After dropping two points at the death Saturday against New York City FC, Orlando City entered Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field needing a win and a Dallas win over Columbus to clinch a seventh consecutive playoff berth. For a while, it seemed that the Lions would take care of their part of that scenario, but despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead against the run of play, Orlando City (12-13-7, 43 points) conceded twice in the second half to finish in a 2-2 draw on the road against the Chicago Fire (15-10-7, 52 points).

Ivan Angulo and Antoine Griezmann provided a couple of moments of magic to lead the Lions to a 2-0 halftime advantage. But Jonathan Bamba and Maren Haile-Selasse struck back for a Chicago team that had plenty of opportunities to take even more from the game than a single point.

“It was a first half where the guys performed and did a complete job,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “In the second half, we are facing a really good team. I think we did fine. We couldn’t do as well as we want. We competed – it’s a point and we’re not happy.”

This has been a common statement the last couple of weeks as Orlando has given up the lead three times in four games, conceding the tying goal at Toronto in the 90th minute on Oct. 14, in the 10th minute of stoppage time Saturday vs. New York City FC, and tonight in the 69th minute, as the Lions have dropped six points from a winning position in the last four matches.

Perelman made three changes for this game from the team that started on Saturday at home. Maxime Crepeau continued his hot second half of the season in goal behind a back line of Vinicius Nogueira, David Brekalo, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Luis Otavio and Braian Ojeda started in the central midfield (with Eduard Atuesta out with a suspension for yellow card accumulation) with Angulo and Justin Ellis filling the outside channels as the wingers. Martin Ojeda and Griezmann started up top.

The game started with a ton of pressure from Chicago. Three opportunities in the first 60 seconds was a worrying way to start, and Orlando never really got anything put together on the offensive end until Griezmann turned Angulo loose down the left side in the sixth minute. Angulo pushed his way into the box, held off Leonardo Barroso, and slotted the opening goal inside the far post.

Iván Angulo puts Orlando up in a flash ⚡

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/z0t3Ul4cpA pic.twitter.com/ds5rHR1rsO

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 29, 2026

Chicago continued the onslaught of possession for the next five minutes until Griezmann took the ball into the box but couldn’t get anything on his first-time shot after trying to gather in a pass that was a bit behind him. That provided no relief to Orlando, and at the 15-minute mark, Anton Saletros, given too much space outside the area, ripped a shot on goal that a fully outstretched Crepeau was able to parry away with a big diving save. It was the Fire’s first real threat, even with all their pressure.

MAX GETS A GLOVE TO IT 🧤 pic.twitter.com/uB7BKwTEMI

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) October 29, 2026

Robert Lewandowski volleyed a cross off the far post in the 18^th minute as the Lions could find no way to maintain possession and get themselves some rest. Brekalo lunged in for a tackle on Lewandowski in the 20^th minute and gave away a free kick from 25 yards away but Philip Zinckernagel fired it over the crossbar.

The only threat Orlando showed was on counters and, in the 24^th minute, Otavio broke down the left side and tried to cross it in to Martin Ojeda, but it was deflected out for a corner. Five minutes later, Sergio Oregel Jr. hacked down Griezmann outside the box and picked up a yellow card. Martin Ojeda fired the ensuing free kick through the wall but right at goalkeeper Chris Brady and he didn’t allow a rebound.

In the 33^rd minute, Barroso crossed it to Saletros in the center of the box but his header went over the crossbar. On the ensuing possession by the Lions, Griezmann waited for the back line to drop and put him back onside, took a Nogueira pass at the 35-minute mark, touched the ball left to use the defender as a screen, and fired a 25-yarder to the top left corner that Brady had no shot to get to. Orlando could not possess the ball all game but seemed to find gaps on counters, and Griezmann scored in his fifth straight game to go with his earlier assist.

Stop that right now, Griezmann 😱

Orlando up 2-0! pic.twitter.com/GnnV9g9n1f

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 29, 2026

Things almost went sideways for Orlando as the first half wrapped to a close. Jack Elliott fouled Justin Ellis hard at the 45-minute mark, and picked up a yellow card for it, but Ellis responded with a kick out at Elliott. It was soft, but the video assistant referee called referee Marcos de Oliveira over to the monitor to review it, and he chose to issue Ellis a yellow card. Issuing a red card would’ve been harsh but justified.

Chicago owned the first half stats, leading in possession (58%-42%), shots (12-6), passing accuracy (91%-87%), and corners (2-1). Orlando led in shots on target (4-3) and obviously the most important stat, holding a 2-0 lead.

At the half, Bamba came on for Oregel. Chicago continued its bad behavior of not sharing the ball to start the second half. When the Lions finally got the ball, Martin Ojeda was turned loose down the middle by Angulo in the 51^st minute, but he couldn’t gather the ball at a good angle and ended up taking a tight-angled shot that missed the target. Bamba fired one over the crossbar on a pass from Anzor Mekvabishvili on the ensuing possession.

All Orlando could do over the next few minutes was clear the ball out of the defensive areas, either for corners or throw-ins. Finally, the wall broke under the pressure, and in the 57^th minute Barroso chased down a wide clearance and crossed it to Bamba, who headed it past Crepeau.

Jonathan Bamba slices the lead in half! 👊

Game on in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/N94sNzMzh7

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 29, 2026

Brekalo failed to run out a wayward pass by Iago in the 62^nd minute, which luckily turned into nothing but was emblematic of Orlando’s inability to secure and retain the ball. Martin Ojeda ran offside on a through ball on the possession after that, and that was Orlando’s only real threat in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Lewandowski was slipped in by Saletros in the 66^th minute, but he fired it wide right as his scoreless streak continued.

The ongoing field tilt eventually broke again in the 69^th minute as Haile-Selassie fired one past Crepeau once Bamba laid it off for him at the back post.

Chicago ties it! 🤝

Maren Haile-Selassie brings things level. pic.twitter.com/Nf3QPPGUqp

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 29, 2026

That second Chicago goal was the 74th conceded by Orlando in 2026, tying the club’s single-season record for most goals conceded set back in 2018. There are two matches remaining and both against teams in the top five of the Eastern Conference.

Chicago continued to own the ball and Brekalo, who had been flirting with a card all night, picked one up in the 76^th minute for shouldering Lewandowski in the chest to the ground to prevent a dangerous counter. Orlando City then subbed in Daryl Dike for Ellis as the first sub of the game — well after the state of the game had changed, and quite late for a team that had played just three days earlier.

At the 80-minute mark, Haile-Selassie shook off emergency defending from Dike on the wing and centered the ball to Philip Zinckernagel. He fired a shot at the back post but didn’t get enough bend on it and it went wide.

Perelman finally brought on more fresh legs in the 82^nd minute by subbing in Adrian Marin for Nogueira and Marco Pasalic for Martin Ojeda. Chicago also swapped two out, putting Jonathan Dean in for Barroso and Noah Allen in for Andrew Gutman.

Dike’s presence as a true target forward allowed Orlando to hold up play once or twice and relieve pressure. It didn’t change the overall tenor, but it did provide minimal relief as it provided an outlet the team hadn’t had.

Bamba continued to try to take over the game and rifled one from outside the box in the 89^th minute but it was blocked. The block led to a counter by Orlando City but Pasalic’s shot was wasted high and right.

As the teams were lining up for a corner in the third minute of added time, Perelman broke convention and subbed in Wilder Cartagena for Braian Ojeda to bring in height. In the recycling action after the corner, Puso Dithejane beat Marin down the right side and crossed a ball to Bamba at the spot. Bamba scuffed it softly right to Crepeau as the last threatening action of the game.

The stats told the same story at the end of the game that they did at halftime. Chicago led in possession (59%-41%), shots (21-9), passing accuracy (90%-84%), and corners (8-3), while shots on target were tied (6-6).

“We started strong but unfortunately had a bad second half and conceded two goals because we dropped our level,” Otavio said.

“I think this group of players has been fighting a lot. Now we’re at the end, fighting to secure that (playoff) spot,” Perelman said. “I think it’s important to remind (everyone) where we come from, how did we start the season, and where we are now. The entire club gave effort during the season to earn every point we have and we’ll do the same thing to finish the season.”

With the draw, Orlando remains in seventh, tied with Cincinnati in eighth on points, but holding a slight edge in the wins tiebreaker.

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The Lions complete their two-game road trip in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon.

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (12-13-6, 42 points) and the Chicago Fire (15-10-6, 51 points) at Soldier Field (8:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the second of the two meetings this season between the two Eastern Conference clubs.

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

History

The Lions are 8-7-8 in 23 MLS regular-season meetings with the Fire and 8-9-8 in all competitions. Orlando City is 3-3-5 against the Fire on the road in the regular season and 3-5-5 away vs. Chicago in all competitions. The Lions are 0-3-1 in the last four meetings in all competitions.

The teams last met on Aug. 19 with the Fire winning 2-1 in Orlando. Severe weather delayed the start for about 90 minutes, and when things got going, Puso Dithejane put the visitors on top inside the first five minutes. A David Bekalo goal tied things up early in the second half, but Robin Jansson’s silly challenge in the box gave Robert Lewandowski the chance Chicago needed to put his team ahead from the spot, which he did.

These teams met in the wild card matchup to start the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs last season. The Fire ended Orlando’s season with a 3-1 win, blowing open a game that was scoreless at the break. Brian Gutierrez struck early in the second half and Hugo Cuypers added a brace. Tyrese Spicer spoiled the playoff shutout.

The last regular-season meeting of 2025 took place in Orlando on May 31, with Chicago winning 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando did not cover itself in glory, with Pedro Gallese allowing Philip Zinckernagel’s shot to slip right between his hands and in for the first goal. Cuypers scored a brace with the two goals coming just a minute apart as Chicago built a 3-0 lead in the first half. Alex Freeman scored a consolation goal for the Lions. Assistant Coach Diego Torres skippered the Lions that night in place of the suspended Oscar Pareja.

The first meeting of last season took place May 3. Despite Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady getting sent off before halftime for fouling Duncan McGuire and denying him a goal-scoring opportunity, the teams played to a 0-0 draw, as Orlando City simply couldn’t find any precision in front of goal.

These two teams met in Orlando on June 22, 2024, with the Lions capturing a 4-2 home victory. Facundo Torres scored a brace, with Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot) and Ivan Angulo adding goals to offset a penalty by Maren Haile-Selassie (after a Rodrigo Schlegel handball in the box) and a goal by Cuypers.

The two sides clashed at Soldier Field on May 29, playing to a 1-1 draw. Torres opened the scoring early, and the Lions should have had a penalty late in the first half when Angulo was clipped while in alone on a goal after rounding the goalkeeper, but the video assistant referee did not overturn the no-call on the field, and referee Malik Badawi did not look at the play himself. The Fire tied the match in the final 20 minutes on a Cuypers goal.

The Lions swept the two-game season series in 2023 by identical 3-1 scorelines. On Aug. 21, Orlando City got goals from Wilder Cartagena, Angulo, and Torres (from the penalty spot) to overcome a 1-0 deficit supplied by Mauricio Pineda, winning on the road.

When the teams met in Orlando, the Lions rode a Torres brace to a 3-1 win on July 1. Xherdan Shaqiri pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after a Kyle Smith foul in the box against Gutierrez, but Ramiro Enrique added an insurance goal.

Orlando City claimed a 1-0 victory at Exploria Stadium on April 9, 2022 on Ercan Kara’s first MLS goal. The two sides met at Soldier Field just over a month prior to that match and played, officially, to a 0-0 draw on March 5. The game is another Orlando City match that will live in infamy due to the Professional Referee Organization’s statement after the game that Junior Urso’s goal should not have been overturned upon video review by Ismir Pekmic due to Kara not having clearly and obviously handled the ball in the buildup in any of the available replay angles. Alas…

The teams met in Orlando on Aug. 21, 2021, with a second-half Benji Michel strike lifting the Lions to a 1-0 victory. Tesho Akindele set up the play by forcing a turnover. In that year’s meeting at Soldier Field, the Fire got the better of the Lions to the tune of 3-1 on July 7. Andres Perea scored his first career MLS goal to open the scoring, but a defensive lapse in first-half stoppage allowed Boris Sekulic to equalize. Chicago rode that momentum, adding goals by Robert Beric and Chinonso Offor.

The Lions were 0-4-4 in the eight meetings before smashing the Fire 4-1 in Orlando on Sept. 19, 2020. Orlando City withstood two Chicago penalties and saw two Fire goals overturned by video review in that rain-soaked match. (Weird things usually happen when Chicago and Orlando meet, in case it wasn’t clear from the preceding paragraphs.) The Lions got goals from Chris Mueller, Nani, Urso, and Michel, while Chicago had only a Beric penalty to show for an otherwise good offensive performance.

In the last meeting of 2019, the Fire won on the road. It was a debacle for the Lions, who lost Jansson to a back/neck injury early and shipped a handful of goals in a 5-2 home loss in the regular-season finale. Orlando got goals from Akindele and Michel but largely played like a team that couldn’t wait to end its season. Chicago got an own goal from Orlando’s Smith and strikes from CJ Sapong, Aleksandar Katai, and Przemyslaw Frankowski (twice) in the rout.

Orlando City was seconds away from a road win on March 9, 2019 before Sapong’s free header in the 95th minute leveled things in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. Dom Dwyer scored Orlando’s goal.

In 2018, the Fire swept the season series. Orlando fell 2-1 at home on May 26, 2018, with Alan Gordon’s wondergoal breaking a 1-1 deadlock. The return leg in Chicago that September was an abysmal performance by Orlando in a 4-0 Fire victory.

Chicago went 1-0-1 in 2017, with the teams playing to a 0-0 draw on June 4, 2017, with the Lions reduced to nine men. The previous 2017 meeting was the Fire’s 4-0 beatdown of Orlando on June 24 of that year. David Accam figured in all four goals, with a hat trick and an assist on Nemanja Nikolić’s goal.

The teams split the points in 2016, drawing both meetings, 1-1 in Orlando and 2-2 in Chicago.

The teams met once in Orlando in 2015, with the Lions and Fire battling to a 1-1 draw. You may recall that five-hour, weather-delayed affair with Eric Gehrig’s own-goal canceling out an Accam strike. The other three meetings came in Chicago, with City winning 3-2 and 1-0 in MLS matches and falling 3-1 in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal action.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a disappointing 2-2 home draw against New York City FC on Saturday. Orlando City was seconds from an important win when Jonathan Shore’s shot through traffic from the top of the area found its way through all the legs and just inside the left post. The Lions have gone 2-0-2 in their last four, however, even though they haven’t won a road match since Sept. 9 at Atlanta. The Lions are 3-9-3 away from home this season. On the bright side, Antoine Griezmann has scored in four consecutive games and Martin Ojeda has found the net in each of the last three. Defense continues to be an issue, and the team’s biggest problem on the road, as Orlando City has conceded 21 goals in its last seven away matches against MLS competition (six MLS games and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Philadelphia). That’s three goals per game on average in that span, and that’s bad.

The Chicago Fire are one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference and have clinched a playoff spot already. They can still improve or move down in the standings, so there will be no letup from tonight’s hosts, who are 9-5-1 at home this season. Chicago is coming off a 3-2 win Saturday at Atlanta United. That win snapped a two-game skid as the Fire had dropped tight games to New England and Philadelphia.

Beating Chicago means trying to contain a dynamic offense led by Lewandowski, Zinckernagel, Maren Haile-Selassie, Dithejane, Jonathan Bamba, and others. But this isni’t strictly an attacking team, as the Fire have also conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the conference.

To get a result tonight, Orlando City will have to continue finding the net and get at least a semi-competent defensive effort in front of goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who has almost singlehandedly kept his team in contention for points with vital saves since the restart after the World Cup break.

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (suspension), Jansson (foot), Griffin Dorsey (back), and Spicer (foot). Chicago will be without André Franco (lower body), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (suspension), Dje D’Avila (suspension), Robin Lod (lower body), and Sam Rogers (lower body).

Match Content

• The most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.

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Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Vinicius Nogueira, Iago, David Brekalo, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Braian Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Adrian Marin, Nolan Miller, Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, Marco Pasalic, Tiago, Daryl Dike.

Chicago Fire (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Chris Brady.

Defenders: Andrew Gutman, Jack Elliott, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Leonardo Barroso.

Midfielders: Anton Saletros, Anzor Mekvabishvili, Sergio Oregel.

Forwards: Maren Haile-Selassie, Robert Lewandowski, Philip Zinckernagel.

Bench: Josh Cohen, Jonathan Dean, Noah Allen, Mauricio Pineda, David Poreba, Jonathan Bamba, Andre Franco, Puso Dithejane, Johan Gomez.

Referees

Ref: Marcos DeOliveira.
AR1: Nick Uranga.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4th: Lukasz Szpala.
VAR: Timothy Ford.
AVAR: Craig Lowry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Soldier Field — Chicago.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

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

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

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Enjoy the game. Go City!

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day for Orlando City, so I hope you wore your purple when you left the house. Speaking of what you’re wearing, have you picked out your Halloween costume? If so, are you coordinating with friends or family, or are you doing the Halloween equivalent of Bah Humbug? I’m actually pretty curious as Halloween is a pretty big deal at my house. Also, candy is yummy. For now, there are no tricks, but let’s get to the treats that are today’s links.

Lions in the Windy City

Orlando City takes on the Chicago Fire tonight at Soldier Field in the Windy City. If the Lions can somehow get all three points against the Fire — and get a little help from FC Dallas over the Columbus Crew — Orlando City can clinch a playoff spot. It won’t be easy, as the Fire have Robert Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel in the attack. The Lions counter that attack with Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda, with the latter chasing club records in the offense.

Orlando City B Announces Season-Ending Roster Status

It’s been a minute since Orlando City B ended the season as the developmental squad did not make the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. There’s always a bit of turnover each year with OCB as players like Justin Ellis move to the senior squad, others are loaned out, and younger players come in to take their places. The club has announced the end-of-year roster statuses. There are seven players under contract for 2027. That number will obviously need to increase before the start of the season.

NWSL GMs Surveyed

ESPN has released the findings of the latest ESPN NWSL GM survey. The general managers are asked a series of questions regarding the state of the league, what they would like to see changed, the impact of NWSL rules like the High Impact Player rule, and — most interesting to me — how much cheating is going on. It certainly seems like some clubs have a ridiculous amount of seemingly high-priced players, yet are supposedly under the salary cap set by the league. It seems suspicious, and many of the GMs agree with me, though slightly less than half think the problem is widespread. It’s definitely worth a read.

A Boisterous Ballon d’Or

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is usually full of pomp and circumstance, but this year’s version was a bit rowdy. London traffic, a large crowd, and a delay made for a raucous event. Still, it was nice for Harry Kane to be presented the long-awaited award in his native country. Sometimes good things come to those who sign for the biggest club in the Bundesliga…er, I mean wait. There was also a bit of controversy on the women’s side as well when no female journalists were included in the pool to ask questions of Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas, and there was a distinct lack of female athlete presenters. There is still room for growth.

Free Kicks

• Do you still care about where the Orlando Pride fall in SBNation’s NWSL power rankings? Spoiler alert: it’s not good.
• The NWSL expansion club in Columbus broke ground on the OhioHealth Training Grounds. The facility is supposed to be completed before the club begins play in the 2028 season.
• Did you see the video of the little soccer player running circles around the other three-year-olds? Someone actually called the police about it. Ridiculous, of course. I’m not the only one who agrees since former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman reached out in support of the young soccer player. Well done, sir.
• Remember when Ellis scored in the fourth minute of his USMNT debut in Orlando? Yeah, you do, but it’s still fun to watch that moment and plenty of others from the USMNT fall camp in this outstanding video.

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That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for live match updates and we will also have a recap of the match tonight and more coverage tomorrow. Vamos Orlando!