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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions rate in a 3-1 win on the road against Inter Miami?

Published

3 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

In the first Tropic Thunder rivalry match of the year, Orlando City went on the road and won 3-1 against Inter Miami. Ercan Kara, Martin Ojeda, and Rafael Santos all scored to overshadow a great goal from Leonardo Campana. It was Orlando’s first win during a hectic May and should be a good result to build off of. Let’s dive into how your favorite Lions individually performed in a huge road win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5  — Gallese was beaten by Campana’s strike from distance, unable to get to it before it was in the back of the net. Dixon Arroyo tested him again soon after, but he did well to get low and make the difficult save. It was Gallese’s only save of the night as his back line did well to keep Miami from troubling him too much. El Pulpo’s distribution could have been a bit better as he was accurate on four of his 11 long balls and completed 46.2% of his 13 passes. The way the game played out influences those stats a bit though as Gallese didn’t need to help Orlando build possession out of the back.

D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — A turnover in Orlando’s own half led to Miami’s equalizer, as the Herons picked off Santos’ pass and then worked the ball to Campana for him to work his magic. However, Santos made up for his error with his first goal as a Lion late in the match. Duncan McGuire found him at the edge of the area and he smashed it home. It was his second shot of the match, as he had a similar opportunity prior to his goal that went just wide. It was only his sixth professional goal and gave the Lions an insurance tally they’ve struggled to find in past matches. Santos did struggle in other ways though. His crosses looked threatening, but he was unsuccessful on both attempts and inaccurate on his four long balls as well. He had 42 passes, but only completed 73.8% of them as well. That being said, he was defensively sound with two tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 — The Beefy Swede was dominant in the center of Orlando’s defense, finishing the match with seven clearances, three interceptions, and two blocked shots. His distribution was great as well, as he was successful on 88.9% of his 27 passes and completed three of his five long balls. Jansson was a big reason why Gallese had a fairly quiet night as he positioned himself well to force Miami’s attack to go through him or try attempts from range or bad angles. The edge and decisiveness he defended with also went a long way in a rivalry match on the road.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7.5 — This match was a testament to just how well Carlos can put out fires. Campana and Josef Martinez are not the easiest forwards to wrangle with, but Carlos kept them limited while helping Kyle Smith out on the right side of the defense when needed. He had seven clearances and two interceptions to see out danger and prevent service from reaching Miami’s biggest weapons. Carlos only completed 73.9% of his 23 passes, but was accurate on four of his five long balls. This match was another strong outing from the Brazilian in his seventh start of the season.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — The right back didn’t see too much of the ball in 63 minutes on the field. Smith had 29 touches and 17 passes at a subpar 64.7% success rate. He didn’t get involved on offense much either, with his only cross of the match missing its mark. But on the defensive side of things, he had two interceptions and three clearances while communicating with Carlos to deal with the danger when it came knocking. Perhaps most notable was that, in a match in which referee Ramy Touchan handed out seven yellow cards, he wasn’t booked. In fact, he didn’t even commit a foul, which is important considering he’s a yellow card away from suspension and Michael Halliday is on international duty.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7.5 — Araujo notched his first assist of the season with a great long throw that had plenty of power to reach Kara at the near post. It’s nice to see this part of his game result in a goal. Araujo led the Lions with 69 touches and 55 passes at an 87.3% success rate. He also had a team-high two key passes and put his only shot on target, although it was right at Drake Callender. Of his 10 long balls, second only to Gallese, six found their mark, including starting the sequence that resulted in Santos’ goal. Defensively, he had two tackles and an interception to help limit Miami’s chances. Araujo made it easy to forget he’s just 22 years old, as he comfortably played himself and his teammates out of trouble. This was his 10th straight match that he’s played all 90 minutes, so he is likely looking forward to the week of rest.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — The Peruvian was juked by Campana and couldn’t close him down in time to stop his goal. It was a blemish on a fairly strong defensive effort in the midfield from Cartagena, who led the Lions with five tackles. Cartagena didn’t have any shots or key passes, but he did connect on two of his three long balls to contribute offensively. The 28-year-old had 46 passes at an 84.8% success rate and won his only aerial duel of the evening.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Angulo was an active part of Orlando’s offense, using his speed to collect the ball and charge into dangerous areas. It often felt like he happened to be in the right place at the right time. However, his decision making led to mixed results. In one moment he was whipping in an excellent cross to Kara for a key pass, but in the next he was sending a shot miles wide of goal. Both of his two shots were off target and that cross was his only one of the match. He didn’t connect on either of his two long balls and he had 26 passes at a 76.9% success rate. His quickness kept the Herons on their toes, even late in the match before being subbed off in the 83rd minute. Angulo also helped out defensively with two tackles and a clearance. He did pick up his fourth yellow card of the season though, meaning his next will result in a suspension.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — El Cuervo’s movement both on and off the ball helped create space for his teammates. Torres attempted a whopping 10 dribbles in 75 minutes and was successful on four of them to shake defenders and increase Orlando’s tempo. However, his touch was poor at times and he continued to lean heavily on his talented left foot, which limited him a bit when attacking. Despite how active he was with his 59 touches, Torres had no key passes and neither of his shots were on target, as one went wide and the other was blocked. He was accurate on one of his two long balls, missed on his lone cross, but finished with 37 passes at a strong 89.2% success rate. Although he didn’t have any defensive stats, the pressure he provided was certainly felt. Still, he needed to be more clinical in this match to capitalize on the team’s chances.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 6 — The Argentine winger’s night came to an unfortunate end in the 63rd minute when he pulled up near the touchline grabbing his leg with what looked to be a hamstring injury. Up to that point, he’d been solid playing along the left wing, completing 60.9% of his 23 passes and working his way into good areas. Gonzalez was successful on one of his two crosses as well, connecting with Kara on a corner kick for a key pass. Given his injury history, it was tough to watch him exit this match just as it looked like he was picking up steam in the offense.

F, Ercan Kara, 8 (MotM) — Kara is simply on fire, as he scored his fourth goal in five games. The Austrian forward got his head on Araujo’s long throw at the near post and flicked it on past Callender for Orlando’s first goal. He had more brilliance in the second half for an assist as well, knocking the ball forward for Ojeda to run in on goal unimpeded. The Lions targeted him early and often, and he finished the match with three shots, all with his head. One went just over the crossbar and the other smacked the post early in the match. He won his only aerial duel and completed half of his 16 passes in 75 minutes of action. It was an excellent performance from Kara and he is our clear Man of the Match.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (63′), 7 — In his first taste of the Tropic Thunder rivalry, Ojeda scored to restore Orlando’s lead in the second half with his only shot of the match. Only a few minutes after coming on as a substitute, Ojeda was sent in on goal by Kara and beat Callender to swing the momentum back in Orlando’s favor. He was also credited with an assist on Santos’ goal for slipping the ball through a defenders legs for it to reach McGuire, who then found Santos. His fresh legs helped see the game out and he had an interception and a clearance on the defensive side of things. He only had nine passes, completing six of them, and 15 touches, but he certainly made a difference in this one.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (63′), 7  — The center back came on for Smith in the second half to change the shape of Orlando’s defense. He only had eight touches, but he made them count with three clearances, an interception, and his first MLS assist. A long ball from Schlegel found Kara in the center of the field and the striker passed it along to Ojeda for Orlando’s second goal. He completed three of his four passes and was accurate on one of his two long balls. It’s nice knowing a center back like Schlegel is available, as he can provide both depth and versatility for the Lions.

F, Duncan McGuire (75′), 7 — His assist on Santos’s goal was a simple one, but he did well to hold up play in the box and finding his teammate rather than trying to force a shot from a tough angle or dribbling away from goal. The rookie didn’t take a shot, but got into good positions and was fouled twice. McGuire completed five of his seven passes and added some pressure to help Orlando take all three points back to Orlando.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra (75′), 6.5 — The midfielder was sharp coming off the bench, immediately combining with McGuire in the box to create a chance. He won’t receive credit on the score sheet for his role in Orlando’s third goal, but he did well to receive and then send the ball forward without a sacrifice in tempo. Pereyra completed six of his eight passes and looked good when on the ball.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (83′), N/A  — It was another brief appearance for the Icelandic midfielder, as he had four touches and completed all three of his passes in the build up to Orlando’s third goal. There wasn’t enough time in the match for Thorhallsson to receive a grade in this one.

That’s how I saw each performance from the Lions in their 3-1 win over Miami. It’s always nice to see the Lions win, but it’s even sweeter when it’s against a rival. Who was your Man of the Match? Make sure to vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Lion Links: 10/29/26

Orlando City draws Chicago Fire, MLS results amid playoff push, U.S. faces Spain in U-17 Women’s World Cup today, and more.

Published

3 hours ago

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October 29, 2026

By

Image of the starters for Orlando City at Chicago.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The pressure cooker on Orlando City’s playoff hopes was turned up another notch or two after Wednesday night’s result, but things could definitely be worse. Maybe that’s just the optimism speaking. It’s nothing brutalizing a stress ball and shouting into the void on the commute to work can’t fix. Let’s dive right into that frustrating game and more in today’s links!

Orlando City Blows Another Lead in Draw

The Lions had to settle for a 2-2 draw on the road against the Chicago Fire in another tough result to swallow. Orlando came out swinging and had two goals before halftime, but the team conceded twice in the second half and failed to find a winner. It was another strong showing from Antoine Griezmann and a draw on the road against a good team isn’t awful in a vacuum, but more dropped points leave the Lions holding on for dear life in the playoff race. They’ll be back in action on Saturday for a Halloween showdown with Charlotte FC.

Eastern Conference Playoff Picture Takes Shape

As the MLS season winds down, more teams are securing their spots in the playoffs or learning they won’t be taking part in the postseason. Charlotte clinched after a 4-0 win over CF Montreal that included a hat trick by Liel Abada, while the Philadelphia Union qualified after a scoreless draw with Nashville SC. The New York Red Bulls losing 3-2 to the New England Revolution was helpful for Orlando City, but Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew both closed the gap by beating D.C. United and FC Dallas, respectively. FC Cincinnati’s 2-2 draw with Inter Miami has Cincy level on points with Orlando as well, with Orlando holding a narrow tiebreaker. New York City FC stayed alive by winning 2-1 against Atlanta United, eliminating the Five Stripes in the process.

U.S. Takes On Spain in U-17 Women’s World Cup

The United States U-17 Women’s National Team will play Spain today in the round of 16 of the U-17 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. finished second in its group following a 3-2 loss to China PR and will now go up against a Spain team that has won every game so far. It should be a tough match, but the U.S. has scored a whopping 25 goals across three games. Maddie DiMaria leads the team with 11 goals, and hopefully she can lead the offense to a win.

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

Christian Pulisic has reportedly agreed to a contract extension with AC Milan that will last through June of 2031. He scored his second goal of the season on Sunday, so hopefully he can keep the momentum rolling. Elsewhere in Italy, Juventus is reportedly interested in adding American forward Folarin Balogun to its offense this winter, meaning we could see him link up with midfielder Weston McKennie at the club level. Borussia Monchengladbach defender Joe Scally had an assist in the team’s 2-0 win over Karlsruher in the German Cup as well. You should also make sure to check out Lily Yohannes’ incredible goal from OL Lyonnes’s 6-0 win over Inter in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She makes it look so easy.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Blow Two-Goal Lead in Chicago

Orlando City jumped out to a 2-0 lead but blew its third lead in the last four matches to spill more valuable points.

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10 hours ago

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October 28, 2026

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,
Image of Antoine Griezmann playing against Chicago.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

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.

Robert Lewandowski volleyed a cross off the far post in the 18th 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 20th 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 24th 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 33rd 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.

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 51st 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 57th minute Barroso chased down a wide clearance and crossed it to Bamba, who headed it past Crepeau.

Brekalo failed to run out a wayward pass by Iago in the 62nd 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 66th minute, but he fired it wide right as his scoreless streak continued.

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

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 76th 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 82nd 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 89th 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.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions visit Soldier Field looking for an elusive road victory against one of the best teams in the East.

Published

23 hours ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

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.

Enjoy the game. Go City!

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