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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 2-2 as Sutter Scores Late to Rescue Draw

Lions fell behind late but responded to earn a point.

Published

8 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

It looked like it was going to be the same story as most of the season. Orlando City (7-16-3, 24 points) was playing well, but couldn’t capitalize on its chances, and allowed a late goal to lose the match. This was almost the situation tonight, as the Philadelphia Union (12-12-3, 40 points) scored the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute. The Lions kept their heads up and Scott Sutter scored his second goal in as many games just three minutes later to rescue a draw in front of 22,912 fans in Orlando City Stadium.

“Obviously, the finish was, well, pleasing that we ended up getting a point so late on,” Orlando City Head Coach James O’Connor said. “The one aspect that disappointed me was our movement. I think Chris Mueller, [Stéfano] Pinho, and the subs when they came on gave us a good bit of energy and burst, but when you concede a goal in the 88th minute and then get a goal to get back into it, it’s fantastic. So great credit to the players for fighting back and getting a point there at the end.”

O’Connor, celebrating his 39th birthday, made a few surprises with his starting XI. Carlos Ascues moved from the midfield into the back line. To make room for this, Jonathan Spector started as the left back, with Shane O’Neill and Sutter filling in the rest of the back line. Mueller began the game on the bench, and Cristian Higuita started at right wing. Sacha Kljestan and Yoshimar Yotún returned to the lineup after both missed the previous two games.

 

This lineup led to there essentially being no left midfielder for Orlando. Yotún continuously moved to the middle of the field. When this happens, the left back should typically push up the field and make an overlapping run, but due to Spector’s lack of pace, there was nobody to make that run tonight. To compensate for this, Sutter often got high up the field on the other side and it looked like Orlando was playing a three-back system while on the attack, at times.

It was all Philly to start the match and the Union got off two shots in the first five minutes, with a few more chances. Then, in the eighth minute, Sutter and Will Johnson played down the right wing with each other and won a free kick. Yotún took the service and Dwyer did the rest to put the Lions up, 1-0. 

The goal gave Orlando momentum but it only lasted for about two minutes or so, and the game stared to level out until the Union won a corner in the 23rd minute. It was a good routine, straight from the training ground. Alejandro Bedoya, after losing Johnson, was left wide open at the back post. Fortunately for Orlando, Bedoya somehow missed the frame completely. 

The Lions immediately went on the counter and should have gone up 2-0. Spector played a good long ball that just missed the outstretched leg of Dwyer. The ball fell to Higuita, who had the goal wide open because Andre Blake was on the ground trying to defend Dwyer, but the Colombian hit the post and it somehow fell right into the hands of Blake. 

Philly made the most of the lucky moment and tied the game in the 32nd minute. Borek Dockal had time and space and put in a cross to the back post. Cory Burke outmuscled O’Neill and headed the ball into the back of the net. Immediately after the goal Orlando almost went down 2-1 when Fabrice-Jean Picault hit the crossbar. 

There were not many more chances in the remainder of the first half. Orlando City held a good amount of possession but it was all in its own half and not threatening. The Lions looked to try to build out of the back and not force anything, which led to many backward passes. 

The game went into halftime tied 1-1 with Orlando holding 55% possession. Philly out-shot the Lions (9-4) and Orlando’s sole shot on goal ended up in the back of the net. Almost every attack in the first 45 minutes came through Yoshi and he finished as the only Lion to create a chance — he had four — and 89% passing accuracy on 27 passes. 

The second half started out pretty slowly, as both teams started to feel each other out again. The Union had more chances though, and Orlando struggled to get into the other half of the field. The few times that the Lions did break across the center line, poor decisions led to turnovers. Philadelphia had a couple of chances but could not direct the ball on frame.

“I think the energy levels need to be better, need to be higher,” O’Connor said. “In the second half there needs to be way more movement. Our expectation is for the guy with the ball to come up with something and he should have four, five options and that’s something we need to do a way better job at. I think decision making, and when to keep the ball, at times, particularly in the second half, we give it up way too cheaply.”

A few of the Union’s chances came from bad plays by Higuita, almost gifting the visitors a goal, and he was replaced in the 57th minute by Josué Colmán. Higuita had an excellent first half, so this drop in performance was surprising. The team as a whole was poor coming out in the second half, and O’Connor stressed that the energy needed to be higher.

“I think there was a drop in energy all across the field [to start the second half],” said Dwyer. “It’s hot, it’s tough conditions — but I don’t think that’s an excuse for it. We were working through the game and there were moments when we slowed down a little bit and we showed a lot of fight and character to come back in the end.”

A scary moment came just after the hour mark. Ascues played the ball back to Bendik after a goal kick. Burke was right there and nearly put Bendik’s clearance in the back of the net. Philly was able get the ball back but the shot was poor and Bendik caught it. Orlando quickly got down the field and had a chance but Kljestan’s pass to Dwyer was too long. 

After the Union played a midweek game it would be expected that they would be the team that was tired. However, that was not the case, and for the last 30 minutes Orlando was on its back heels. Yoshi particularly looked gassed, with good reason. He was the best player on the field tonight for the Lions and hasn’t played a game since Aug. 4. O’Connor opted to keep the Peruvian in the game, however, and subbed out Kljestan and Johnson for Mueller and Pinho in the 76th minute. 

“The role of the substitute is really important,” said O’Connor. “You need a sub to come in and impact the game. Sometimes you’re winning it and you expect a sub to come in and help out defensively. I thought Chris [Mueller] did an exceptional job going forward and defending. Josué [Colmán] showed glimpses of movement. Pinho at times was a threat. It’s pleasing to see players coming on and impacting the game.”

The game started to pick up after this and there were a good chances for both teams. First, the Union had a free kick from about 25 yards out but hit the wall. Orlando got down to the other end, but Pinho couldn’t get on the end of Yoshi’s cross. Yotún had a shot around the 80th minute that was hit one hundred miles an hour but missed wide of the net. 

In the 85th minute, there were cries around the stadium for a penalty kick. Dwyer got a shot away and missed and Auston Trusty was right on him. Dwyer went down but it looked like a nominal amount of contact happened after the shot and it was a good no-call from Chris Penso. 

As the game was inching closer and closer to a draw, Picault created something out of nothing and put the visitors up 2-1 in the 88th minute. Picault got by Yotún and Uri Rosell and shot. The ball deflected off of O’Neill, and caught Bendik on the wrong foot ending in the back of the net. 

Three minutes after the goal, a long ball fell to Colmán. He tried some nifty footwork before playing it off to an overlapping Sutter. The right back hit it first time and the ball beat Andre Blake and ended up in the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

“At the end of it we are happy that we got a draw,” Sutter said. “it’s definitely not the result that we wanted, not the result that we expected. I think we invest a lot in the moment and get a little back in return and I think we controlled the game for large patches of the game and one or two half chances gives them goals and in the end we managed to get a goal and we are lucky to get a point.”

It looked like the Lions might get another goal and earn their first win since July but it would not be so. Dywer was called offside, and after a few turnovers Penso blew the full-time whistle and the players looked gutted not to win this match.

Orlando finished the game with 53% possession. The Lions had 11 shots but only three were on target. Yoshi led the team with seven chances created, 88 touches, and 58 passes in his return.

“[One point] is not enough,” Sutter said. “Football is only fun if you win and you’re playing. If you don’t play, you’re not happy and if you don’t win you’re not happy. We’re not winning. I haven’t gone to The Wall and raised my hands like we won, like we did at the beginning of the season, and that hurts. that’s what we’re here for, that’s what we train for everyday, and at the moment it’s just disappointing.”

The Lions have won just one time in the last 17 games (1-14-2) and will try to get back in the win column next Saturday night at Sporting Kansas City. They’ll have to do it without Yotún, Mohamed El-Munir, and Amro Tarek, who will all be away on international duty.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head to Rhode Island looking to advance in the U.S. Open Cup against the Revs.

Published

26 minutes ago

on

April 29, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and the New England Revolution at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI (7:30 p.m., Paramount+). This is the first meeting between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season, with two scheduled league matches still left to play in 2026.

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

History

The Lions are 6-7-8 in the regular-season series against New England and 7-8-8 in all competitions. On the road, Orlando City is just 2-6-2 against the Revs, with all of those prior meetings coming in the MLS regular season. Orlando City has faced the Revolution once before in U.S. Open Cup play, winning that prior meeting (more on that below).

The most recent meeting between the teams was also in New England, but it was at Gillette Stadium, the Revs’ usual home. Martin Ojeda’s brace led the Lions to a 2-1 victory on July 19, 2025 — just the team’s second road win in the series. Thomas Chancalay scored for New England.

The first match between the sides last year was a wild 3-3 draw in Orlando on May 10. The Lions squandered two leads in that match, including a 2-0 advantage. Ojeda scored Orlando’s first hat trick since 2015 in that game, but those three goals were offset by strikes by Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, and Carles Gil. One of Ojeda’s goals and Gil’s strike were penalties.

Prior to that, the teams met on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams also met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium that year, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to improve the result cosmetically.

New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Nani’s attempt to go down the middle was read at the last second by Matt Turner, who got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but a poor penalty was saved by Turner. Bou added a late insurance goal.

In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

The teams also met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a road loss at D.C. United on Saturday. The Lions came from behind to take a 2-1 second-half lead, but then Orlando melted down in the final six minutes, allowing two goals to throw away all three points. City’s only win away from home this season came in the team’s 1-0 round-of-32 U.S. Open Cup match at FC Naples on April 15, but that was far from easy as the USL League One side dominated the game’s final 30 minutes.

The Lions are 19-11-5 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, 11-7-5 since becoming an MLS side. Away from Orlando, the Lions are 8-6-2 in the U.S. Open Cup, 5-2-2 since joining Major League Soccer.

The Revolution are coming off a 1-1 draw at Inter Miami over the weekend, with Gil scoring for New England. The Revs are 4-0-2 in their last six matches in all competitions and reached this round of the U.S. Open Cup by outlasting USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in penalties after a 1-1 draw on April 14. Fagundez scored shortly after halftime, but Rhode Island’s J.J. Williams equalized in the 11th minute of stoppage time to send the match to extra time and, ultimately, spot kicks.

It seems a bit of a flex for the Revs to return to Rhode Island FC’s stadium to host its round-of-16 match, but they earned the right, so fair play to New England.

“Of course it’s different playing in the U.S. Open Cup, or in every match that is do or die, win or go home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “It’s a different context that changes the game, but we have experience in these kinds of competitions and we’re ready for it. We like to compete, we are competitors, so we’re happy and excited.”

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Colin Guske, Braian Ojeda, Tiago.

Forwards: Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis.

New England Revolution (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner.

Defenders: Will Sands, Mamadou Fofana, Ethan Kohler, Ilay Feingold.

Midfielders: Alhassan Yusuf, Carles Gil, Brooklyn Raines.

Forwards: Peyton Miller, Dor Turgeman, Griffin Yow.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Centreville Bank Stadium — Pawtucket, RI.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+.

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.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/26

Orlando City plays New England tonight, the Orlando Pride are recognized, USMNT news, and more.

Published

4 hours ago

on

April 29, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day with Orlando City taking on the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup tonight. The fixture congestion is real as this is the third match for the Lions in just eight days. I’m sure that it will be fine since Orlando City doesn’t have any injury or depth issues…err…let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Open Cup Continues

Orlando City is in Rhode Island to take on the New England Revolution in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup. As always, it will be interesting to see which regular starters play and which youngsters get the start, though the difference between those two is not as stark as in the past. The Lions also have a trip to play Inter Miami this weekend to consider. I don’t think it will happen, but I say go all in on the Open Cup and play Orlando City B against Miami.

Orlando Pride Earns Recognition

Zara Chavoshi is the Orlando Pride’s nominee for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for 2026. Chavoshi’s chosen community partner is Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. Each of the 16 NWSL teams are represented with a panel of judges, including Holiday, determining the winner. In other news, the Pride are still in the top three of SI.com’s NWSL power rankings. Shockingly — I say with tongue planted firmly in cheek — Barbra Banda didn’t make CBSsports.com’s NWSL Team of the Week despite scoring a brace.

Griezmann Continues Champions League Chase

Orlando City’s next Designated Player, Antoine Griezmann, has unfinished business with current club Atletico Madrid. Griezmann and Atletico face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semifinals this afternoon. As much as I’m looking forward to Griezmann’s arrival in Orlando, I am also all for him winning hardware before he leaves Atletico.

USMNT News

The World Cup is just around the corner, and there are many players in MLS who will be representing their respective countries. Matt Turner is making an excellent case that he should be the first-choice keeper for the USMNT. Stepping outside of MLS, is Weston McKennie the player who the U.S. can least afford to lose heading into the World Cup? McKennie has been playing well this year for club and country. Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic has been in a bit of a slump. Hopefully, he can turn it around before the World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Rodrigo Schlegel visited Orlando City’s training this week. I’m not saying I want him to start, but a short-term contract for depth might be nice.

🚨 Jose Mourinho preferred candidate of Florentino Perez to become next Real Madrid head coach. Support not universal inside #RMFC but president driving process so 63yo strong contender. Time-sensitive ~€3m break clause in Benfica contract 🚨@theathleticfc.bsky.socialwww.nytimes.com/athletic/723…

— David Ornstein (@david-ornstein.bsky.social) 2026-04-28T11:49:11.588Z
  • Sometimes there’s a light of hope in the dark forest that we’re travelling through. Believe.

That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of Orlando City’s match tonight. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/28/26

Takeaways from MLS matchday 10, Americans in midweek action, Vancouver Whitecaps may be relocated, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 28, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda with the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B was the only one of the three sides to get a result. We’ve got another busy week ahead of us as Orlando City will be in action twice, the Orlando Pride face the Washington Spirit on Saturday, and OCB takes on Crown Legacy to round off the week on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss today, so let’s jump into the links.

MLS Matchday 10 Lessons

Matchday 10 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, the Vancouver Whitecaps seem to have done a very good job of reloading from the off-season losses of Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson. New faces Cheikh Sabaly and Bruno Caicedo have been finding their feet and both had goal involvements in Vancouver’s 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. Matt Turner looks to be rediscovering some of his best form as he made nine saves in the New England Revolution’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. New York City FC’s Matt Freese has been the frontrunner to start in goal for the United States Men’s National Team at the World Cup this summer, but based on his league performances, Turner could make a late charge.

Americans in Midweek Action

Plenty of Americans will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s have a look at the schedule. Things get started Wednesday, when Tim Ream, Luca de la Torre, and Charlotte FC play Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. Wednesday has Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid hosting Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. On Thursday, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will travel to Shakhtar Donetsk for the first leg of a UEFA Conference League semifinal. The action wraps up on Friday when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United host Burnley in a Premier League tilt.

Relocation Possible for Vancouver Whitecaps

A special committee of MLS owners reportedly met earlier in April to discuss the potential relocation of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Specifically, Las Vegas is said to have been the primary relocation option discussed at the meeting. It’s been two decades since a team was relocated, as the last franchise to move were the San Jose Earthquakes, who went to Houston and became the Dynamo before being replaced with another San Jose expansion team two years later. Other cities said to be interested in landing a team include Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Sacramento, with Phoenix reportedly one of the main candidates being considered for relocation alongside Vegas. In the meantime, the Whitecaps remain up for sale while the team tries to find an in-market stadium solution, as the team’s lease with BC Place expires at the end of the year.

High Profile Injuries Continue

The 2025-2026 European season has seen a number of high profile injuries, and that’s a trend that unfortunately continued over the weekend. Xavi Simons suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and he will undergo surgery that will sideline him for a significant amount of time. Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Kylian Mbappe has a left hamstring injury, and he could reportedly miss the May 10 Clasico match against Barcelona as well as the rest of the La Liga season. AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric fractured his left cheekbone in the team’s 0-0 draw with Juventus on Sunday and had surgery to repair the damage. His club season is over, but Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic is confident that he will be healthy in time for the World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA will reportedly increase the number of times that yellow cards are wiped away at this summer’s World Cup.

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

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