Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atletico San Luis, Leagues Cup: Final Score 1-1 as 10-man Lions Draw, Win Shootout

The Lions went down a man early but scored first, held on for a draw, and won the penalty shootout and the group.

Published

2 years ago

on

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City appeared to have an easy path to the knockout rounds entering its match against Atletico San Luis at Inter&Co Stadium in the final match of Group East 2 play in Leagues Cup. But a first-half red card while the game was still scoreless raised the degree of difficulty.

However, Ramiro Enrique’s late first-half goal and heroic defending for the final 45 minutes allowed the Lions (1-0-1, 5 points) to draw San Luis (0-1-1, 1 point) 1-1 and top the group. A 71st-minute goal by Rodrigo Dourado spoiled the clean sheet and the victory in one fell swoop, but the Lions got the last word by knocking the Liga MX side out of the competition with the draw and then winning the penalty shootout, 5-4, to claim the extra point.

“It was an excellent effort from our players,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We want to recognize that heart and that willingness to do the right things is what identifies Orlando City, especially in the period that we have shared here with the fans in these four years. We have players who give everything up, and today was no exception.”

Pareja’s lineup was virtually unchanged from the side that spanked CF Montreal 4-1 nine days ago. The only swap was Ivan Angulo replacing Nico Lodeiro after serving his suspension for a red card in last year’s competition. Pedro Gallese took his usual spot in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres with Enrique up top.

Orlando City started the match brightly, getting forward with a lot of energy and flying around the San Luis penalty area. Cartagena took the game’s first shot in the second minute, driving an attempt from distance that took a deflection but gave San Luis goalkeeper Andres Sanchez no trouble. Two minutes later, Torres won the game’s first corner and the cross found Brekalo in front, but the Slovenian headed it just wide of the left post.

In the fifth minute, Enrique did well to dispossess San Luis defender Julio Dominguez in the penalty area, turning the visitors over. Torres picked up the loose ball and fired from the right but just missed wide of the left post.

San Luis got its first shot in the 14th minute and it nearly resulted in a goal. Vitinho sent a blast from the top of the area on target and Gallese made a diving save to keep it out. The visitors did nothing with the ensuing corner and Orlando cleared the danger. That first attack allowed the Liga MX side to settle into the game.

Cartagena was called for a foul in the 19th minute about 30 yards out from his own goal on the San Luis attacking right. The visitors took the free kick short to the middle and Oscar Macias fired from long range but the shot was always going over the bar.

The game turned in San Luis’ favor in the 27th minute when a turnover in Orlando’s attacking third resulted in Vitinho getting behind the defense in transition. Smith caught up to him just outside his own penalty area and committed the foul. Although he was initially given a yellow card, a quick check of the video led referee Mario Escobar to change the call. Smith was sent off for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity and Orlando City was down to 10 men.

Juan Manuel Sanabria hit the ensuing free kick into the wall. It came back to him and he fired again. This time the shot took a deflection off an Orlando player and went out for a corner. Before it did, Gallese tried to keep it from crossing the line, taking a chunk out of the wet turf and going down hard. After receiving treatment, he was able to continue.

Rather than make a substitution in the first half, Pareja redeployed his troops, moving Cartagena to center back between Jansson and Brekalo, and pushing Angulo into a left wingback role opposite Thorhallsson on the right.

“It is very relevant for us to have players with that versatility,” Pareja said. “Wilder has had a tremendous impact in the way we bounce back from from our slow start. Today was another night where he adapted to the needs of the team and he dropped to that position where he can give us that function as a center back, but at the same time with the intelligence that the position needs to be a midfielder also.”

The Lions did a good job of holding possession for a spell after the free kick and even won a couple of set pieces from distance but couldn’t do much with them.

Jansson gifted San Luis an opportunity with a misplaced backheel pass attempt in his own half in the 45th minute. The wayward pass turned the ball over and Mateo Klimowicz fired a blast from outside the box. Gallese got down and made the save. He bobbled the ball momentarily but none of the visitors were anywhere near him, so he was able to gather it up.

The Lions struck at the death of the first half. Orlando broke in transition with a series of quick passes. Araujo sent the ball forward to Enrique in the middle, and he in turn sent Ojeda up the left side. Ojeda sent in a gorgeous cross to Torres at the back post. A bit too wide to make an attempt on goal, Torres smartly headed it down, back across the box. Enrique ran onto it and slotted it past Sanchez to give the Lions the lead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage. It was the Argentine’s sixth consecutive match with a goal across all competitions, breaking Daryl Dike’s club record of five.

Seconds later, the half was over.

Despite being a man down for a good chunk of the first half, Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (57.5%-42.5%), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (86.8%-81.8%). Both teams attempted five shots and both put two attempts on target.

Rodrigo Schlegel replaced Jansson to start the second half, as the captain was on a yellow card.

San Luis started the second half with a lot more possession, looking to pull Orlando’s defense apart. Orlando was able to get forward a few times as well, but both teams struggled to create clear chances in the opening minutes of the second period.

The first good look came the visitors’ way in the 53rd minute. A ball into the area was headed on goal by Yan Phillipe but Gallese was able to stop the powerful attempt. Six minutes later, a shot from outside the box sailed over Gallese’s crossbar.

Second-half sub Franck Boli fired just wide of the left post under pressure from Araujo on the shot.

The Lions finally got a look at goal in the 64th minute off a corner kick. Ojeda’s cross picked out Cartagena but the Peruvian’s shot fizzed just inches over the bar and onto the roof of the net.

San Luis’ relentless pressure continued. Sanabria smashed a shot toward goal in the 65the minute, but Gallese made a diving save to his right to keep it out. A minute later, Benjamin Galdames made a nice play to cut inside on the attacking left and fired from a tight angle. Gallese had his near post covered and the shot banged off the top of the crossbar.

Perhaps Gallese’s best save came in the 69th minute on an absolute cannon blast by Vitinho from the right. The Peruvian made a diving save to knock it off the post at the last second.

However, the San Luis goal that always seemed likely finally came in the 71st minute. The visitors had been working the Orlando City defense side to side relentlessly and it finally paid off with a ball into the box that Dourado was able to head past Gallese to tie the game.

San Luis won a parade of corner kicks down the stretch of the game, and Orlando defended in numbers. Dourado sent another headed attempt wide in the 75th minute.

After surviving several San Luis corner kicks, Angulo made a fantastic play to get out of a crowd of players along the right sideline with the ball, jump-starting the break. The ball ended up on the left with second-half sub Rafael Santos, who smashed a shot that deflected out for a corner. Schlegel got his head to the cross on the set piece but sent his shot wide of the left post in the 88th minute.

From there, Orlando saw out the final seconds of normal time and four minutes of stoppage time to secure the draw and clinch first place in the group.

The strong second half while up a man allowed San Luis to finish with the advantage in possession (54%-46%), shots (23-9), shots on target (6-2), corners (10-5), and passing accuracy (87.5%-85.6%).

Because Leagues Cup matches go to shootouts after draws, the teams went to the penalty spot to determine which side got the extra point, despite it having no impact on the standings. Orlando would have finished first regardless of the outcome, and San Luis could not catch second-place CF Montreal with the extra point.

Vitinho shot first for the visitors, and even though his shot hit the crossbar, it caught the underside and bounced down past the line to give San Luis the advantage after one shooter. Lodeiro answered and the teams swapped successful penalties in the second and third rounds. Sebastien Salles-Lamonge and Cristiano Piccini hit perfect penalties for San Luis, despite Gallese guessing the correct direction both times.

Duncan McGuire, who had come on for Enrique late in the second half — just hours after landing in Orlando from participating in the Olympics in France — and Wilder Cartagena scored to make it 3-3 after three rounds.

The fourth round proved to be decisive. Leo Bonatini hit his shot toward the left post, but Gallese again guessed correctly, and this time he was able to palm the shot away before it could cross the line.

“For us, a lot of the studying that we would do during the week on penalties just wasn’t there for us,” Gallese said. “We thought that they would only really have two guys that have taken for them historically, and the other ones, it wasn’t what I was able to study. It was just kind of what I felt on the direction they would go.”

“Important for us to have Pedro back in his level,” Pareja said.

Rafael Santos buried his penalty to send it to the fifth round with his team leading, 4-3. Franck Boli connected to put the pressure on Orlando’s fifth shooter, who was Thorhallsson. The Icelandic fullback ran up quickly and hit his shot hard. Second-half San Luis goalkeeper Cesar Lopez got a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out, deflecting it into the roof of the net from below, giving the Lions the win.

“For us it was important to win it in front of our fans,” Pareja said of the shootout. “For us it was important to keep this momentum. Now we’re preparing for the next one.”

The Lions will next host another Liga MX side — Cruz Azul, the second-place side in Group East 4 — on Friday at a time to be announced.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

1 hour ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

Published

5 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Trending