot wide. One minute into added time, Griezmann (yes, first time his name’s been mentioned) won a free kick outside the top left corner of the box. Griezmann’s free kick was a good one, but it just didn’t curl quite enough and hit the outside of the left post.
On the resulting possession, the ball ended up in the Orlando City goal again but Forsberg was just a bit offside. It was a depressing half for a team that had shown improvement at both ends in the first two matches after the World Cup break, but those gains were wiped away in one half.
At halftime, Orlando City led in possession (51.9%-48.1%) and passing accuracy (88.4%-86.1%), but trailed the Red Bulls on corners (4-2), shots (10-5), and shots on target (4-0).
Interim head coach Martin Perelman made two changes at the half, subbing in Bernardo Rhein and Spicer for Marin and Tiago, potentially shoring up the left side. It worked early as an attack down the left side of the defense was wiped out.
In the 51st minute, Angulo played Ojeda in, but Che blocked his shot. On the ensuing corner, Griezmann sent his service to Dorsey at the front post. Dorsey deflected it across the box to Ojeda, who then headed it to the front of the goal, where Spicer was waiting to head it in. Spicer continued to play his super-sub role well with another goal.
After trading some possession back and forth, New York ended up with a free kick in its defensive half. Che took too long with the restart and received a yellow card for his delay.
In the 60th minute, Rhein was able to beat Cowell to the ball at his end line, but Cowell took it off him and passed it to Jimenez, who blasted it home for his brace. New starters for the Red Bulls getting braces against Orlando is becoming a thing, happening twice this year so far.
Luis Otavio came on for Atuesta in the 62nd minute and, one minute later, Jansson sent a long ball to Spicer, who crossed it all the way to a crashing Dorsey, who slammed it into the back of the net to pull Orlando back within a goal.
The Lions continued the pressure as Ellis put Spicer in on a brilliant ball but Spicer fired it right at Horvath.
In the 69th minute, Angulo tripped up Che at the top of the box and argued with referee Filip Dujic and drew a yellow card for dissent. New York took off Jimenez during the stoppage in play for Mohammed Sofo. Two minutes later, Orlando City subbed in Zakaria Taifi for Dorsey.
Both teams seemed disjointed as they worked their subs in and nothing of note happened before New York subbed again, bringing in Tim Parker and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty for Nealis and Matthew Dos Santos.
Finally, Orlando City was able to work an attack off some Rhein hustle and Ellis skill, with Ellis finding an open Taifi at the top corner of the box. Taifi’s touch was too strong and he scuffed his shot wide.
Taifi got caught up the field in the 80th minute and New York switched the ball into that empty space, leading to Brekalo fouling to break up the counter. Forsberg put the free kick into the scrum in the middle and the Lions played it safely out.
New York seemed content with its lead as Orlando City mounted attack after attack with some obvious hustle by Otavio and Ojeda. It led to a shot by Angulo at the 83-minute mark that he didn’t do enough with as he pushed it right at Horvath.
New York brought on fresh legs in the 85th minute, with Cameron Harper and Nehuen Benedetti coming in for Cowell and Forsberg.
Spicer continued the assault on the New York goal with a blast one minute later that hit the near post. Harvey Sarajian came in for Justin Ellis right after that and quickly introduced himself to the game on the next play, running through Julian Bazan on a high-bouncing ball and picking up a yellow card. Bazan stayed down for a couple of minutes after the collision.
Orlando City’s best opportunity to equalize down the stretch came in the fourth minute of added time when Rhein, Spicer, Otavio, and Jansson all got shots on a scramble but were not able to convert.
The scorebook closed with Marshall-Rutty picking up a yellow card for dissent for arguing with the assistant referee on an out-of-bounds call.
The Lions just came out of the gates slowly and the defensive improvements disappeared while everyone’s touch was off most of the night. At full time, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (55.9%-44.1%), shots (20-19), and passing accuracy (88.8%-82.9%), but trailed the Red Bulls on corners (5-4). Both teams logged seven shots on target.
“We are sad because we couldn’t get the points. We didn’t get the performance we wanted in the first half,” Perelman said after the game. “We conceded goals, which we don’t like, and it wasn’t our best night.”
Orlando City’s next home game is Wednesday against Liga MX side Monterey in the first of three Leagues Cup games in the group stage. The Lions will stay at home for their next MLS game against Cincinnati on Aug. 15.
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.
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.
- Alexis Mac Allister says no decision has been made yet on his Liverpool future, but he has plenty of time and plenty of options to consider.
- Italy coach Roberto Mancini says he is hoping to win back fans who were upset with him for leaving the national team three years ago.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
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?
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.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/21/26
All of Orlando’s soccer teams lose, Lions unveil Vinicius Nogueira, and more.
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.
- German-American and FC Augsburg defender Noahkai Banks announced Friday that he has committed to playing for the German Men’s National Team over the USMNT. Banks had previously played for the U.S. at the youth level.
- Folarin Balogun made his first appearance of the season in Ligue 1 for AS Monaco in a 2-1 win against RC Lens after his move to Everton fell through in the final hours of the transfer window earlier this month.
- Christian Pulisic started and scored for AC Milan in a 3-0 win against Lecce, extending the team’s Serie A unbeaten streak to five matches.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
PawedCast Episode 552: Crew and Revs Rewinds, Philly Preview, OCB Out of Playoffs, and More
Lion Links 9/22/26
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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