Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Crushed at Home by Previously Struggling Revolution

Published

4 years ago

on

If your team is floundering, just play Orlando City. The New England Revolution hadn’t scored in two games and hadn’t won in six, but had no trouble dispatching the Lions 3-0 at Exploria Stadium. Orlando (8-10-6, 30 points) fell below the playoff line with the team’s continued lack of any kind of quality in league play — especially at home — in falling embarrassingly to the Revs (7-7-9, 30 points) on their own pitch.

Matt Polster, Wilfrid Kaptoum, and Henry Kessler scored for the visitors. For Polster, it was just his second goal of the season, and the other two Revs each scored their first.

The Lions fell to 5-7-0 at home and there will be no help forthcoming after the front office squandered the recent midseason secondary transfer window while everyone else in the conference got better.

“Difficult night for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We couldn’t (finish), but I think it’s much more than that, because through the game, we were losing energy. And then second half, it was painful for us and we couldn’t find the rhythm and and we stopped just being dangerous as well.”

Pareja’s starting lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo played central midfield next to the deep-lying Mauricio Pereyra behind an attacking line of Junior Urso, Alexandre Pato, and Facundo Torres, with Benji Michel up top for the third straight match. Ercan Kara picked up a knock late in the week and wasn’t in the game day roster, but the two newest Lions — Ivan Angulo and Wilder Cartagena — were on the substitutes’ bench.

The Revs came in with the idea of staying deep, gumming up the middle, and trying to hit on the counter and it worked. The Lions couldn’t work through the defense with passes that were precise or quick enough to create the defense any issues. New England used Orlando’s poor passes or deflections to jumpstart transition opportunities.

Kaptoum and DeJuan Jones sent some dangerous balls into the area in the early going but Gallese dealt with them. Jones came within inches of picking out Justin Rennicks in the 17th minute with a dangerous cross. The breakthrough came three minutes later.

A routine ball up the middle was won by New England and quickly sent up field. Polster made a run from a deep-lying position and neither Pereyra nor Ruan picked him up. Polster’s first touch off a Tommy McNamara pass was good and his second sent the ball past Gallese to open the scoring in the 20th minute.

“I think the first goal when they scored, we tried to do our best. We tried to push them. We took a surprise goal and that changed the game,” Pato said. “

Things could have gotten worse moments later when Urso conceded an unnecessary free kick just outside the area but Carles Gil’s shot hit the wall.

The Lions woke up a bit after that in terms of getting shots away but didn’t do much with them. Torres sent in a dangerous cross from the left to the far post that Djordje Petrovic misplayed but no Lions were in position to take advantage. Pereyra sent in a good ball over the top to Ruan down the right and the fullback won a corner. The service fell to Urso on the far side but he took a touch to settle it and by then the defense was in position to block it. That was Orlando’s first shot and it happened in the 27th minute.

Michel headed a corner kick cross on frame in the 31st minute but it was cleared away in front.

Orlando’s most dangerous chance came in the 33rd minute when Urso laid off for Pato at the top of the area. Pato smashed his shot on target but it was just a bit too close to Petrovic, who still had to make a great save to keep it out.

Pato missed the net with an effort in the 35th minute and Pereyra and Urso also sent errant shots from around the perimeter as the Revolution continued to prevent the Lions from breaking through the defense. As a result, the low-percentage shots were often rushed or hit out of frustration and offered little threat.

Jansson and Araujo did just enough late in the half to prevent a clear-cut chance in their own box, with the Uruguayan midfielder taking the ball from Gil, who flopped to try to get a penalty call but referee Ramy Touchan wasn’t buying it.

The Revs took their 1-0 lead into the break. Orlando led in possession (53.4%-46.6%), shots (8-6), shots on goal (2-1), and corners (3-1), but the Revs passed more accurately (87.8%-87.6%) and had the only goal of the half.

The Lions continued looking for a way through in the second half but New England stood its ground. Torres sent the first shot toward goal in the second period but his effort from the distance on theleft skipped wide of the right post.

Pereyra sent a layoff from Michel into the upper deck in the 51st minute with plenty of room to shoot and moments later, the Revs put the game away.

A simple ball in from the right to an unmarked Kaptoum allowed the Revs’ other defensive midfielder to match Polster with a goal.

Torres should have pulled one back in the 60th minute when a ball in from the left intended for Pato fell perfectly for him but the Uruguayan hit the right post squarely with a lot of net at which to shoot.

Michel sent a free header wide three minutes later, as the opposition’s net continued to be the safest place in the stadium.

Jones showed his solidarity with Orlando’s players by sending a shot well off target in transition in the 69th minute.

New England finished its business in Orlando with a goal off a set piece in the 75th minute. After an attacking move that appeared offside, Carlos knocked the ball behind to concede the corner. Gil sent in a good ball and Kessler was easily able to head it past Gallese to make it 3-0.

After Kessler’s goal the team basically had a kick-about to finish off the remaining time, passing around the outside and then eventually passing to a New England center back just to have something different to do.

Gallese made a good save in stoppage time on Brandon Bye to prevent things from getting worse.

And that was that. A New England team that was winless in six games, didn’t have Dylan Borrero or Gustavo Bou, and didn’t play Giacomo Vrioni had no trouble blasting Orlando City.

The Lions finished with more possession (53.2%-46.8%), shots (18-11), and corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (88.4%-84.8%), but the Revs got more shots on target (5-3).

“We are in the storm right now,” Pato said of the team’s form.

“The numbers are not a secret for us that we have been disappointed at home, especially where we used to be very strong,” Pareja said. “The question comes from what’s next then? And I don’t know any other answer to that than just keep working and keep moving forward and keep trying to fix the things. What we think we’ll do is to refresh this group,” Pareja said. “That’s what we’re going to do in the next two days — try to rest and try to get some energy back.”

Next up for Orlando City is a trip to Red Bull Arena to take on the New York Red Bulls next Saturday night. Much has to change or this once-promising season is going to end very badly for the Lions.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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

2 hours ago

on

April 29, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/26

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

Published

6 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!

Continue Reading

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!

Continue Reading

Trending