Saturday is Halloween, which means that we’re officially in the spookiest time of the year. Things are scary for Lions fans in more ways than one at the moment, as the team is clinging to a playoff spot and has two difficult games to close the season. With how frightening the current landscape is, this seems like a good time to look back on some of Orlando’s spookiest, scariest, most scream-inducing games from recent years. Some are included on this list because of ugly scorelines, while others are more about the circumstances surrounding the matches, so bear that in mind. Also, beware the Ides of March (and November), apparently.

New York City FC 5-0, Orlando City, March 7, 2026

Where better to start than the match that cost Oscar Pareja his job? It certainly hadn’t been an ideal start to the 2026 season for the Lions, as they suffered back-to-back home losses to the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami. Still, there were the mitigating circumstances of Robin Jansson’s and Joran Gerbet’s unavailability, Griffin Dorsey attempting to adapt to new surroundings on the fly, and Pareja being forced to use a combination of Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, and David Brekalo on the back line against the Herons. While things rarely go well on the road against NYCFC, there was some hope that the team could build on some of the good things it showed against Miami. We were quickly disabused of that notion in painful fashion, as Maxime Crepeau picked up an 18th-minute red card for handling the ball outside the box and thereby denying a goal-scoring opportunity. The Pigeons scored four minutes later, and the rout was on from there.

Nashville SC 5-0 Orlando City, March 21, 2026

We next turn to another game from this season, picking things up in Martin Perelman’s second match in charge as interim head coach. His tenure got off to a decent enough start, as OCSC got its first win of the season at home against a CF Montreal side that was admittedly among the favorites to finish last in the East. Still, you can only beat who’s in front of you, and the Lions did so playing an open and chaotic but exciting style that helped build a little optimism which was then promptly shattered at Geodis Park. Nashville scored just five minutes into the game and while it was only 2-0 at halftime, the ‘Yotes scored three in the second half and Sam Surridge bagged a hat trick to bring Orlando and its fans back to Earth in resounding fashion. It was a game marked by bad goalkeeping, bad defending, bad finishing, and bad giveaways, and it was a harsh reality check after the high of getting a first win of the season.

Inter Miami 5-0 Orlando City, March 2, 2024

Orlando was having a decent enough start to its 2024 campaign, with away and home wins against Cavalry FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup sandwiching a draw on opening day. Then the Lions hit the road to play Inter Miami and looked like they never got off the plane. Luis Suarez scored twice in the first 15 minutes, the Herons were up 3-0 after 30 minutes, and a five-minute Lionel Messi brace in the second half made it 5-0. This wasn’t a game that featured some of the errors or bookings of our previous two entries. Instead, OCSC flat out got knocked into the dirt after failing to take the chances it managed to generate when the game was still close. Losing 5-0 is always bad, losing 5-0 to Miami is a particular type of horror.

New York Red Bulls 1-0 Orlando City, Nov. 30, 2024

We now fast forward from March two years ago to the game that ended the 2024 campaign. This makes the list not due to the margin of defeat, which was negligible, but because of the circumstances surrounding it. Not only were the Lions hosting an Eastern Conference final at home, but the bracket had opened up beautifully for Orlando to make a run to its first-ever MLS Cup final. Atlanta United knocked out no.1 seed Miami in the first round, the Red Bulls took out no.2 seed Columbus Crew early, and NYCFC eliminated no.3 seed FC Cincinnati to leave Orlando as the highest seed left in the East. The Lions took care of business first against Charlotte FC and then against Atlanta in a rivalry match, but couldn’t get over the hump against the Red Bulls. It was a close game with good chances at a premium, and it came down to New York taking its best opportunity through Andres Reyes, while Facundo Torres was stonewalled by Carlos Coronel on the break. It was simply an agonizing way to go out, especially considering how well things seemed to be lining up for the team to play for a trophy.

Columbus Crew 2-0 Orlando City, Nov. 25, 2023

We end with the playoff elimination from the previous year, which came in the Eastern Conference semifinals at home. This was horrifying to Orlando fans for a couple different reasons. Obviously, getting knocked out of the postseason is never fun, but it was also the team’s first loss at home since April 22 of that year and just the third loss in all competitions since the beginning of August. The Lions had powered through the back half of the season with 10 wins in their final 13 league games, including the playoffs, but simply couldn’t get much going offensively in game no. 14. Still, the match was tied as the clocked ticked past the 75th minute and I, for one, felt reasonably good about Orlando’s chances in extra time at home. Everything changed when Rodrigo Schlegel picked up a second yellow card in the 77th minute though, and OCSC was suddenly staring down the barrel of playing the last 40 minutes of the game with 10 men. The Crew broke the deadlock in the 93rd minute, bagged an insurance goal in the 118th, and stopped what had been an elite end to the season for the Lions dead in its tracks, and in their own barn no less.

Are there any Orlando City games from over the years that still haunt you to this day? Be sure to let us know down in the comments, and have a happy Halloween!

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Let’s all hope this weekend has more treats than tricks as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are in action. If you plan on celebrating Halloween this year, be sure to stay hydrated and safe while also having plenty of fun. Let’s get to the links!

Antoine Griezmann Makes MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City attacker Antoine Griezmann was the only Lion to make the MLS Team of the Matchday after the slate of midweek games. He scored a goal and added an assist in the club’s 2-2 draw on the road against the Chicago Fire as he continues to excel in the league since joining this summer. It was his 12th consecutive game with a goal contribution and he now has 14 goals and eight assists in 16 games this season. The Frenchman’s audacious strike from distance is also up for MLS Goal of the Matchday, though he faces tough competition from Kenji Mboma Dem, Kristoffer Velde, and Luis Suarez. Be sure to vote!

Orlando City’s 2027 Sprint Schedule Unveiled

MLS announced its schedule for the 2027 Sprint Season, which is formatted so that each club plays one game against each of the 14 other clubs in its conference. Orlando City revealed its slate for the shortened campaign for your convenience, and the Lions will open the season at home against the New England Revolution on Feb. 20, continuing the streak of hosting their season opener every year since joining the league in 2015. City will alternate playing at home and on the road throughout the season, with the final game coming on May 8 against Charlotte FC. The only games on Orlando’s schedule that don’t take place on a Saturday are a pair of Wednesday games at home against Toronto FC on March 3 and the Philadelphia Union on April 7. As for the postseason, eight teams will make the playoffs and compete in a single-elimination tournament to determine which team will represent the Eastern Conference in the MLS Cup final.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Decision Day

The Orlando Pride will play their final game of the season on the road Sunday against the Seattle Reign. While the Pride are already eliminated from the postseason, they can potentially spoil things for the Reign with a strong showing to close out the year. Interim head coach Yolanda Thomas spoke on how the team has embraced that role and has prepared to match the intensity it will face from the Reign. It’s been a rough year for the Pride, so hopefully they can end things on a high note.

U.S. Beats Spain to Advance in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 2-1 against Spain in the FIFA U-17 World Cup to advance to the quarterfinals. Deus Stanislaus got the scoring started with a goal right before halftime and Maddie DiMaria doubled the U.S. lead in the 48th minute. Spain rallied back with a goal from Vera Molina, but the U.S. was able to hold on for the win. The U.S. will play Korea DPR in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win against Charlotte FC on Saturday. It can also qualify with a win or draw depending on how the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, and New York City FC fare this weekend.
• Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt tore her ACL and was placed on the season-ending injury list. She made 31 appearances for the club across all competitions this year, helping the Spirit reach third in the NWSL standings.
• Nashville SC goalkeeper Joe Willis announced that he will retire at the end of the season. He’s been with Nashville since the club’s inaugural season in 2020.
• A high school soccer referee was body-checked by a player during a game in Ohio, sustaining broken ribs and a collapsed lung. It’s a pretty shocking video and there’s absolutely no place for it in soccer.
• CAF announced that the Africa Cup of Nations will go back to taking place every two years rather than every four years.
• Jack Grealish wasn’t available for Everton’s English League Cup game due to a breach of club discipline. Everton beat Newcastle 3-1 regardless and will face fourth-division club Fleetwood Town in the quarterfinals.

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

Orlando City blew yet another lead on Wednesday, allowing two second-half goals and dropping two points because of it, in what ended as a deuces are wild 2-2 draw in Chicago. Despite playing on the road on short rest, and having another road game on Saturday, the Lions did not sub until there were only 15 minutes remaining in the game, and they were probably lucky to leave Chicago with even a point after how the Fire dominated the second half.

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, 7 — Once again Crépeau was outstanding, as it took a stellar performance from the netminder to hold Chicago to only two goals. The Canadian made four saves, including a world-class diving save in the first half to deny a rocket from Anton Salétros that was headed for the upper corner. That save was only slightly better than the stop he made against Robert Lewandowski five minutes into the game, getting down to his right on a header from close range, but that save was erased from the record book due to an offside call. Crépeau also got down to deny a tap-in from Philip Zinckernagel, in what was a stressful game as the Fire had nearly 20% more possession and outshot Orlando 21-9. It is hard to fault Crépeau on either of Chicago’s goals, as both were from close range after poor marking by the defense, and if not for a certain teammate tallying yet another two goal contributions, the Canadian would have been my Man of the Match.

D, Vinícius Nogueira, 5.5 — Nogueira made it back-to-back games with an assist, as he played an incisive pass to Antoine Griezmann to set up Orlando City’s second goal. Aside from that pass, however, the Brazilian struggled, as he completed only 63.9% of his passes and lost possession of the ball 18 times, including several when he was not even under much pressure. Nogueira also allowed a little too much time for Leonardo Barroso to set up and play a cross into the box on Chicago’s first goal, and Barroso took advantage of the lack of pressure to play a perfect ball to the back post and get the Fire on the scoreboard. On the whole, Nogueira was engaged defensively, recording three tackles and three interceptions, but he will rue not closing Barroso down more quickly.

D, Iago, 6 — At halftime the announcers calling the game on AppleTV said Iago was the impact player of the first half, but while he was much better against Chicago than he was against New York City FC, he still had a lot of moments when he looked indecisive with the ball. He completed 94.1% of his passes, so eventually most of them got to a teammate, but he is still not playing as fluidly with the ball at his feet as a center back should and hit a few passes that were not even close to anyone wearing the Sunken Treasure kit. Speaking of gold, where the big man shined on Wednesday was with using his body to help get the Lions out of danger. Iago ended up with 11 defensive contributions, seven from clearances and four from blocked shots — the same number of blocks as the combination of all of the other players in the game. The Brazilian still has work to do to improve, but he was not at fault for either goal, and in fact came just inches away from heading the ball clear on the second goal, and he took a small step forward against Chicago.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo was the better of the two center backs on Wednesday, but his partnership with Iago still needs work, as that pairing in the middle of the defense did not inspire confidence throughout the game. The Slovenian read the game well, making one tackle, one block, and a game-high eight clearances, and helped prevent Lewandowski from putting any of his six shots on target. Brekalo actually bested the Polish international in that department, as he got forward and put one shot on target himself, but his header was right at Chris Brady and did not trouble the Chicago goalkeeper. He completed 94.7% of his passes, primarily short passes in his own half, but after committing a few fouls that came close to earning a yellow card, he finally picked one up in the final 15 minutes, and will be suspended for Saturday’s game against Charlotte.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 6.5 — It was a gritty performance by the Homegrown defender. Both of Chicago’s goals came on crosses to his back post, but Taifi was not responsible for either. The young fullback put together one of his better games this season, tying Iago for the lead in defensive contributions with 11 (four tackles, three interceptions, and four clearances). Chicago’s first-half strategy was to attack down his side (48% of the team’s attacks were at Orlando’s defensive right side), but Taifi did well to help douse the Fire and keep them off the scoreboard. Chicago switched to focusing on attacking down the opposite side in the second half. He did not get forward as often as he had in prior games and completed only 19 passes (86.4% completion rate), with most of them in his own half and sideways or backwards. One of those sideways passes helped start the possession that turned into the second goal, however, as Taifi won the ball from a scrum on the sideline and got the ball over to Braian Ojeda, and several passes and a Griezmann laser later, the Lions were ahead 2-0. On the whole, it was a solid all-around game from the right back, as he was one of the better players on the night for Orlando City.

MF, Iván Angulo, 7.5 — Well, what do you know? Playing a winger at winger instead of at right back is a good idea! Angulo turned in another strong effort, scoring the opening goal by taking a pass from Griezmann and holding off Barroso as he sped down the left side and finished well into the opposite corner with his left foot. Angulo was active defensively, leading the Lions with five tackles and six loose-ball recoveries, though he also was dribbled past a game-high five times. The Colombian completed 88.5% of his passes and kept his trademark pace up until the final whistle, but frustratingly was just a half-step away from winning the loose ball that turned into Chicago’s second goal. While he deputized well at right back in prior games, Angulo clearly looked more at home and delivered more to the team back out on the left wing, in what was another solid performance.

MF, Luis Otávio, 7 — The Brazilian returned from his yellow card suspension and went the full 90 minutes, delivering a strong performance for the Lions in his defensive midfielder role. Otávio made six defensive contributions — one tackle, one interception, and four clearances — but his biggest contributions were the two secondary assists he picked up, as he played the pass to Griezmann to set up Angulo’s goal and the pass to Nogueira that set up Griezmann’s goal. On the evening, he completed 86.5% of his passes, and looked completely comfortable on both sides of the ball for the Lions.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6 — Martín Perelman put Ojeda under a lot of pressure, playing him nearly the entire game, even though the Paraguayan is still working his way back from a long-term injury and there were two replacement options on the bench. Ojeda gave his all, but he looked leggy in the second half and probably should have come off somewhere around the 60-minute mark. That would have been too late to prevent Chicago’s first goal, which came when he lost track of Jonathan Bamba and allowed him a free header at the back post, but it possibly could have helped after that, when Orlando City struggled to hold possession and create much of anything going forward. Ojeda led the team in pass completions, connecting on 38 passes at a 95% success rate, and added three tackles, two interceptions, and a block, but he was asked to do too much for a player still building his fitness level, though he gave everything he had all the way until he was finally subbed out in the final minute of stoppage time.

MF, Justin Ellis, 6 — After a muted performance against New York City on Saturday, the young midfielder looked much more lively against Chicago. He attacked off the dribble and passed well, completing 89.7% of his passes, including two key passes. He broke out some of his fancy passes as well, but it was another kick that was almost more memorable, as Ellis was lucky to stay on the field after kicking out at Jack Elliott after a foul. Thankfully, he did not kick with much force and only received a yellow card. As the second half wore on, he looked tired, but no subs came on, and it bit the Lions as Ellis did not track all the way back on the Fire’s second goal and was watching from outside the 18 when the ball came across to the back post to an unmarked Maren Haile-Selassie, who then scored the equalizer. Like many of his teammates, Ellis probably should have played about 10-15 minutes fewer than he was asked to play, and we will see what he has left in the tank for the Charlotte game on Saturday.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 8 (MotM) — Griezmann made it five straight games with a goal and 10 goals in his last 10 games with an absolute peach of a shot in the first half, curling a ball past Brady and into the upper corner from about 25 yards out. That goal doubled the lead, a lead that the Lions held because of Griezmann’s assist to Angulo a little more than 20 minutes earlier, when the French playmaker played a perfectly weighted ball ahead for the speedy winger to run onto, and Angulo did the rest to open the scoring. Unlike many of his teammates, Griezmann did not look visibly tired as the game wore on, and he continued to make plays into the second half. The French attacker added five defensive contributions — four tackles and one clearance — and also made five loose-ball recoveries. He completed 82.9% of his passes, including two key passes, and clearly won the superstar battle between himself and Lewandowski, as he was the best player on the field and my Man of the Match for the Lions.

F, Martín Ojeda, 6 — The Argentinean attacker did not play a major role on Wednesday, as he never really got involved in the game and did not offer much to the Lions attack or defense. Ojeda is usually one of the better attackers in the league at getting back and defending, but he made zero defensive contributions in his 83 minutes against Chicago. On the offensive side, he completed 86.4% of his passes with one key pass, but he only took two shots, putting one on target but that shot was not very threatening on a low set-piece effort.

Substitutes

F, Daryl Dike (76′), 5.5 — The Oklahoma native was the first sub off the bench for the Lions, coming in for Ellis to try to find a late winner. Orlando City could not muster much offense during his time on the field, however, so Dike’s main contributions were in his holdup play, as he drew three fouls during his short stint. Dike had one opportunity to score but mis-hit the shot with his left foot, but the flag went up for an offside earlier in the play and it would not have counted even had he scored. He made one clearance on defense and completed one of his two passes, but he was a bystander for most of his shift as Chicago dominated the ball during the second half.

MF, Marco Pašalić (83′), N/A — Pašalić came on for fellow Designated Player Martín Ojeda, and got himself involved quickly, though nothing came of it. He was a step slow from being able to run onto a pass from Angulo that might have put him in on goal, and a few minutes later he was able to get a shot off but hit it well over the bar. Perelman probably should have brought him on earlier, especially with Ojeda struggling to make an impact and with everyone on short rest, but the Croatian was as active as he could be with the limited minutes he was given.

D, Adrián Marín (83′), N/A — Marín came on at the same time as Pašalić, as the two Europeans replaced two South Americans as the Spaniard replaced Nogueira at left back. In his limited minutes, he made two interceptions and added one clearance defensively, and completed two of his three pass attempts.

MF, Wilder Cartagena (90+2′), N/A — Cartagena came on for the final minute, replacing Braian Ojeda during a corner kick, and the Peruvian midfielder did not have the opportunity to contribute in such a short stint on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw on the road in Chicago. 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.