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Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Final Score 3-3 as Lions Blow Late 2-0 Lead Then Equalize

Orlando choked away a 2-0 lead in a span of four minutes in the second half, falling behind, but Tyrese Spicer rescued a road point in stoppage time.

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1 month ago

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Image of Justin Ellis dribbling the ball upfield against Minnesota.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looked like it would win two straight, leading Minnesota United 2-0 deep into the second half at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN. But the OCSC defense cracked and then shattered in an awful four-minute span to concede three straight goals, going from 2-0 up to 3-2 down seemingly in the blink of an eye. Tyrese Spicer’s stoppage-time strike salvaged a point on the road that should have been three.

Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on the first two shots of the game for Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points), but a defensive meltdown allowed the Loons (7-7-8, 29 points) to pull a goal back. Set piece defending that was rough all night gave Minnesota a second, and Robin Jansson’s pass to the wrong team in his own half set up the counterattack that came within minutes of winning Minnesota the game. Marcus Caldeira, Anthony Markanich, and Kelvin Yeboah all scored in a nightmarish four minutes that looked like would hand the Loons their first home victory in months.

But Griezmann’s ball over the top sent Spicer in alone on goal and the supersub did his thing, squaring the game at 3-3.

“Probably 60 minutes, pretty good,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We came here, we were winning 2-0, and it’s disappointing to be losing 3-2. It’s a mistake we commit, and then the guys did a huge effort. We never stopped fighting, even though we made those mistakes. And we were able to come back to tie. Weird sensation, because we were really close to a win, but as well a point on the road is always a point. Weird sensations.”

Perelman’s starting squad featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Joran Gerbet joined Eduard Atuesta in central midfield between Ivan Angulo and Griezmann with Justin Ellis and Dike leading the attack.

The hosts came out with the better early chances. Caldeira beat Jansson early down the right channel but his tough-angle shot was off target in the second minute. A few moments later, Crepeau was indecisive on a routine back pass as Yeboah closed. Crepeau’s clearance attempt hit Yeboah and deflected just wide of the left post.

Orlando’s first good buildup came in the 16th minute when Griezmann turned down a shot outside the box to pass off to Ellis on his right and continue his run. Ellis tried a chip pass over the top but overcooked it and Drake Callender intervened for Minnesota.

Anthony Markanich fired right at Crepeau in the 19th minute as the Loons settled into the Orlando half. Crepeau then had to make a pair of huge saves in the 21st minute. Markanich had the ball on the left and faked a move toward the end line to make Dorsey commit. He then cut back to his right and sent a curling shot toward the right post that looked like it would find the back of the net, but Crepeau stopped it at full stretch, knocking it out to Minnesota’s attacking right. A second shot came in from Caldeira and Crepeau recovered to make another stop.

Kyle Duncan got over Brekalo on the corner kick but sent his shot off target.

Ellis made a fantastic move to slip a ball past his defender and ran onto it, sending Dorsey up the right flank in the 23rd minute. Dorsey had two runners, but he sent his low cross right at a defender.

Dorsey did better with his cross a few minutes later and it led to the opening goal. The fullback got down the right flank after Griezmann and Atuesta kept a play alive in the attacking third and sent a well-timed ball in front at the near post for Dike, who arrived at the same time as Callender and Minnesota defender Michael Boxall. The two Minnesota players went down, with Dike staying on his feet, locating the loose ball first, and smashing a tight-angle shot into the net from the right to make it 1-0 in the 29th minute. It was Orlando City’s first shot of the match and Dike’s first MLS goal since rejoining the Lions after the World Cup break.

“It was a good ball across, and and I attacked it, and then luckily the ball fell back down to me, and I was able to get shot off,” Dike said. “It’s a good feeling to score, of course, and to get us started in the match.”

Following the goal, Callender was shaken up but was able to continue.

Minnesota got back to winning set pieces as the first half wound down, with a Yeboah header sent wide off a corner kick cross in the 34th minute. Four minutes later, a scramble in the box required a sprawling intervention by Crepeau that hit off of Dorsey. Minnesota players wanted a handball, but there was none given on the play or from the video assistant referee.

Crepeau made another huge stop in the 41st minute with a kick save to deny Joaquin Pereyra’s shot from the left side of the attack. The Lions withstood a couple of late long throw-ins and took their slim advantage into halftime.

At the break, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (51.2%-48.8%), but the Loons led in shots (10-1), shots on target (4-1), corners (2-0), and passing accuracy (83.5%-83.4%). Despite creating only one real chance, the Lions led at halftime through Dike’s strike.

Alec Smir replaced Callender at the break, as the Loons’ goalkeeper apparently couldn’t continue. He was rarely needed, however, as Minnesota dominated territorially throughout the second half and scored three times, although Orlando was able to also hit twice in transition.

Yeboah missed the target from close range to start Minnesota’s territorial dominance after the break, and Crepeau did well moments later to save a shot from Pereyra. The Canadian stopped Duncan’s shot in the 51st minute, but the flag was up for offside anyway. The goalkeeper then kept a ricochet out of his net on a set piece that took a deflection in front.

Crepeau lost the ball off his foot near the top of the area in the 59th minute but was fortunate that a teammate was first to it. However, Atuesta turned the ball over anyway just a few yards further up the pitch. The turnover led to a header Caldeira sent weakly on target but it was no trouble for Orlando’s goalkeeper.

Harvey Sarajian and Luis Otavio subbed on for Dike and Gerbet during the stoppage in play.

After the game restarted, Brekalo drew the ire of the Loons and the fans with a light push to Markanich’s back. The Minnesota attacker went down easily and Allen Chapman saw nothing in it to either award a penalty or book Markanich for diving.

Orlando hadn’t managed a shot in the second half until it scored the second goal. Sarajian worked hard to take the ball from Boxall in Orlando’s half and that allowed the Lions to break 3-on-2 as Boxall stayed down looking for a foul call that never came.

Griezmann picked up the loose ball on the left and sent it to Ellis, who took the ball up the middle of the pitch. With Sarajian occupying the defense between the two, Ellis patiently waited for Griezmann’s run and slipped a neat pass through the back line. The French attacker calmly passed the ball into the net behind Smir to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute.

Seven minutes after Griezmann’s goal solidified Orlando’s lead, the walls caved in. Orlando City’s defense somehow got pulled out of shape to its right, with Taifi double-teaming a man with Jansson, allowing an easy diagonal switch to Duncan on the right with no one on him. Duncan had lots of room as Taifi tried to recover, picking out Yeboah in front, and the striker flicked it in front for Caldeira — who got behind Brekalo — to deflect home, making it 2-1 in the 71st minute.

Spicer came on for Ellis during the Loons’ celebration, but things continued going south. Markanich went up to beat a late-arriving Brekalo and headed in the second goal off Pereyra’s corner kick cross in the 74th minute, and the game was level at 2-2.

As if things weren’t already bad enough, Orlando gifted the Loons a third goal a minute later. The defense looked to break out and Jansson sent a pass inexplicably right at Pereyra in his own half. Pereyra, who quickly gave it to Mauricio Gonzalez. Jansson was caught flat-footed as Yeboah ran past him and Duncan got behind Angulo to pick up the diagonal ball. Crepeau did well to come off his line to stuff Duncan’s shot, but it fell behind Yeboah, who made an acrobatic bicycle kick to put his team up 3-2 in the 75th minute.

“It’s hard to explain. I don’t have an answer,” Perelman said when asked about the four-minutes that turned the game around. “I don’t know, honestly, exactly what happened. We had the game — I wouldn’t say under control. I think we were doing a good game. I truly believe we were able to control the game by moments. Of course, they are at home. They push. They played us well…I need to review the game.”

Now chasing the game, Perelman put Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda on in the 81st minute, replacing Taifi and Atuesta.

However, Minnesota nearly added a fourth in the 86th minute. Markanich went up and cleanly won another set piece header, but his shot hit Boxall in front, keeping it a one-goal game.

Orlando pushed for a late equalizer, with Ojeda firing right at Smir in the 87th minute and Pasalic sending a shot wide off a deflection in the first minute of stoppage time. Pasalic then had to commit a tactical foul as Minnesota looked to counterattack off the Orlando set piece.

Two minutes later, a moment of magic from Griezmann and Spicer leveled the match for the Lions. Griezmann took a pass from Angulo in his own half and as he approached midfield, he sent a beautiful, curling long ball just over Duncan’s head for Spicer down the left channel. Spicer got behind Duncan and although Jefferson Diaz tried to angle him off, the Trinidad & Tobago international sent a hard shot into top corner on the near side to make it 3-3 in the third added minute.

The Lions withstood a late corner from the Loons and escaped with a draw that probably felt like a loss before it felt like a win.

At full time, the Lions held the advantage in possession (50.8%-49.2%) and passing accuracy (84.5%-82.8%). Minnesota finished with more shots (20-6), shots on target (8-5), and corners (8-1).

“Frustrating match,” Dike said. “I think the boys, we worked really hard from minute one. I mean, it’s never easy to go anywhere away. We put ourselves in a good position and unfortunately, collectively, we made a few mistakes that they capitalized on. Frustrating. I think, at the beginning (of the game), you take a point, but knowing how the game played out and the quality and the standard that we have on ourselves, it’s a frustrating one.”

The Lions will be back home a week from tonight, hosting San Diego FC.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/5/26

Pride fall to San Diego Wave, Tyrese Spicer has successful foot surgery, USMNT beats Mexico, and more.

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12 hours ago

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October 5, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon wearing a protective mask on her face playing against San Diego.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work covering high school soccer and flag football throughout the week. We only had the Pride in action over the weekend, but we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to San Diego Wave at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave on Friday at Inter.co Stadium in the latest in a series of games that they had to have. Orlando trailed 2-0 in the first half, conceding twice on defensive errors. In the second half, Barbra Banda pulled the Pride within one after she buried a penalty kick that she won herself. However, it wasn’t enough, as Orlando couldn’t find a late equalizer and San Diego took all three points. The Pride are off this weekend due to the international break but will return to action on Oct. 18 to face the Houston Dash on the road.

Tyrese Spicer Has Successful Foot Surgery

Orlando City forward Tyrese Spicer underwent successful foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, the club announced on Friday. Spicer had suffered the injury while away on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago in a Concacaf Nations League match against Haiti on Sept. 24. We at The Mane Land wish Spicer a speedy recovery, but his 2026 MLS season is likely over.

USMNT Shuts Out Mexico in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 3-0 on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis came off the bench to make his second USMNT appearance in the second half, playing 25 minutes. Former Lion Alex Freeman started and played 90 minutes. Julian Hall scored the opener in the first half for the Yanks. In the second half, Cavan Sullivan doubled the Americans’ lead to become the USMNT’s youngest scorer in team history just four days after Mathis Albert set that mark with his goal against Chile on Tuesday. Malik Tillman added the final goal as the Yanks have won three consecutive matches during the international break. The USMNT will close out this round of friendlies on Tuesday, taking on Canada at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN.

Other Lions on International Duty

Multiple Orlando City players represented their national teams over the weekend during the international break. Forward Marco Pasalic was on the bench but did not play for Croatia in a 7-0 defeat to England in a UEFA Nations League match on Saturday. Croatia will face Spain on Tuesday. Lions defender David Brekalo was on the bench but came on after halftime and played 45 minutes for Slovenia in a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. Slovenia will take on Scotland on Tuesday. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena started and played 45 minutes for Peru, while former Lion Yoshimar Yotun was also in action in a 2-0 loss to Canada in a friendly. Peru will play Colombia on Tuesday in another friendly match.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, notched another assist over the weekend in a 3-1 win against Brooklyn FC in the USL Championship.
  • Check out this piece on the Orlando City website featuring Head of Player Care Pedro Cox and Team Administrator Danny Quesada, who help welcome new players and their families, get acquainted with the club, ensure their needs are met, and thrive off the field.
  • The Lions were at Osceola Heritage Park on Saturday and spent time with the Orlando City U-12 squad during training.

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

Flashback Friday: Oct. 2, 2021 vs. D.C. United

Take a trip down memory lane and relive a game that took place five years ago today.

Published

3 days ago

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October 2, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Having suffered three losses in a row in all competitions, Orlando City’s recent results haven’t exactly made for pretty viewing. Fortunately for us, the Lions don’t return to action until Oct. 10, meaning that we have a brief reprieve from the torment that has been visited upon us for the last 270 minutes. Even more fortunately, we have the ability to reminisce on much happier footballing times in the City Beautiful, and all we have to do is hop into our time machine and rewind to four years ago.

The day was Oct. 2, 2021, and with the Lions sitting seventh in a jam-packed Eastern Conference, the men in purple badly needed points in order to keep pace in the race for the playoffs. The good guys were in the midst of a five-game winless streak, and the season was starting to get dangerously close to going off the rails. Enter D.C. United, a team that Orlando had already beaten earlier in the year but was in the thick of the fight for a postseason place right alongside the Lions.

Oscar Pareja ran out a lineup that featured Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan; Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso in defensive midfield; Nani, Mauricio Pereyra, and Benji Michel ahead of them; and Daryl Dike leading the line.

Things did not get off to a good start for Orlando. D.C. won the ball in OCSC’s half and got it forward quickly to Julian Gressel in the half-space on the right. He took a shot from distance that Gallese might not have been expecting, and it flew past the Peruvian to open the scoring after just six minutes had been played.

Orlando responded well, with Nani having a shot blocked and Dike putting a decent look over the bar in the 14th minute. Ruan nearly forced an own goal just a couple minutes later, but the corner kick that was awarded when a deflected ball skittered just wide of D.C.’s post proved to be the Lions’ salvation. Pereyra put a high, looping ball into the area that Urso headed toward goal, and Bill Hamid did well to get down and keep the ball out. The rebound was a juicy one though, and Jansson was well placed to pounce and thwack the ball high into the net to level the score with 17 minutes gone.

The rest of the first half was a mostly quiet affair, aside from the 35th minute, when OCSC probably should have gone ahead. Nani played a great ball that put Michel through on the left side of the box, but he curled his shot just wide of the far post after cutting back onto his right foot. The Lions dominated every statistical category but the scoreline at the break, with edges in possession (64.7%-35.3%), shots (7-4), shots on goal (2-1), and passing accuracy (87.1%-76.7%).

Emmanuel Mas came on for Moutinho at the half, and it’s possible that the switch unsettled Orlando slightly, because the team was on the back foot to start the second half thanks to a combination of some bad giveaways and difficulty dealing with the high tempo that D.C. brought out of the break. Paul Arriola put a shot just over the bar three minutes after the restart, and there were some hairy moments after that which forced Urso into a goal-line clearance to keep the game level.

The game evened out after the shaky start to the second half, but both teams found dangerous chances difficult to come by until the late stages. D.C. made a goal-line clearance of its own in the 88th minute. Silvester van der Water and Dike combined, and while Dike couldn’t get a shot off, he did find Tesho Akindele, only for Hamid to save the Canadian’s effort, which was cleared before van der Water could pounce and put it home.

Ultimately though, OCSC got the late goal it was looking for. The Lions won a corner in front of The Wall deep in stoppage time, and Chris Mueller whipped in a dangerous ball for Dike, who made a run across the near post. The big striker flicked his head at it, and the ball nestled into the side netting at the far post with Hamid helpless. Cue the bedlam in the purple palace.

That proved to be the last action of the game, as the Lions ran out 2-1 winners to put an end to the winless streak and pick up a valuable three points. Similar to halftime, Orlando finished the game with more shots (12-11), shots on target (4-2), corners (9-5), possession (64.8%-35.2%), and passing accuracy (86%-75.3%). Marcus Mitchell was on hand for Player Grades, and he gave the Man of the Match honors to Jansson with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high performers included fellow center back Carlos, who also graded as a 7.5 out of 10, while Mendez and Dike both received a 7 out of 10.

The three points proved to be valuable ones, as the Lions shot from seventh all the way up to third in the Eastern Conference, although they would ultimately finish sixth and exit the playoffs in the first round after a road loss against Nashville SC.

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Lion Links: 10/2/26

Orlando Pride host the Wave, Orlando City’s kit room carousel, analyzing Mexico ahead of U.S. match, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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October 2, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Sports are in full swing this time of year and we have plenty of soccer to look forward to over the next few days. Apart from working and enjoying the upcoming games, I plan on heading to the movie theater to check out the Primetime movie, as I’ve heard nothing but great things. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take on San Diego Tonight

The Orlando Pride host the San Diego Wave tonight in a crucial home game as the season winds down. While the Pride are fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the Wave will aim to close the gap with Gotham FC in the NWSL Shield race. Orlando enters this match on a short turnaround after traveling back from its 3-1 win against Bay FC on Sunday on the other side of the country. Interim head coach Yolanda Thomas spoke on the team’s preparations to deal with San Diego’s pressure and energy ahead of tonight’s home game.

Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Heads to England

Charles Raycroft is leaving Orlando City as its director of equipment operations after 11 years with the club to become Liverpool’s Head of Kit Operations. He’s been with Orlando since 2016 and the club sent him off in style with a jersey and plenty of thanks for his time in the City Beautiful. With Raycroft heading across the pond, Chafik Tounzit was promoted to become the club’s new director of equipment operations. We wish both the best of luck in their new roles!

Analyzing Mexico Ahead of USMNT Match

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Mexico on Saturday in the first match between the two rivals since the World Cup. It will also be the first time Rafael Marquez will take on the U.S. as Mexico’s head coach rather than as a player. Many eyes will be on 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, who has already scored once this window, but Luis Romo and Erik Lira are other players the Yanks will need to keep from creating too many chances. MLS players Chucky Lozano and Germán Berterame are attacking options at Mexico’s disposal as well.

Naomi Girma Will Miss U.S. Friendlies

Center back Naomi Girma will be unavailable for the United States Women’s National Team’s matches against Spain this month after sustaining a muscle injury with Chelsea. The injury bug continues to bite Girma, who has yet to play for Chelsea this season. Hopefully she’ll be able to get back to full fitness before the USWNT’s match against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals on Nov. 27. Girma’s replacement on the current roster will be named at a later time, so we’ll see if this opens the door for former Pride defender Emily Sams to join the team after not being initially called up.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride moved up a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings after winning 3-1 against Bay FC.
  • American defender Jordyn Bugg signed a new contract with the Seattle Reign that will last through the 2030 season.
  • Ashley Sanchez was named NWSL Player of the Month for the second month in a row after scoring five goals in four games for the North Carolina Courage in September. She now has 20 goals this season, tying the league record.
  • Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League without Cristiano Ronaldo and Head Coach Jorge Jesus spoke on how one player is not bigger than the national team.
  • We’ll end today’s links with an incredible goal from Detroit City’s Kobe Hernandez-Foster deep in his own half. While it was scored on an empty net, it’s no small feat to get that much accuracy and power on a shot from that far out.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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