Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Complete Season Sweep of Fire
The Lions roared back from 1-0 down and became just the second team to beat the Fire at Soldier Field this season.
Orlando City fell behind early in the second half but rallied to score three consecutive goals in an 18-minute span to douse the Fire 3-1 at Soldier Field. The Lions (11-6-7, 40 points) got goals from Wilder Cartagena, Ivan Angulo, and Facundo Torres — the latter from the penalty spot — to become just the second visiting team to beat Chicago (8-8-8, 32 points) this season. Two would-be Giorgios Koutsios goals for the hosts didn’t count, as the first was overturned for an offside after video review and the second was blown dead for a handball on the Chicago striker.
The Lions improved to 6-3-3 on the road this season and not only completed a season sweep of the Fire, but also completed an Orlando sweep of Chicago on the night, as the Pride had demolished the Red Stars 5-0 at home earlier this evening.
“We’re very happy with the victory, very proud of the players,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The second half, Chicago had a reaction, and after they started leading the score, I thought our boys showed a lot of character and control again of the game, and then we scored goals.”
Pareja had mostly the usual lineup but had to make a couple of changes on the back line. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena played central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.
Antonio Carlos picked up an undisclosed knock late in training late in the week.
Chicago’s defense created problems for Orlando City throughout much of the first half and when it didn’t, the Lions simply passed the ball off line or into areas without teammates. It was a disjointed-looking attack for most of the opening 45 minutes as a result, and it nearly cost Orlando at the other end on transition opportunities.
It started in the first minute when Gallese had to come well off his line to cut off a centering pass after Angulo had given the ball away in the attacking half.
Chicago came close in the 16th minute when Brian Gutierrez got his foot to a cross by former Orlando City SuperDraft pick Jonathan Dean, however, he got under the shot and put it over the bar from about 10 yards away.
The Fire appeared to open the scoring in the 25th minute. Pereyra was swarmed and gave the ball away in the attacking third and Xherdan Shaqiri sent Guitierrez forward into the attack. Schlegel gambled and lost, trying to break up the counter before it started and Gutierrez sent it to his right for Giorgios Koutsias to slip into the empty net. However, the Chicago striker didn’t check his run quite enough and after video review, the goal was overturned for offside by the slimmest margin.
McGuire had a go at goal in the 28th minute after a good long ball from Pereyra was headed on by Torres. The shot was awkward and it was blocked by the defense anyway.
In the 30th minute, Angulo again gave the ball away to ignite the Chicago counter. The defense sagged away from Shaqiri so he fired a shot that forced a diving save by Gallese.
Two minutes later, Cartagena nearly scored a worldie. The Peruvian sent a gorgeous curling ball that was headed into the upper 90 on the right side. Spencer Richey got his fingertips to it and that was just enough to send it inches wide of the top corner.
“That goalkeeper was just so impressive today, and to be able to make that save, it was incredible,” Cartagena said through a club interpeter. “I just kind of wanted to have a hit, and when I saw the way it was going, I was excited. And then he came over and he somehow pulled off that save.”
Koutsias sent a looping header right at Gallese off a Shaqiri cross in the 37th minute as the Fire continued to produce the better scoring chances.
Orlando got a foothold on the match in the dying moments of the opening half. Torres sent a shot over the bar from distance in the 38th minute. Three minutes later, Angulo got down the left side of the penalty area and fired but Richey made the save.
Koutsias embarrassingly missed a shot over the bar in the 45th minute from close range but he was offside on Shaqiri’s pass anyway.
Torres got cleaned out by Richey in the box in stoppage time but because the goalkeeper got a slight deflection to the ball after Torres got to it first, there was no penalty awarded.
Orlando City failed to do anything useful with a couple of late set pieces and the teams went into the break scoreless.
Orlando City dominated possession in the first half (56.6%-43.4%), passed more accurately (87.1%-85.4%), and won more corners (4-1). But the Lions’ sloppiness in the final third allowed Chicago to lead in shots (6-4) on counterattacking opportunities. Each team put two shots on target.
“We felt that we had control in the first half,” Pareja said. “I thought we had the volume and we created some options. But we needed to be more dangerous in the last third. The chat in the half was we can have the control we had, but we need to be dangerous in the box. And the boys started scoring those three goals, showing us that they made things happen, and it’s good because it’s not easy to come to Chicago and score three goals. It’s a very difficult place to play.”
The hosts grabbed the lead just after the restart off a foul by Thorhallsson. There wasn’t much in his challenge but the free kick set up the opening goal. The Lions were able to clear the initial ball after Gallese did well to get down and block a blistering cross/shot from Mauricio Pineda. However, the recycled ball found Pineda again on the right and he smashed an unstoppable shot past Gallese and just inside the left post to make it 1-0 in the 47th minute.
The Lions wasted no time pulling the goal back. Schlegel won Orlando City a corner, roaming forward from his center back position. Torres put in a good cross and the Fire failed to pick up Cartagena right in front. It was an easy matter of heading the cross on target and it had a ton of pace on it to give Richey no shot at robbing Cartagena a second time. It was the Peruvian’s first MLS goal.
“We went down right out of halftime with a goal that we think was kind of against the run of play, that wasn’t necessarily deserved to concede in that way,” Cartagena said. “But then Rodrigo picked his head up, and we were able to win a corner after a great play like that. And then Facu has been hitting the corners really well today, and when he crossed that ball in…obviously a little bit of luck that it just kind of fell to me in the right spot. I was able to get my head on it and get the goal, and just really kind of put confidence back into my teammates going into the rest of the game.”
The Fire tried to pull that goal back quickly, winning a corner just moments after Orlando scored. But Angulo cleared the danger and then one-upped himself moments later. Santos picked up the remnants of a Torres cross that was blocked and sent another dangerous ball into the area. Araujo rose to meet it and knocked it into the path of Angulo, who headed it home to make it 2-1 in the 54th minute.
Torres and Gaston Gimenez exchanged yellow cards over the next few minutes as the game settled down a bit.
Koutsias then thought he’d tied the game in the 60th minute. A ball into the box from Gutierrez found the foot of Angulo, who tried to clear. He knocked the ball off Cartagena, however, and it fell kindly for Koutsias, but it hit his arm as he turned and shot it into the net. The referee blew it dead and the video assistant referee’s check confirmed the call, much to Chicago’s chagrin.
Trailing, the Fire sent Kei Kamara and Fabian Herbers on for more attacking power. But instead, it was Orlando City that got the next goal.
Thorhallsson danced his way into the top of the area and Miguel Navarro got a foot in late, sending the Icelandic fullback/winger to the ground. Lukasz Szpala pointed to the spot and the VAR upheld the call.
Torres stepped up to the penalty spot and smashed a shot into the upper left corner as Richey dove the other way. It was Torres’ third goal against the Fire this season and his first since the Lions beat the Fire at home on July 1.
Herbers came within inches of pulling a goal back in the 72nd minute, sending a shot fizzing just wide of the left post after the Fire had dispossessed Pereyra.
Junior Urso made his season debut for the Lions in the 79th minute, as he and Martin Ojeda replaced Angulo and Pereyra. The Fire also sent on Kacper Przybylko for Gimenez in the same substitution window.
Despite the Fire throwing numbers forward, the best chance to score the rest of the way fell to Orlando substitute Ramiro Enrique. Fellow sub Michael Halliday sent a good ball into the area for Ojeda. The Argentine dropped it off for Enrique, who blasted a shot over the bar in the 90th minute.
Much of the rest of the game was spent with Orlando repelling the Fire before they could get the ball into any dangerous spots. After six minutes of stoppage time, the victory was secured.
With the Lions protecting the lead for much of the second half, the Fire finished with more possession (53%-47%), shots (11-10), and passing accuracy (85.5%-81.8%). Orlando City ended up with more shots on target (5-4), and corner kicks (6-3).
“We’re very happy,” Cartagena said. “We knew going into this game that it was important to get the win, especially after the hit we took in the Leagues Cup. And 15 days of really hard work with this group — I think the group came in with good energy — but it was a win that we feel like we deserved based on the work that we put in these last few weeks. Happy for the goal obviously, but even prouder of the victory as a team.”
Orlando City returns home for its first meeting ever against St. Louis City on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Exploria Stadium.
Orlando City
The State of Orlando City at the Halfway Point of the MLS Season
An analysis of Orlando City’s offensive and defensive performances through the first half of the 2025 MLS season.
I attended my high school reunion this past weekend (let’s agree not to discuss how many years it has been since I graduated), and late in the evening on Saturday night a karaoke machine appeared. What to my wondering ears did I hear but a great many hits that came from yesteryear. One of those hits, naturally, was karaoke staple “Livin’ on a Prayer” from Bon Jovi, with the famous line of “ohhhhh, we’re halfway there” which every…single…person in attendance sang along with. We probably gave karaoke a bad name.
Orlando City did not have a game during this weekend, but after its last game — one we can also agree not to discuss — the Lions also are halfway there, with halfway there in this case being the halfway point of the MLS regular season. Being that we are at the halfway point, I thought it would be a good time to check in on their performance thus far, so let’s take a look at how the squad is doing in some key metrics.
We shall start on defense, because defense wins championships and because, as Linkin Park sings on one of my son’s favorite songs, when talking about a soccer lineup we usually work up from the bottom. Using Opta’s tracking from fbref.com, here is how Orlando City fared on defense during the first 17 games (MLS Avg. is the average of every team except Orlando City):
| Metric | OCSC | MLS Avg. | MLS Best | OCSC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals Allowed per 90 | 1.29 | 1.39 | 0.75 | 11 |
| Shots on Target Allowed per 90 | 4.12 | 4.30 | 2.44 | 12 |
| Shots on Target Allowed % | 32% | 35% | 24% | 10 |
| Goals per Shots on Target Allowed | 29% | 32% | 21% | 13 |
| Non-Penalty: G-xG Allowed (full season) | -1.7 | -0.8 | -8.5 | 14 |
| PSxG +/- per 90 | +0.12 | +0.05 | +0.39 | 8 |
The first four rows are pretty self-explanatory, with the team just outside the top third (MLS has 30 teams) in keeping the opponents from putting shots on target and into the net. Prior to the most recent game, the one I do not want to talk about, like Bruno, the team was ranked 10th, giving up 1.19 goals per 90 minutes, but the disastrous first 32 minutes against Chicago knocked OCSC down a spot. In fairness, Chicago has one of the league’s best offenses, but still. Yuck.
The bottom two rows in the table above are the fun advanced stat metrics, with Non-Penalty Goals – Expected Goals being the comparison of actual goals allowed thus far this season to expected goals allowed, and since the Lions’ value is negative, that means that they have given up fewer goals than they were expected to. The defense is performing better than the MLS average, but because several defenses are significantly overperforming against expected goals, the team is only ranked 14th.
Where the Lions are doing much better is in the goalkeeper-focused stat of Post Shot Expected Goals – Goals Allowed, which is the stat that takes into account not just the location of the shot but also how well the shot was struck. In this case, a positive value is good, as it means that the expected goals allowed is greater than the actual goals allowed, and Orlando City’s goalkeepers did well to put the team in the top 10 in this metric.
The last area to look at on the defensive side is the lineups that have been used the most on the back line thus far, and unlike in past seasons, there is a clear first-choice back line playing most of the minutes (1,530 total minutes have been played) through the first half of the season (players listed from left to right just as they play on the field):
| Back Line | Mins | Goals Allowed per 90 | +/- per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brekalo – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 816 | 1.10 | +0.77 |
| Santos – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 234 | 1.15 | +0.88 |
| Santos – Jansson – Brekalo – Freeman | 95 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Smith – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 92 | 1.96 | 0 |
| Santos – Smith – Schlegel – Freeman | 90 | 2.00 | +2.00 |
I am interested to see what happens in the second half with regard to the back line, as I am not confident that by crunch time in October that it will still be the four on the top row of that chart who are the first choice back line. That said, this group is averaging only giving up 1.10 goals per 90 minutes and is +8 for the season, and the group that played the most in 2024 gave up 1.37 goals per 90 minutes and finished at only +2. Coming off a two-week break, we will see who gets the starts, and whether Rafael Santos can reclaim the left back position and/or if David Brekalo moves inside to center back. Robin Jansson and Alex Freeman are not going anywhere, but the other two spots may see some changes in the upcoming months.
On the whole, Orlando City’s defense has been solid but not spectacular in MLS play. The Lions have seven shutouts, but they also have seven games of giving up at least two goals and four games of at least three goals allowed. Some of the defensive lapses have been pretty rough, and an overall performance that puts them right on the cusp of the top third but squarely not in the top third feels right to me with how they have played this season.
And now from defense to offense, where there has been much more variation in the lineups and much better performance overall, though as I wrote a few weeks ago, I think the offense should be performing even better than it has. Looking at the same statistics as we did for the defense, plus a few more, we can see that the Orlando City offense is a top 10 offense in the most critical metric of all, goals scored, but not in some of the other metrics, which is a cause for concern:
| Metric | OCSC | MLS Avg. | MLS Best | OCSC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored per 90 | 1.82 | 1.37 | 2.25 | 7 |
| Shots on Target per 90 | 4.88 | 4.28 | 6.12 | 8 |
| Shots on Target % | 32% | 35% | 44% | 25 |
| Goals per Shots on Target | 34% | 32% | 48% | 5 |
| Non-Penalty: G-xG (full season) | +1.1 | -0.9 | +8.4 | 12 |
| Big Chance Conversion | 28% | 37% | 55% | 28 |
| Goals Scored by Designated Players | 20 | 8.1 | 20 | 1 |
The Lions are still on pace to set a club record for goals scored in the MLS regular season, and had they scored one additional goal during the first 17 games, they would find themselves in the top three for goals scored per 90 minutes. Orlando City played a volume game in the first half of the season, ranking eighth in shots on target per 90 minutes, allowing the team to offset a lower-than-league-average performance in the percentage of shots that ended up on target. When the Lions put their shots on target, they converted them better than most, but the team struggled all season long with the final product, as evidenced by the poor performances in the percentage of shots that went on target and the conversion of what Opta deemed to be big chances.
Fellow Floridians Inter Miami converted its big chances at nearly double the rate of Orlando City, and if the Lions converted at that same rate, they would have scored 0.88, or basically one, more goal per game. It is an oversimplification to say this, but I will point it out anyway, the Lions lost two games by one goal and tied six games, and an extra goal in any of those games would have earned Orlando City more points, and with just three more points they would be sitting in second place in the conference. During the preseason, I predicted Orlando City would finish third in the Eastern Conference, so yes, I am a bit salty about all of the dropped points.
Coming back to the offensive metrics, Orlando City is outperforming its expected goals err…expectation…but not by so much that the Lions are among the top teams in the league. Where they are at the top is in the goal-scoring by their three Designated Players, and with the recent injury news about Duncan McGuire the DPs will need to continue that goal-scoring form to get results.
In looking at the attacking lineups, no group has even played the equivalent of three full games together through the first 17 games of the season. Injuries and untimely (read: bleeping stupid) red cards contributed to the large amount of different lineups, and by my count, the team has already rolled out 55 different attacking groups thus far this season. The five groups that played the most constitute only 56% of the total minutes, and no group seems to have established itself as the favorite to emerge as Óscar Pareja’s go-to group.
| Attacking Group | Mins | Goals Scored per 90 | +/- per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Atuesta | 230 | 1.96 | +0.39 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Gerbet | 206 | 3.50 | +2.18 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Gerbet – Thorhallsson | 174 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Enrique Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Atuesta | 130 | 2.77 | +0.69 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Atuesta – Gerbet | 113 | 2.39 | -1.59 |
The group in the top row may have the inside track, but it was in the second half of the season in 2024 when Ramiro Enrique seized the starting role and Luis Muriel started to excel in a supersub role, so the door is open for any of these, or other, attacking groups to establish themselves as that go-to starting group. The MLS Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 24, and that could be a time to bring in another player to compete for offensive minutes as well.
On the whole, Orlando City’s offense has been really good, bordering on great. No team is immune to bad games, but with 31 goals in 17 games, the team has been far more of a real lion than a paper lion on the offensive side of the ball. Long-time fans of Orlando City will remember several (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) seasons when the team scored fewer than 45 goals during the full 34-game season, so to see nearly two goals per game this season has been a great sight.
Orlando City has a near-top 10 defense and an offense that is among the best in the league, and if the Lions had just kept their heads instead of receiving not one, not two, but three ridiculous red cards, they likely would be in a league table position that is more fitting for how well they played for most of those first-half games.
Soccer is always a game of inches and milliseconds, and the Lions can point to a whole series of almosts and what-ifs that would have/could have/should have led to different results. They did not happen though, which is why the team sits at only 1.59 points earned per match, 11th best in MLS and placing them in seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Historically, Orlando City plays better in the second half of the season than the first, and if this team can repeat that pattern and execute just a little bit better, it will once again be primed to make a deep run in the playoffs. During the past three seasons, the OCSC season ended in the first round (2022), conference semifinal (2023), and conference final (2024), and I think this team has the ability to continue that run of advancement and make it to MLS Cup.
And speaking of run, the highlight of that karaoke I mentioned earlier was not New Jersey natives Bon Jovi, but rather a classmate of mine absolutely crushing a performance of a song by a different New Jersey icon, the Boss, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run.”
Let’s hope that at the end of the season we are all singing along together as well, specifically to another classic rock anthem — Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/12/25
Reliving the Orlando Pride’s win, Orlando City B loses on the road, Jhon Solis Wins MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been enjoying a pretty good week so far and actually made pizza for the first time last night. It was burnt beyond belief in the end, but still edible, which is a huge win in my book. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links!
Sights and Sounds From the Orlando Pride’s Victory
The Orlando Pride beat the Houston Dash 1-0 at home in dramatic fashion and the club has released a video highlighting the action. Substitute Cori Dyke scored the winning goal deep in stoppage time to give the Pride all three points and second place in the league standings. The video includes Dyke being tossed in the air afterwards in celebration, as well as a pretty good pep talk from Marta. Let’s hope the Pride can win a bit more comfortably when they travel across the country to face Bay FC on Friday night.
Orlando City B Falls to Carolina Core FC
The Young Lions are returning to Orlando empty handed after a 1-0 loss to Carolina Core FC in North Carolina. A goal by Carolina right before halftime proved to be the difference, as OCB struggled to get much going offensively and couldn’t conjure some of the late magic it’s shown in recent matches. Ultimately, it’s a disappointing result after impressive wins over both Chattanooga FC and Huntsville City FC earlier this month. The Young Lions have a bit of a break to reset before trying to get back on track at home against Toronto FC II on June 25.
Jhon Solis Wins Goal of the Matchweek
OCB midfielder Jhon Solis won MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek for his strike in the club’s 3-2 road win over Huntsville on June 6. He curled a free kick towards goal with enough power behind it to beat the keeper and equalize things in the 84th minute. Solis also provided the assist from a corner kick on OCB’s first goal, so hopefully he can continue to make opponents pay in those instances this season.
Getting Ready for the Concacaf Gold Cup
The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off this weekend and plenty of pressure is on the U.S. after a pair of losses in the friendlies leading into this tournament. The team is without many of its usual starters, and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will have to figure things out in a group against Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago. As for other things to watch out for in this Gold Cup, I’m interested to see how Canada fares in its group and if Miguel Herrera’s Costa Rican team can make some noise against Mexico. Panama’s group could end up as the most enticing though, as it features fellow dark horse Jamaica and a pair of underdogs in Guadeloupe and Guatemala.
Free Kicks
- LAFC took advantage of the transfer window open to Club World Cup teams by adding Javairo Dilrosun on loan from Club America through July 24, with an option to purchase. He’ll be a Designated Player, with Cengiz Under returning to Fenerbahce to open up the roster spot.
- The Chicago Stars have signed German defender Kathrin Hendrich to a two-year contract, with a mutual option for 2027. The veteran should help strengthen a Chicago defense that’s conceded a league-high 24 goals this season.
- Sam Coffey reportedly signed a contract extension with the Portland Thorns back in March of 2024 that will keep her at the club through the 2027 season.
- Portland Timbers forward Jonathan Rodriguez will reportedly miss the rest of the season, with the club set to bring a Designated Player in to fill his spot once he’s moved to the season-ending injury list. The 31-year-old led the Timbers in goals last year, but has only made six appearances this season.
- Former Atlanta United forward Giorgos Giakoumakis is reportedly likely to leave Cruz Azul this summer and is interested in a return to MLS. Charlotte FC holds his rights for some reason, but hopefully he winds up in the Western Conference if he does come back to the league.
- Concacaf announced that it is in communication with officials in Los Angeles regarding the situation involving immigration raids and protests in the city ahead of the Gold Cup opener on Saturday between Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
That’s all I have for you this time around. Make sure to stay hydrated out there as we get closer and closer to the unbearable part of summer here in Florida. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/11/25
Orlando City B plays tonight, the Orlando Pride want to enter the break strong, USMNT pounded by Switzerland, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Hopefully, you decided to put your mental and emotional health first last night and skipped watching the USMNT match. I, unfortunately, did not. I’m going to take Ted Lasso’s advice to be a goldfish and move on. I think a great way to do that is to share today’s links with you, but not before we wish Orlando Pride forward Grace Chanda a happy birthday.
Pride Looking to Enter the Break on a High Note
The Orlando Pride are sitting in second place in the NWSL standings. The club is also sitting second in the SI.com power rankings and the goal.com power rankings. For some reason, All For XI has the team at number three in their power rankings, but nobody is perfect. Now, the Pride are looking to head into the NWSL break on a high note in their upcoming two road games. Next up is Bay FC on Friday night.
OCB Visits Carolina Core Tonight
Orlando City B is in action tonight against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium in North Carolina. The Young Lions look to continue their recent success following two late winners against Chattanooga and Huntsville City. The midweek matchup should mean that Manuel Goldberg will have everyone available for the match, except those who played for the U-18 USMNT in the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup. We will have match coverage for you both here and on BlueSky.
USMNT Crumbles vs. Swiss
If you turned off the USMNT versus Switzerland match at halftime (or before), I don’t blame you. The Swiss scored four goals in a devastating first half for the USMNT. I’m not saying it happened because Orlando City’s Alex Freeman did not get the start, but I’m not, not saying it either. Things got nominally better in the second half, considering the U.S. did not give up any more goals, but the 4-0 final score was still very, very bad. It was not what fans were hoping to see in the send-off match heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Club World Cup Struggles
I’m not certain if you know that the FIFA Club World Cup starts this weekend, including matches in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium in the coming weeks. What I do know is that across the various venues the response can best be described as…meh.
If you weren’t interested in going because the price was too high, you might want to check again. There are several former MLS players in the competition, including former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres with Palmerias, though he won’t be playing in Orlando. There are several good matchups, including Manchester City versus Juventus at Camping World Stadium.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were members of the U-18 United States Men’s National Team that won the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. The U.S. and Portugal drew 1-1 in the final before heading to penalties, where the Yanks won 3-2. Unfortunately, Guske had his attempt from the spot saved in the shootout, but his teammates bailed him out.
- USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes will be giving the European-based players a break following the end of their season. Instead, the team’s training camp later this month will be made up of exclusively domestic players.
- U.S. Soccer will have a committee look at the college soccer system for ways to better integrate it into the the modern soccer ecosystem.
- USMNT midfielder Yunas Musah’s time at AC Milan may be coming to a close as Serie A champions Napoli may be interested in the American.
- This article came out prior to the 4-0 beatdown, but it still raises some interesting questions about whether Mauricio Pochettino’s style will work with the USMNT.
That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!
The State of Orlando City at the Halfway Point of the MLS Season
Orlando Pride at Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
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