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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-2 away loss against New York?

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1 week ago

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Image of Tyrese Spicer fending off a New York Red Bulls defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions had chances to make it three wins, or at least three results, from their first three post-World Cup matches, but the defense let them down as they were swept by the Red Bulls this season, losing 3-2 on Saturday night. The second half was much better than the first half, in particular on the left side of Orlando City’s attack and defense, but the 2-0 halftime hole was too deep and Orlando City could not ever get back level after falling behind.

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

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — Orlando City’s defense did no favors for the Canadian, as it would have taken world-class saves for Crépeau to keep out any of the three goals scored by New York. Perhaps he could have gotten a hand on the second or third third goal, but few goalkeepers, if any, save any of the chances that New York converted. On the whole, Crépeau was excellent, making four saves (most sites had him with five, but the official stats on the MLS website only credited him with four) and completing 90.9% of his passes. He gave the Lions the opportunity to get back into the game with his strong play throughout.

D, Adrián Marin, 4 — Marin’s lack of pace was painfully obvious during the first half on Saturday, and New York attacked repeatedly down his side to take advantage of it. The game’s first goal came via an attack on his side, and the Spaniard was probably lucky it took as long as it did for the Red Bulls to score, because they had been feasting on his area up until the goal. That feast continued after the first goal, and the Red Bulls’ second goal came after Marin failed to step up to Cade Cowell quickly enough and Cowell was able to find Emil Forsberg alone in front of goal. On the other side of the field, Marin got forward and helped to create some offense, but his final product was not impactful when he had chances to engage. He completed 85% of his passes and added one tackle and one clearance on defense, but it was not a surprise when he came off at halftime for Bernard Rhein, as the Lions needed to make a change on the left side of the defense.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Beefy Swede came inches away from scoring a late goal to earn the Lions a point, and even though he could not convert that chance and the defense allowed three goals, it was still a solid night for the captain. Jansson cleaned up a few messes with sliding stops, including a great recovery run that prevented a breakaway for Mijahir Jiménez and actually turned into an Orlando City goal kick. He led all played with 85 completed passes, at a 91.4% completion rate, and his long ball over the top to Tyrese Spicer helped create Orlando City’s second goal. Jansson added one tackle, one interception, one block, and two clearances in a solid game in central defense.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 —Brekalo stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high eight defensive contributions (one tackle, four blocks, and three clearances), but he was directly involved in both the first and third goals and could not contain Jiménez. He was not quick enough to get in front of the Red Bulls striker on the first goal and did not close down the Panamanian quickly enough on the third, and while he is not solely at fault on either, he definitely owns part of the responsibility. On the plus side, Brekalo’s four blocks were crucial and he completed 93.5% of his passes, including 22 into the attacking half of the field.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s right back bombed away against New York, with a heatmap that was much hotter in the attacking third of the field than defending third, despite Dorsey playing on the back line. His flicked header across the face of the goal helped to set up Orlando City’s first goal, and after timing his run perfectly to the back post, he scored the second goal with a tap-in, and he almost scored a goal in the first half as well, missing just wide from a shot on the right side of the box. Dorsey gave away the ball cheaply a few times in the attacking third, but he completed 81.3% of his passes and added two tackles, one interception, and one clearance on defense before coming off for Zakaria Taifi in the 72nd minute.

MF, Tiago, 4 — It was another start and another quiet performance from Tiago, who had a few chances to make plays but never was able to put anything together to really challenge New York. The official stats said he only completed two of his four passes, but he completed a few more than that, however every pass that he completed was toward his own goal, which is less than ideal from a wing player. He had one tackle and one interception on defense, and with New York repeatedly attacking Orlando City’s left side and finding great success, it was no surprise when Tiago came off at halftime for Tyrese Spicer.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — Atuesta nearly opened the scoring early in the first half with a cannon shot off the underside of the crossbar, but aside from that near moment of magic, he brought little to the table on Saturday and actually took some things off the table on the defensive end. He completely lost Gustav Berggren on New York’s first goal, allowing the Red Bulls midfielder a free look to pick out a teammate across the box, and then he was saved by the offside flag after slowing down his recovery run and not getting all the way back to step in front of an uncovered Forsberg. In the second half, he again did not recover deep enough, allowing Jiménez enough room to sneak right in between Brekalo and Atuesta to score what turned out to be the game-winning goal. He came off immediately after that goal, having completed 86% of his passes and making one interception and one clearance, but really playing a mostly empty game.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7.5 —Among the starting midfielders and attackers, Ojeda played the best all-around game, contributing three key passes, including an assist on a perfectly placed header to Spicer and a beautiful through ball that put Spicer in on goal, as well as two tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. He also led all field players with 11 loose ball recoveries, while completing 72 passes at a 93.5% completion rate. The Paraguayan picked up all of the slack that he could from Atuesta while partnering with the Colombian and had a strong partnership with Luís Otávio when he came on to replace Atuesta for the final 30 minutes. “Defensive” Ojeda was everywhere, accumulating 93 touches while staying in perpetual motion on offense and defense, and despite a few loose touches in the attacking third, he was a strong contender for Man of the Match.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 —The Colombian had two decent chances to bag a goal and continue his hot streak coming off the World Cup break, but it was not his night. Justin Ellis found him with an incisive pass early in the game, but Angulo had his shot blocked. Late in the game, the Colombian freed himself for a left-footed shot from the top of the box but hit it straight at New York goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. He completed 95.5% of his passes and led all players in tackles with four, but there were moments when he looked like early season Angulo with wayward touches and passes instead of the player from recent games who had looked like another number 10 on offense. Angulo’s pace and hustle were there, but overall he regressed from how he played last week, as it was more positive than negative, but only moderately positive.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 6 — The spotlight will always be brighter on Orlando City’s highest profile player, and while he was by no means poor, he did not deliver on Saturday. There were moments that could have changed that, in particular when Griezmann found Spicer with a beautiful ball but the winger’s shot went just wide, but while he was credited with an assist on a ball he barely touched on its way to Dorsey, the French superstar was not majorly involved in either goal (he took the corner kick that led to the first goal, but that ball eventually went all the way across the goal and then back before it went in). Late in the game, Griezmann showed his unselfishness by dummying a ball to allow it to go to Angulo, but with respect to the Colombian, the better play for the Lions would have been for Griezmann to make an attempt himself. He completed 86.4% of his passes, including two key passes, and tried to create all over the field, but it was not his night.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5— The young attacker roamed the field looking to create attacks, with equally hot spots on his heatmap from both the right and left sides of Orlando City’s attacking third of the field. Ellis led the team with five key passes and completed 83.6% of his passes overall, but despite his great vision, in particular on passes to Angulo in the first half and Spicer and Taifi in the second half, none of his key passes turned into assists. Ellis also dropped deep to help Orlando City connect passes to get the ball out of its own defensive third and made one slaloming run on his own to progress the ball out himself. Saturday night was devoid of dribbling flash, but Ellis was solid and his class was evident. His teammates just could not turn their shot attempts into goals against New York.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (46′), 7.5 (MotM) — Spicy T did it again, coming off the bench hot to score a goal and contribute an assist. If there was an MLS award similar to the Sixth Man Award in the NBA for the best contributors who rarely start, he undoubtedly would be a major contender, and he nearly contributed even more, because he ripped a right-footed shot right at Horvath and a left-footed just off the outer part of the post, and with slightly better placement, both of those might have gone in. As it was, he got himself into a dangerous position early in the second half and nodded in a header to get Orlando City on the board, and then pulled the Lions within one goal once again a few minutes later after whipping in a nice cross that Dorsey finished with a tap-in. Spicer has outplayed Tiago on the left wing since the season resumed in July, perhaps during Leagues Cup we will see how he does as a starter. He put four of his five shots on goal and completed 93.8% of his passes and nearly turned the game completely around after entering at halftime.

D, Bernardo Rhein (46′), 5.5 — The Homegrown left back was an upgrade over Marin at left back during his minutes on the field, and while he still has a lot of room to grow, he made his case again that he should be the starting left back going forward. Going forward is what Rhein does best at the moment, as he likes to get into the attack and create chances and did so against New York, completing 88% of his passes, including one excellent cross to Dorsey for a big chance that was blocked, while also pushing way forward and getting a shot blocked himself as well. Rhein’s swashbuckling offense partnered well with fellow sub Spicer’s, and the left side looked much better offensively in the second half. The young left back learned a few hard lessons on defense, however, and he was culpable for New York’s third goal, as he failed to clear a ball that he, pardon the pun, clearly should have been able to extricate from danger, and the Red Bulls punished him for his mistake for the game-winning goal. His defensive partners helped him escape a second punishment later in the half, and while these lessons and reps will pay dividends later in the season, the mistake that led to the goal was costly on Saturday night.

MF, Luís Otávio (62′), 6 — Otávio was excellent off the bench, outperforming the man he replaced (Atuesta) and nearly getting the Lions back level. He competed 84.4% of his passes and doubled Atuesta’s defensive contribution tally in approximately half the minutes, logging one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance in only 29 minutes. The Brazilian went all out throughout his shift, and with the Lions stretched trying to find an equalizer, his hustle and backtracking were key in keeping the team at only a one-goal deficit.

D, Zakaria Taifi (72′), 5.5 — The Homegrown Zak-of-all-trades came on at right back in this one, and just as Dorsey did, he made a great effort to get deep into the attack while also recovering well to get back on defense. Taifi’s one big chance came just minutes after he entered, as Ellis found him alone in the box with a cross-field pass, but Taifi’s first touch was not ideal and he was unable to recover and get his shot on target. He completed 80% of his passes and added two interceptions, one critical block, and one clearance, but his big moment was on that shot attempt, and he was unable to convert it to tie the game.

F, Harvey Sarajian (87′), N/A — The rookie came on late for Ellis but did not have many opportunities to influence the game. He completed one of his two pass attempted and hustled around the field, but nothing came of it. He picked up a yellow card for a rough aerial challenge on a 50/50 ball just moments after entering the game.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss on the road at New York. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Tom

    August 2, 2026 at 5:36 pm

    • From the kickoff City was noticeably not nearly as energetic on either side of the ball as they were vs..SJ & Nashville. They were mostly flat the entire game, except for Harvey Sarajian, who was the only guy who hustled his ass off.
    • Griezmann was underwhelming, and a disappointment, however, on multiple occasions he was wide open, but his teammates failed to even see him.
    • Spicer scored a goal, true, but he took 4 other shots and missed, including 3 that he shot directly at the goalie in the middle of the goal, with openings on both sides.
    • Crépeau allowed a goal on a shot that went a wee bit over his left shoulder.
    • For a guy who was recently promoted to the top squad, you would think he would be hustling every ball, but he didn’t. Instead, he stood around killing grass a few times. One instance was when a City player took a shot from the right side that went wide of the goal, during which Rhein stood still about 25’ away like a house on the side of the road, being a spectator. Had he hustled up to the left side of the goal in anticipation of a missed shot he would have had an easy tap in goal. Hustle can make things happen and it takes no skill.
    • Why’d the coach make two changes to the starting lineup from the team that beat the top team in the MLS and the fourth-best team in the MLS by a combined white wash score of 5–0 in Orlando’s previous two games?

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/11/26

Leagues Cup preview, Americans in midweek action, open letter addressing Gianni Infantino, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

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August 11, 2026

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but fortunately, opportunities to change the vibes are right around the corner. Orlando City B plays NYCFC II in a few hours, Orlando City plays San Luis tomorrow and FC Cincinnati on Saturday, and the Orlando Pride are in action against the Portland Thorns on Saturday night as well. We’ve got lots to talk over this morning, so let’s get into it.

Leagues Cup Preview

Leagues Cup will begin its final round of group stage games later today, and there are several storylines to keep an eye on. Most prominent among them is the match between Austin FC and Club America, as each team currently sits first in its respective table. Myrto Uzuni’s hat trick helped Austin bury Puebla in its second match, and the Verde and Black are now in great position to advance. Before we get to that match on Thursday though, FC Cincinnati plays Atlas this evening to kick off the last round of games. Cincy sits fourth in the MLS table and therefore has plenty to play for, while Atlas has no points and has already been eliminated from contention. With Cincy visiting the City Beautiful on Saturday, Orlando fans should be hoping for FCC’s key players to rack up a lot of minutes tonight.

Americans in Midweek Action

Plenty of Americans will be taking part in matches during the working week, so make sure you’ve got everything noted down on your calendar. Tanner Tessmann and Lyon kick things off later today as they try to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit against Sparta Prague in UEFA Champions Leauge qualifying. Things continue with Brenden Aaronson and Leeds playing Manchester United in a friendly on Wednesday, while Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen have a friendly of their own against Nottingham Forest. Things wrap up with some American-on-American violence on Friday, as Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid play Marseille in a friendly, while Folarin Balogun and Monaco face Haji Wright and Coventry in a tune-up game.

Confederations Write Letter Criticizing Gianni Infantino

Concacaf, UEFA, and AFC have written a joint open letter soccer as a whole, in which they accuse FIFA president Gianni Infantino of betraying the trust of the confederations and engaging in deceptive practices. They condemned the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, and called both FIFA’s integrity and Infantino’s running of the organization into question. U.S. Soccer put out its own statement on Sunday in support of Concacaf’s stance. The letter also urged FIFA to conduct an independent review of the proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup, while calling for accountability and openness among Infantino and the rest of FIFA’s leadership.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

There are plenty of transfer rumors to catch up on this morning, so let’s get straight into it. We start in England, where Crystal Palace is reportedly finalizing the signing of Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake. In Spain, Atletico Madrid has reportedly submitted an offer in the area of €35 million to Lille for winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Meanwhile, Endrick will supposedly be staying at Real Madrid this season following discussions between himself, the club, and Head Coach Jose Mourinho. Barcelona ha reportedly rejected a €50 million offer for Ferran Torres from Paris Saint-Germain, as the Catalonian club wants the fee to be structured differently than PSG’s initial proposal. Finally, in a rather unexpected bit of news, Tom Bogert reports that CF Montreal is signing Alexis Sanchez as a Designated Player.

Free Kicks

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/10/26

Lions and Pride lose, Americans abroad, Latest MLS transfer roundup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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August 10, 2026

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Image of Marco Pasalic dribbling the ball in the attack against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work and getting ready to cover high school sports again soon. Let’s wish a belated happy birthday to former Lion Alex Freeman, who turned 22 on Sunday, and a happy birthday to former Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja, who turns 58 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to Club Leon in Leagues Cup

Orlando City fell 2-1 to Club Leon at home in the second matchday of the 2026 Leagues Cup on Saturday. Marco Pasalic scored for the Lions in the first half as Orlando took a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Club Leon overturned the one-goal deficit, responding with goals from Juan Guevara and Daniel Arcila to take a 2-1 lead as the Liga MX side edged the Lions for the win. Orlando City will be back at home on Wednesday to face Atletico de San Luis to close out the first phase of Leagues Cup.

Pride Winless Skid Continues with Loss to Racing Louisville

The Orlando Pride fell 3-1 to Racing Louisville FC at home on Friday as the club continues to slide down the NWSL table and has lost back-to-back league matches. Louisville struck first to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Emma Sears scored twice to give Louisville a 3-0 lead. In stoppage time, Kerry Abello scored for the Pride to avoid the shutout, but Louisville secured its third win in its last four games. Meanwhile, Orlando has lost four out of its last five matches. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Saturday, taking on the Portland Thorns.

Americans Abroad

Orlando City midfielder Colin Guske started and played a full 90 minutes for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team against Mexico in the Concacaf U-20 Championships. The U.S. fell 2-0 to Mexico in the final on Sunday. Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter made their debuts for Middlesbrough in Round 1 of the Carabao Cup against Wrexham on Friday. Berhalter notched an assist as Middlesbrough defeated Wrexham 1-0 to advance to the second round. Ricardo Pepi started and played 80 minutes for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie on Saturday. Austin Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers were both in action for Celtic in a 5-1 victory against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

The LA Galaxy have been busy making moves of late, signing former FC Barcelona and Como midfielder Sergi Roberto to a contract through June 2028 with an option for the 2028-2029 season. The Galaxy added winger Chucky Lozano from San Diego FC on loan through the end of the season and reached an agreement to transfer midfielder Edwin Cerrillo to Liga MX side Club America. Atlanta United has acquired midfielder Mauricio Amaro from Uruguayan top flight club Defensor Sporting. Amaro will be under contract through the 2028-2029 season with an option for 2029-2030. San Diego FC announced on Saturday that the club has transferred defender Andres Reyes to Atletico Nacional in Colombia.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, scored his first goal in the USL Championship over the weekend.
  • Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga scored for Malawi, which defeated Ghana 2-1 on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
  • Nigeria fell 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, resulting in Cameroon qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nigeria will face South Africa on Thursday in a play-in match to qualify for the FIFA inter-confederation playoffs.
  • Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho revealed in a documentary that he had signed a contract to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, but later backed out of the deal and decided to return to Chelsea after his first stint at Real Madrid.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Club Leon, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Halftime Lead in Loss

Marco Pasalic gave the Lions a halftime lead, but the defense got leaky in the second half.

Published

3 days ago

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August 8, 2026

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Image of Harvey Sarajian getting elbowed in the neck by Juan Guevara of Club Leon
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Marco Pasalic put Orlando City ahead in the first half, but two second-half mistakes and what appeared to be a clear foul in the penalty area late on Club Leon led to the Lions falling 2-1 at home tonight on the second matchday of Leagues Cup. Juan Guevara and Daniel Arcila pulled Leon back from a goal down in the second half, and an Orlando City (1-1) side that didn’t rotate much from Wednesday’s game looked a bit leggy in the second half against Leon (2-0).

“I think, of course, very very sad for the result for us, for our people, for everyone,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We were trying to compete in the best way as possible and trying to win, and we couldn’t. Congrats to them; they did a really good job. We were there, trying to to compete. At the end, we were short.”

Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Luis Otavio and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfielders with Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer in the attack and Marco Pasalic and Antoine Griezmann up top.

The start of the game was bereft of action as the teams tried to figure one another out. The Lions nearly created something magical five minutes after kickoff when Pasalic sent in a great ball over the top for Griezmann, who brought it down, but it bounced a bit wide, and when he went to ground to try to shoot, the defender caught up and blocked the effort.

Neither team could do much with a corner kick opportunity over the next 15 minutes and much of the action was played between the boxes. Pasalic earned a free kick in a dangerous spot when he blew past Juan Guevara, who brought him down and picked up a yellow card. Griezmann took the free kick from just outside the area but his delivery hit the wall and came back to him. He got under his second effort and put it out of play.

The first real danger from Club Leon came on a ball over the top in the 28th minute. Crepeau came off his line but couldn’t get there before Arcila, who tried to chip the goalkeeper but he sent it wide left. Sebastian Santos got to it before it went over the end line and tried to shoot from a tight angle with Iago defending but he got under his shot and put it over the bar.

Just moments after the ensuing hydration break, Leon nearly scored on another ball over the top that was just out of Iago’s reach. Arcila got to it first and fired a shot that Crepeau saved. Fernando Beltran picked up the rebound and tried to chip the Canadian, but Crepeau was able to go up and catch the shot to keep the game scoreless.

Orlando tried a ball over the top for itself in the 36th minute. Spicer was first to it but as he swung his foot to shoot the bouncing ball, the defense arrived and bodied him, causing him to whiff on his effort. But the Lions scored anyway two minutes later.

Pasalic and Griezmann worked a nice give-and-go in the attacking half and the Frenchman sent Spicer down the left. Spicer fed Pasalic at the top of the area and the Croatian’s shot took a slight deflection and beat Oscar Garcia to make it 1-0.

“Happy to help in the first half with the goal,” Pasalic said.

After the goal, Leon showed more determination in keeping the ball and building up play. The guests couldn’t do much with a couple of corners over the next several minutes.

Leon created another chance in first-half stoppage time, when Iago was beaten and Jansson couldn’t quite get over in time to intervene. Arcila got there first and fired toward the near post but Crepeau knocked it out for a corner.

Griezmann headed away the ensuing set piece to end the first period.

The late spell of possession after Pasalic’s goal helped Leon lead in that category at the break (54.1%-45.9%). The Liga MX side also led in shots (8-6), shots on target (5-2), and corners (4-2). Orlando City passed slightly more accurately in the opening half (92.7%-91.8%)

Griffin Dorsey entered the game at halftime for Taifi, but it was Club Leon who brought the energy to the start of the second half. In the opening minutes, Crepeau was forced into two great saves. Rhein turned it over in his defensive third, and Arcila’s cheeky backheel of a cross in from the right forced the Canadian international to make a a diving stop. Leon sent the ball back in from the left to a wide-open Jordi Cortizo in front but sent it right at Crepeau for another save.

Orlando’s first chance of the second half came on a Griezmann corner kick. Dorsey headed it across the box and Iago made a flying attempt at a bicycle kick, but he missed the ball and committed a foul in the process.

Leon got back on the front foot after that, with Jansson doing well to block an Arcila shot at the top of the area in the 51st minute. Arcila then got to a cross and stabbed it wide a minute later, but the initial play was offside.

The visitors tied the game in the 54th minute off a long-range set piece near the left sideline. The cross appeared to go in off of Dorsey, who was trying to mark Juan Guevara. Crepeau got to it just after it crossed the line. Dorsey said something to Crepeau after the play, but Guevara was ultimately credited with the goal.

Orlando’s struggles throughout the game came in the attacking third, and it was magnified in the second half. One such play was a nice buildup in the 69th minute that ended up with Rhein on the left, but the youngster made a mess of his cross, sending it out of play. Two minutes later, substitute Justin Ellis headed a pass to Dorsey that he perhaps should have shot. Ellis got it to Dorsey, who didn’t make good contact and sent a weak shot for Garcia to collect.

It was a costly missed opportunity, as Leon scored the winning goal a minute later. Rhein got caught too far upfield after heading the ball forward, and Leon broke in transition down the right side in behind him. Ivan Moreno found Arcila at the top of the area and the striker found space in front of Iago and sent an inch-perfect shot inside the left post to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute.

Perelman sent Daryl Dike into the game as Orlando chased the match, and the Lions should have gone to the spot in the 84th minute. Ellis sent a fantastic ball to send Harvey Sarajian into the area on the right. Guevara caught up from behind, threw an arm across the rookie forward’s face, and bundled him over from behind, but referee Jose Camacho Espinoza incredibly saw nothing wrong with what the Leon defender did. There did not even seem to be a stoppage for video review, although media were informed that the play was checked.

“Ellis played the ball through. I’m through. I felt contact to the back, and in my opinion, I thought it was a foul,” Sarajian said. “But the referee didn’t agree. So it is what it is. I felt the contact (to the head and neck area).”

“I saw it,” Perelman said of the play. “I think the same thing as (the media).”

Leon was content to put numbers behind the ball and use the dark arts as much as possible to slow things down. The Lions won a lot of set pieces but could not pay them off. Crepeau came up to join the last few, but in the end, the Lions couldn’t find a way through the mass of Leon defenders down the stretch.

With Leon ceding possession and staying compact late, Orlando City finished with more possession (51.7%-48.3%), while also having the advantage in corners (7-5) and passing accuracy (90%-88.2%). Leon attempted far more shots (18-10) and put more on target (10-3). It was the inability to threaten goal that ultimately prevented Orlando from building on its lead or clawing back into the match.

Pasalic spoke to the referee after the game. He had been taken out in the middle of the pitch in first-half stoppage time that not only didn’t earn Leon a yellow card, but it wasn’t even deemed a foul. He came out to try to play through it in the second half, but the earlier contact forced him off before the hour mark and appeared to be one of the more egregious fouls in the match, despite the no-call.

“Suddenly, I get the hit in my knee, so my knee was getting a lump,” Pasalic said. “And I spoke with them in the halftime. I tried it to go out in the second half, but I felt that my knee is not going to help the team. It’s nothing serious, but I just want to be sure that the team has 10 players on the pitch who can play fully. I mean, I don’t want to get fined. No, just I want to speak in a respectful way about (the referee). For me, it’s unacceptable that he don’t give even the foul when I get fouled, and because of this, I was not able to play again in the second half, fully. This was not even a yellow card.”

The Lions will close out the first phase of Leagues Cup Wednesday at home against Atletico de San Luis.

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