Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Austin FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Robbed in Texas

Published

3 years ago

on

You can’t really make up what happened to Orlando City in the second half while up 2-0 at Austin FC. But you don’t have to make it up because we’ve all seen this movie before.

The Lions (6-4-3, 21 points) went down two men in the second half, allowing Austin FC (7-3-3, 24 points) to rally back for a 2-2 draw at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Referee Joe Dickerson made sure he was the star of the show by sending off Rodrigo Schlegel for a second yellow card for handball within seconds — with the second one in the box and highly suspect. He sent off Cesar Araujo minutes later for a warranted dangerous play as the Orlando midfielder foolishly kicked out after being stepped on by Alex Ring.

Finally, Dickerson awarded a corner kick that certainly appeared to be a goal kick deep in stoppage time, from which the hosts tied the game. In fact, it was the player — Moussa Djitte — who appeared to touch the ball last before it went out who then scored the tying goal.

All of that aside, it was Orlando City’s own fault for not putting the game away by halftime with the unbelievable chances the Lions wasted.

“Well, first just allow me to recognize the effort of the players today, trying to overcome all those things that happened, especially at the end and in the second half, with many unfair things happened,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But I guess we’ve got to take it. We played a very good game until all those things came in the second half.”

Pareja’s starting lineup offered no surprises. Pedro Gallese took his spot in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo played in the central midfield with Andres Perea — starting his third consecutive game in all competitions. Junior Urso functioned as a winger on an attacking midfield line with Mauricio Pereyra and Facundo Torres, with Ercan Kara up top.

The Lions jumped on top in the second minute. Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver tried playing out of the back but sent his pass right to Urso. The Bear sent the ball to Kara in front and the Austrian redirected it just inside the right post to make it 1-0. It was Kara’s third goal of the MLS season — fourth in all competitions — and the fourth-fastest goal from the start of a match in club history.

“We wanted to press them right from the first minute and we did it very good,” Kara said. “And the goalkeeper (made) a mistake and Urso (saw) me very good, and played me the ball, and the rest was an easy finish.”

The first two opportunities for Austin came off of turnovers by Araujo in the midfield. The first didn’t result in a clear-cut chance but in the ninth minute, the miscue led to a shot by Maxi Urruti that smashed off the left post. The rebound was cleared behind for an Austin corner with Diego Fagundez lurking.

Following a good spell by Austin, the Lions doubled the lead. Moutinho sent the ball down the left for Torres. The Young Designated Player got to the end line and crossed back into the area for Kara. The ball was deflected by defender Kipp Keller and fell to Pereyra, who fired immediately. Stuver made a good save to deny the captain but the ball fell to Ruan lurking near the back post and the right back slotted home to make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute.

The Lions were wasteful for the rest of the first half. That started in the 26th minute after Kara stole the ball in the attacking third. He fed Urso on his right and the Bear fired a shot right at Stuver, who made the comfortable save.

The hosts came into the match after that missed opportunity, holding much more possession for the rest of the half. Center back Julio Cascante fired a long-range shot that deflected well over the net. On the ensuing corner kick, a cross found Cascante at the back post. The defender headed the ball down and it bounced over the bar. The play may have been offside but the flag stayed down, so no review was necessary.

Right back Nick Lima cut inside the wing a few minutes later and fired a tight-angle shot that Gallese did well to save in the 35th minute. Three minutes later, Moutinho turned the ball over in his own half and Urruti fired just wide. Gallese was shaken up on the play but continued after receiving treatment from the training staff.

Orlando had some chances to put the game in a chokehold down the stretch. Kara let a shot fly from outside the area in the 43rd minute but Stuver got over and made the save. In stoppage time, the Lions had three more excellent scoring chances and should have scored. The first came on a transition opportunity with Torres and Ruan going 2-v-1. Torres was located centrally but chose to send a pass to Ruan on his left. Ruan not only failed to hold his run and stay onside, but he also missed the wide open net. Moments later, Torres had a chance to redeem himself at the top of the area but turned down a shot again to lay off for Kara who was closed down from behind and never got a shot away.

In the dying seconds, Moutinho crossed after a throw-in in the attacking third that found Urso. The Bear headed on frame and Stuver made a big save. The rebound fell for Urso who then missed everything from just a couple feet from the goal line.

The Lions went to the locker room up 2-0 but Austin was still in the game because of the missed chances.

“I thought today was a game that we could easily score two or three goals more until all this mess happened,” Pareja said.

Austin had a big advantage in first-half possession (66.2%-33.8%), corners (4-1), and passing accuracy (90.4%-75%). But the hosts fired only one more shot (8-7) in the opening period and Orlando got more of its chances on target (6-2).

The Lions again had a chance to put the game away in the 53rd minute. Kara laid off for Perea at the top of the area but the midfielder fired his shot wide of Stuver’s goal. Four minutes later, the Lions created another chance. Pereyra floated in a ball for Kara, who headed down for Urso. The Bear fired his shot immediately but left it too close to the middle. Still, Stuver had to make an outstanding reaction save in the 57th minute to keep the score at 2-0.

Moments later, the entire complexion of the game changed.

Schlegel was booked for a handball just outside the area in the 58th minute. The defender’s arm was out from his body and he was trying to change direction, leaning to block the shot. Although Schlegel was pulling his arm toward his body, and almost got it there, the ball hit it and the Lions couldn’t complain too much about the free kick. However, on the free kick, the delivery by Sebastian Driussi hit Schlegel, who was part of the wall. This time, his arm didn’t appear to be in an unnatural position and he probably knew nothing at all about it. In fact, the shot may have been going wide.

Nevertheless, Dickerson showed Schlegel a second yellow and pointed to the spot. He also booked Orlando’s captain, Pereyra — who suffered four play-breaking fouls in the match, including one in transition, without drawing a yellow card — for dissent. The conversation with Video Assistant Referee Rosendo Mendoza didn’t take very long and Dickerson never went to the monitor himself to take a look.

Driussi took the spot kick right down the middle. Gallese dove to his left but dangled a leg and got a piece of the shot. However, the ball deflected into the roof of the net to pull Austin back to within 2-1 in the 63rd minute.

Up a man and now down only one goal, Austin pressed like crazy for the equalizer, winning a couple of quick corners. On the second of those, Araujo blocked a cross by Ring, who looked to have clipped the young Uruguayan, who lashed out with his boot in retaliation. There wasn’t much contact in it but Ring went down and rolled around. A conversation ensued between Dickerson and Mendoza and this time Dickerson decided to look at the play on the monitor himself. He determined it was a dangerous play by Araujo and sent off the midfielder, putting Orlando City down to nine men with still 21 minutes remaining in normal time.

And, as I said earlier, we’ve seen this movie before. Despite changing players, coaches, and even owners, this keeps happening.

Pareja sent on Tesho Akindele, Kyle Smith, and Jake Mulraney to provide some energy as the shorthanded Lions attempted to see out the match. He withdrew Kara, Pereyra, and Torres.

Mulraney nearly made his presence felt immediately, pressuring the ball high and poking it toward goal, but the shot rolled wide in the 73rd minute.

Two minutes later, Austin Head Coach Josh Wolff sent Djitte for Daniel Pereira, as he no longer had need of a holding midfielder, chasing the game while up two men.

Orlando caught a break when Driussi sent a free header over the bar in the 77th minute, but the Lions’ stayed compact with their nine men and invited crosses rather than giving Austin space to get inside.

Austin tried to get a third Lion sent off when Fagundez tried to hurry Gallese, picking the ball up and walking toward Orlando’s goalkeeper. Jansson stepped between the two players and Fagundez lowered his shoulder and initiated contact. Jansson certainly didn’t get out of his way and lowered his own shoulder at the last second. Fagundez crumpled to the ground to sell a call and did manage to get Dickerson to book Jansson in the 82nd minute.

A minute later, the ball ended up on Fagundez’s foot behind the defense. He beat Gallese with a far-post shot but the ball caromed off of the woodwork and Orlando recovered.

Gallese bought his team some rest with a lengthy delay as the trainers came out to look at him for the second time in the match. But Austin went right back on the attack after that.

A cross in found Djitte unmarked, after the forward had gotten in front of Smith, but his header went over the bar in the 89th minute. A minute after that, Ring had a go from the top of the box and Gallese made a sensational one-armed save to preserve the lead — for the moment anyway.

The fourth official signaled seven minutes of injury time, and Pareja tried to waste some of that with a couple of substitutions, sending Sebas Mendez and Michael Halliday on in separate switches for Urso and Ruan.

Dickerson made his final critical mistake in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A ball into the area was headed off of Djitte’s shoulder and out for an apparent goal kick — but not apparent to Dickerson, who signaled for a corner.

Orlando players were incensed and argued vehemently to no avail. Austin played the corner short and sent a back-post cross in that Djitte got a touch on and knocked into the net to level the game at 2-2 in the 95th minute.

“It’s frustrating, very frustrating, the management of that. Those plays,” Pareja said of the officiating. “When it hurt us the most is when they scored a goal, it was it was a corner that was called that…no way. It was our ball and they called a corner and that’s what frustrates us the most. It’s unbelievable the corner that they gave up. It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unacceptable for me.”

Orlando looked to have something going moments later. Akindele went straight up and headed an aerial ball, then appeared to have a chance to get in alone on goal when the defender fell. Dickerson, however, saw some kind of infraction on Akindele and gave Austin the ball back.

The 97th minute came and went, then the 98th, and the 99th, before Dickerson finally blew the full-time whistle. Orlando City was probably fortunate to get any kind of result, given the circumstances, but the Lions could have, and should have, come home with three points.

Austin finished with way more possession (71.4%-28.6%), shots (22-12), corners (10-2), and passing accuracy (90.4%-73.1%). Orlando had more shots on target (7-5).

“It was a tough game, but I think we played very well,” Kara said. “And we did good in the first half and also in the beginning of the second half, but the red cards put us from our way, and it was hard decisions from the referee, but yet we still keep fighting. It’s a point away and we’re looking forward.”

The Lions will have a quick turnaround with a Wednesday night home U.S. Open Cup match-up against Inter Miami CF. Schlegel and Araujo will miss Saturday’s match against FC Dallas.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Crash Out of the Cup

The Lions are out of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup after just two matches, looking leggy and tired against a fresher Nashville side.

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 21, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City took an early lead, gave up a couple of poor first-half goals, and then conceded a late game winner in a 3-2 loss to Nashville SC in U.S. Open Cup play at Inter&Co Stadium. Head Coach Oscar Pareja fielded a strong lineup while the visitors rotated heavily, and the fresher legs won despite the travel.

Marco Pasalic provided an early lead before an own goal on Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal put Nashville ahead at the break. Ramiro Enrique equalized in the second half, but a blast from fullback Wyatt Meyer ultimately knocked Orlando out of the competition. Nashville did it without star forwards Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge or starting goalkeeper Joe Willis.

“I think it was a good match for two teams who have an offensive proposal or initiative,” Pareja said after the match. “I think early in the game we found a team that wanted to use the spaces offensively, and we didn’t find a team who wants to drop, and I have to say they did a good job on that part. So, we ended up playing the first half lower than we wanted, and despite our goal, our offensive was not as frequent as we wanted.”

Pareja fielded nearly a complete first-choice lineup for this Round of 16 matchup, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield with attacking midfielders Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Martin Ojeda, and Pasalic, with Enrique up top.

At the start of the game, it was easy to tell which was the fresher team. Nashville rotated its lineup heavily and had more jump in the opening minutes. Orlando nevertheless was able to create some transition opportunities and earned a couple of early corners, but the Lions could not do anything with them. The closest opportunity was a header well over the bar from Schlegel on the second such opportunity.

Nashville had a warning shot in the 16th minute as a corner kick cross was deflected out in front of Gallese’s goal and floated off the right post.

Orlando opened the scoring a minute later. Pasalic cut in from the right side and smashed a shot from 30 yards out that gave Brian Schwake no chance to stop it, putting the Lions up 1-0 in the 17th minute. It was the Croatian’s first U.S. Open Cup goal in his first appearance in the competition.

“Sometimes it’s better to shoot faster, because maybe the goalkeeper is not prepared,” Pasalic said of his long-range bomb. “So, today was was my chance.”

The celebration was short-lived, as Nashville tied the game just six minutes later. Ahmed Qasem got down the left past Brekalo and Jansson and centered a ball for Bunbury, who was tangling in front with Schlegel. The ball, which may have gone over the end line before the cross (there is no video review in the U.S. Open Cup), deflected just over the line off Schlegel for an own goal, tying the game in the 23rd minute.

“We started good in the game, played really good. The tactic was also really good, and then came the first goal,” Pasalic said. “Then we conceded the goal of Nashville really fast, and this was a big problem.”

Freeman had a chance to mimic Pasalic’s goal in the 30th minute, only from a bit closer to goal at the top of the box. The right back didn’t get his hips turned enough on the shot and sent it wide to the left of goal.

The visitors took the lead on an embarrassing goal in the 40th minute. Qasem wasn’t in a particularly threatening position 25 yards out from goal off to the left, but when Araujo ignored him and left him in space, he sent a shot from distance that didn’t have a ton of pace on it, and Schlegel opted not to try to block it. The shot somehow just found its way through the box diagonally and inside the right post to make it 2-1.

Schlegel had a late opportunity to make up for some defensive lapses late in the half when Orlando won a corner. The defender did well to get across his mark, but he headed his shot wide in the 45the minute.

Enrique sent another header wide off a corner in stoppage time and the Lions went to the break trailing on two of the more preventable goals they’ve conceded all season.

Nashville held the halftime edge in possession (57.5%-42.5%), and passing accuracy (88%-85%), while Orlando led in shots (8-4) and corners (6-2). Each team put one shot on frame.

Orlando tried to tie the match right out of the break, sending Freeman a ball over the top. The fullback tracked it down and fired, but his shot was wide of the right post in the 46th minute. The Lions scored on their next shot. Freeman opened the play up in the middle of the pitch and made a nice pass to Pasalic, who slipped in a perfect ball for Enrique to run onto. Enrique finished his shot through Schwake in the 58th minute to tie the game at 2-2.

Orlando had a chance to take the lead just two minutes later when Brekalo made a fantastic pass to send Pasalic down the right. The Croatian tried to cut a pass back into the middle, where Thorhallsson and Enrique were making runs, but the attempt was just behind both, and Nashville cleared the danger.

Pasalic went for his brace in the 63rd minute, firing a shot inside the box that fizzed over the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, the Lions — vehemently — felt they should have had a penalty. What appeared to be a clear handball in the box was let go by referee Joshua Encarnacion. Orlando City players protested to no avail, and it was a play that weighed heavily on Pareja’s mind after the match, as the play could have been a huge difference maker in a tie game.

“I hate to say this, but the (lack of a) PK was incredible,” Pareja said. “We reviewed it, and it’s impossible that a referee cannot see that handball. This is a tournament where we’re investing. This is a tournament that we’re (taking) serious. It’s a tournament that our club wanted to be well represented. It’s incredible for me that a referee of this category cannot see that PK. It is impossible because I know that he saw it. Obviously we take our part, but the (no call on) the PK was incredible — not conceding something that is so clear.”

Five minutes after the no-call in Orlando’s attacking end, there was a no-call in the Lions’ defensive end, as Freeman appeared to be fouled just outside his defensive penalty area. Encarnacion allowed play to go on as Nashville recovered the loose ball in the left corner and sent it across the face of goal. Qasem picked it up in the right corner, muscled his way free of second-half sub Ivan Angulo, and passed to Patrick Yazbek just inside the top of the box. Yazbek had traffic in front of him, so he sent a backheel drop pass to Meyer, who fired a laser just inside the right post for what turned out to be the game winner.

“I think we had the game under control,” Pasalic said. “One moment we are not paying attention. (Nashville gets) the goal and the luck. We missed the luck at the end. And I think it hurts a lot.”

“Today, the game showed us that we have to be on our toes all the time,” Pareja said. “When you see that something is fixed, and something is good, and the game comes and exposes you in this manner. It just tells us that we have to keep going.”

Substitute Luis Muriel blasted a shot just wide of the left post in the 84th minute as Nashville dropped its block low to protect the lead. The effort was a good one, but Schwake had it covered if it had been on frame.

Pareja sent Duncan McGuire and Rafael Santos on to add more attacking players. Moments later, Angulo sent a cross into the box for a visibly tiring Freeman. The cross was a little behind the fullback, who still managed to get his head to it but couldn’t generate enough power on the shot to beat Schwake in the 86th minute. Two minutes later, Pasalic put the ball on his left foot again and blasted another shot over the bar.

Orlando City had seven minutes of stoppage time to score a goal to stay in the tournament, but the Lions couldn’t even generate a scoring chance.

The Lions ended up with the advantage in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (15-7), corners (8-4), and passing accuracy (86.5%-85%). Both teams put three shots on target, and the lack of precision was one of the reasons Orlando City is out of the tournament.

Despite having traveled, Nashville looked fresher, especially down the stretch. Araujo and Ojeda looked tired before the first half ended, and Freeman looked shattered down the stretch. But Pareja and Pasalic did not use tired legs as an excuse. Pareja said he wanted to keep the defensive solidity of the most recent games while rotating a bit in the attack. He also said that some injuries prevented him from rotating more, as Eduard Atuesta was still unavailable despite being back in training.

“I think along the game we played well,” Pareja said. “We should have more energy at the beginning of the second half. I thought the boys started with that energy, but we didn’t keep it.”

It’ll be another short turnaround for Orlando City, as the team’s regular season resumes Saturday at home against the Portland Timbers.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions host Nashville in the Round of 16 as a busy May schedule continues.

Published

13 hours ago

on

May 21, 2025

By

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 Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+) in the Round of 16. It’s the second match for both clubs in the competition.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 4-2-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 6-3-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 2-2-1 at home in the series in league play and 3-2-2 at home in all competitions. That includes a draw in the only previous U.S. Open Cup matchup between the sides in 2022. The Lions won the postgame penalty shootout to advance, ultimately winning the tournament that year.

The two teams last met on Aug. 31 of last season, with the Lions blasting Nashville 3-0. Facundo Torres’ brace and an opening goal by Ivan Angulo led Orlando City to the season sweep.

Orlando City visited Nashville SC at Geodis Park on July 17, with the Lions cruising to a 3-0 road win. Goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique sandwiched an Alex Muyl own goal as Orlando City got its fourth consecutive shutout victory over Nashville.

The teams met at the end of the previous season on Nov. 7, 2023 in the best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area hit the underside of the crossbar near the right corner and bounced in for the game’s only score.

The teams met in the regular season on Oct. 4, 2023 with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on Duncan McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame.

Nashville visited Orlando back on April 1 of 2023 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Hany Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in regular-season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Rodrigo Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-4.

These sides met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team up in the 74th minute on a counterattack. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half. The Lions, who played poorly in the opening 45, were the better team throughout the second half and Tesho Akindele’s shot off the crossbar was inches from providing a winner for Orlando.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss on the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar (in the 88th minute) and Cadiz (in the 93rd minute) turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended.

That 1-1 draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney had opened the scoring for Nashville with a header off a free kick but Orlando scored the last three. Dike took a star turn for Orlando City, scoring a brace, and Chris Mueller also scored for the Lions.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 3-0 road win over Inter Miami on Sunday. Luis Muriel, Marco Pasalic, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson scored the goals and Pedro Gallese made four saves in the victory over Lionel Messi and company. Orlando is riding a streak of 12 straight matches in all competitions without a loss (6-0-6), which includes the Lions’ 5-0 road win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to kick off their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign.

Tonight’s visitors are level on points with Orlando City in the Eastern Conference standings, but Nashville has more wins, so it currently occupies fourth place. Nashville had an extra day of rest after playing D.C. United to a scoreless draw at home on Saturday. The Tennessee-based club is also on a hot streak at the moment, entering tonight on a six-game unbeaten run ( 4-0-2). That includes the team’s 1-0 home win over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in the U.S. Open Cup two weeks ago.

B.J. Callaghan is in his second season as Nashville’s head coach, and the former USMNT interim head coach has his team headed the right direction. He’s got Mukhtar producing again and Sam Surridge has also been productive for Nashville. But the team is also playing well defensively, having not conceded more than one goal in any of the last five games.

Expect a tightly contested game, as is common when these teams meet. The Lions must play defense at the level they have the past two games, while taking their chances against a stingy defense and standout goalkeeper in Joe Willis (although rotation isn’t out of the question).

“There are still things we need to do to get better. We’re not going to think that everything is rosy,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “We know who we are, and we know where we’re going. This team is consciously understanding what we need to improve as well, so that makes me feel very optimistic. Now we have to be preparing for the next game that is around the corner [tonight] against Nashville SC and then Portland Timbers over the weekend.”

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (neck), Nico Rodriguez (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) is questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Joran Gerbet.

Attacking Midfielders: Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Kyle Smith, Rafael Santos, Colin Guske, Ivan Angulo, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Nashville SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Brian Schwake.

Defenders: Wyatt Meyer, Chris Applewhite, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Najar.

Midfielders: Patrick Yazbek, Bryan Acosta, Matthew Corcoran.

Forwards: Ahmed Qasem, Teal Bunbury, Jonathan Perez.

Bench: Xavier Valdez, Jack Maher, Josh Bauer, Ethan O’Brien, Alex Muyl, Jacob Schaffelberg, Christian Koffi.

Referees

REF: Joshua Encarnacion.
AR1: Rhett Hammi.
AR2: Ben Rigel.
4TH: Alejo Calume.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: 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 game. Go City!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/21/25

The U.S. Open Cup journey resumes tonight, Javier Otero signs a new contract, Pride’s Sams and Abello called up, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

on

May 21, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day with Orlando City hosting Nashville SC tonight in Inter&Co Stadium. I hope you are able to make it out to support the club, since I will have to watch it on television. If you listen to The Mane Land PawedCast you know how much I want Orlando City to focus on the U.S. Open Cup — even at the expense of the Leagues Cup. For now, let’s get to the links.

Nashville is Next

As I mentioned above, the Lions take on Nashville SC in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match tonight. Orlando City is riding a 12-match unbeaten streak through all competitions and has scored 14 goals in the past four games going back to its 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Lions will look to continue their goal scoring ways to advance to the quarterfinals.

Javier Otero Has a New Contract

Orlando City signed goalkeeper Javier Otero to a new contract through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2028. Otero joined the Orlando City Academy in 2017, moving his way up to Orlando City B and, eventually, the first team. The signing secures Orlando City’s backup keeper for the immediate future.

Pride USWNT Call-Ups

Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up to the USWNT training camp. This is Abello’s first call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sams and Abello make up two of Emma Hayes’ 24-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against China and Jamaica. Other notable players include Naomi Girma, Lynn Biyendolo, and Lo’eau LaBonta.

FIRST USWNT CALL UP FOR BELLO 🗣️

— Orlando Pride (@orlpride.com) 2025-05-20T15:06:37.081Z

USMNT Gold Cup News

Mauricio Pochettino has yet to name the final 26-player list for the Gold Cup. He has even put out there that he may give playing time to a goalkeeper other than Matt Turner. Pochettino sees the Gold Cup as a great opportunity for the team to bond during the last competition before the World Cup. Prior to the Gold Cup, the team has friendlies with Türkiye and Switzerland.

Free Kicks

  • The Kansas City Current may have defeated the Pride last match, but they paid dearly for it.
  • In sad news, former Sporting Kansas City player Gadi Kinda passed away. Kinda had been dealing with “a complex medical battle.”
  • In the “I’m not at all surprised” category, Lionel Messi was not fined by the league for any of his antics during or after the loss to Orlando City, including his criticism of officials, which is usually an automatic fine.

That will do it for today. Check back for our pre-match and post-match coverage tonight. You can also follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending