Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s season-opening 2-1 loss against the New York Red Bulls?
One half was brutal and the other was better, but unfortunately the half that was brutal was too much to overcome as Orlando City lost its season opener 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls. The one-goal loss was better than last year’s two-goal loss on opening day, but a loss is a loss and Orlando City will need to play much more of its second game like the second half of Saturday’s game, or else the Lions will be staring at a second straight loss to open the season.
I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue the first grades of the 2026 season, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their season opener.
Starters
GK, Maxime Crépeau, 8 (MotM) — A goalkeeper tying the club record for saves in a game is not necessarily a good thing, especially when that record is a big number like 11 saves, but all credit is due to the new Orlando City starting goalkeeper as he made some phenomenal stops against New York. His distribution could have been better, not only the 76.1% completion percentage but also some of the decisions about who to attempt to pass to and when, but if the Canadian is going to be able to fly around the goal and get his hands or feet onto just about every shot, then he will be able to quickly put to bed the concerns about replacing Pedro Gallese. Crépeau also showed an infectious intensity as well, pumping his fists after saves and also constantly communicating with the defenders, and pumping them up after they made good plays. He could have done better to push Emil Forsberg wider on New York’s first goal and perhaps he could have gotten to the cross on the second, but in both cases he was stuck on an island and just was not able to make the play. It is rare that a goalkeeper who gives up two goals is the Man of the Match, but for my money Crépeau was the best Lion on the night.
D, Adrián Marín, 6 — The Spaniard was much better in the second half than in the first half, which perhaps may have been due to feeling the need to compensate for playing alongside a left center back in Iago who only just joined the team towards the end of training camp. New York attacked Orlando City’s left side relentlessly during the first half, and ended up with nearly 40% of its attacks going down that channel of the field for the full game. Marín won some tackles in the first half but was dribbled past twice, and was lucky that the Red Bulls, in particular Cade Cowell, did not capitalize on the chances they kept creating on Marín’s side. On the positive side, he was strong in the air, and tied for the team lead in defensive contributions with two tackles, two interceptions and five clearances. He also got forward a lot more than David Brekalo did at left back for most of the 2025 season, contributing two key passes while completing 82.3% of his passes.
D, Iago, 4.5 — There is no sugar coating it, Iago’s debut was not a great one. Or even close to it. The big Brazilian was strong in the air, winning several headers and leading the game in clearances during his 45 minutes on the field, but aside from that he looked like a young player who had just joined the club recently and was thrust into a starting role with no time to gel with his teammates, which is exactly what he is. That does not excuse his mistakes, and he was majorly at fault for both of New York’s goals, but he will improve with time and will benefit greatly from the early minutes when he was thrown into the fire. It is a long season, and the MLS U22 Initiative player deserves the chance to adjust to a new country and a new team. That said, he will need to improve quickly, or he might find himself on the bench during this adaptation period instead of learning on the job. Iago completed 84.4% of his passes and added one interception and five clearances.
D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — The Slovenian international, like many of his teammates, had a rough first half, but improved quite a bit during the second half. Brekalo got beaten badly by Forsberg for New York’s opening goal and was beaten again by Adri Mehmeti on the second goal, so even though he was much better during the second half, he still was not great overall because of how poor the opening half was. Perhaps he too felt like he had to compensate some for Iago, but that does not excuse some of the poor one-on-one defending and getting dribbled past twice in dangerous areas. Brekalo tied with his left back partner Marín for the team lead in defensive contributions, with two tackles, three blocks, and four clearances, and he completed the second-most passes on the team (37) at an 86% completion rate.
D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s most recent acquisition nearly had a dream debut, but the shot he put into the back of the net early in the second half came after the ball had hit his arm, and so it was correctly, although disappointingly, waived off. It was still a strong debut performance for the former Houston Dynamo player, especially considering he only arrived in Orlando just days prior to the season opener. Dorsey got forward frequently and was dangerous when he did, though he did not track back quite as well as Alex Freeman was doing by the end of last season. Dorsey needs time to integrate into the team’s system and develop chemistry with his teammates, both those who play further forward on the right side of the field as well as those who play with him on the back line, and if he can continue to attack up the right the way he did on Saturday while also ensuring that the opposition cannot take advantage of his forays forward, Orlando City will be in good shape. Dorsey’s almost-goal did not officially count, but he was able to put another shot on target, one that required a fantastic save by New York’s Ethan Horvath, while completing 74.3% of his passes and adding three tackles and one interception on defense.
MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — Saturday night was a rough night for Orlando City’s starting left wing. While he was on attack mode throughout his minutes on the field, he missed wide-open teammates multiple times while going for goal himself. Being that his passing completion percentage was only 53.9%, perhaps he would not have completed those passes anyway, but Duncan McGuire was wide open on two occasions and Spicer never even looked in his direction while the Lions were on the break. The Trinidad & Tobago international’s work rate was strong, as he led the team in tackles with four while also adding one clearance, but according to sofascore.com’s tracking, he lost the ball 25 times during the game, which was by far the most of any player, and that, combined with some tunnel vision when he had the ball, hurt the Lions as they tried to climb back into the game.
MF, Braian Ojeda, 6 — The man we call “Defensive” Ojeda played, like so many of his teammates, much better as the game went along. However, as one of the two central midfielders, he was responsible for Forsberg, one of the most dangerous players on New York’s roster, being wide open in the middle of the field for the game’s opening goal. Mistakes happen, especially with defensive groups that have not played together before, but that was an egregious one and he will need to work with his partners in the middle to ensure those mistakes are few and far between. Aside from that, Ojeda was solid, though not spectacular, in the middle, completing a team-leading 42 passes at a 91.3% completion rate, and adding three tackles on defense.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, N/A — It was not the return that Cartagena had hoped for, as after just 14 minutes he was clutching his hamstring and walking directly into the tunnel with his hands on his head. Let’s hope that it turns out not to be serious. He completed six of his seven passes while on the field for an 85.7% completion percentage and also had one tackle and one clearance.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 5 — Orlando City struggled to keep any possession during the first half, and that rendered the Croatian nearly invisible while he was on the field. When he did see the ball, he was not on top form, losing 10 possessions and completing only 12 passes, at an 80% completion rate. Pasalic wasn’t the only one doing it, but he dribbled into double teams on multiple occasions, helping New York turn defense into transition opportunities. He put one shot on target but it was from distance, a little rushed, and fairly tame, and he was removed at halftime for Iván Angulo.
MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Although he, too, was mostly invisible in the first half Orlando City’s other Designated Player had a much better second half. The Argentine came inches away from getting the Lions on the board with a well-struck free kick that was just tipped wide. He also fired a thundering attempt from close range that was blocked. “Offensive” Ojeda led the team with three key passes, but he only completed 10 passes in total (71.4% completion percentage) and Orlando City needs him to have a lot more of the ball if the team is going to have a successful season. Credit New York’s marking in the first half for starving him of the ball, but that’s also partially a failure on the part of Spicer and Pasalic to find him before being closed down. Playing in an advanced position, Ojeda recorded zero defensive contributions, though he had six recoveries of loose balls and put in work on both sides of the ball despite not tallying any defensive statistics.
F, Duncan McGuire, 5.5 — Big Dunc went the full 90, and went hard for the full 90, but came out with nothing to show for it, despite making some of the game’s most impressive runs both offensively and defensively. Spicer missed him twice when he was alone and in a great position to score, and then Angulo played a ball over the top to him but he ended up needing to use his weaker left foot to get the shot off, and it was blocked. Despite playing the whole game, McGuire ended up with fewer touches in the box than second half substitute Tiago and the same amount of touches as midfielders Braian Ojeda and Pasalic, and he needs better service if he is going to be able to get back to his goal-scoring ways of 2023 and 2024. I thought the effort was supreme, especially some of the runs he made while tracking back on defense, but aside from that it was a quiet day for the former Creighton Blue Jay. He completed eight of his 12 pass attempts (66.7%) and added one interception on defense. But he could have done more to clear the ball prior to New York’s second goal.
Substitutes
MF, Colin Guske (14′), 6 — The Homegrown midfielder was thrust into action far earlier than anyone expected. With Eduard Atuesta out with hamstring tightness, Guske was on the bench and forced to come in just 14 minutes into the game after Cartagena went off injured. He showed once again that he is ready to play at the MLS level, and during the second half in particular he dropped back more to help out the defense, which in turn helped his teammates better link to the attacking players. Guske finished with the third-most completions on the team (34) and completed those passes at an 89.5% completion rate while also adding one interception and one clearance. He also made a couple of strong tracking runs in transition to prevent dangerous counters.
MF, Iván Angulo, (46′), 7 — The Colombian came on for Pašalić to start the second half and he played one of his best halves of soccer in his Orlando City tenure, making plays all over the field and really changing the game for the Lions. He did it despite playing more centrally than normal as part of the club’s tactical change at the break. The great pass he played to McGuire could have led to an assist and the pass he played to Zakaria Taifi in stoppage time did lead to an assist. Despite playing for only 45 minutes, he completed the same number of passes (18) as Martin Ojeda and McGuire combined, even though both went the full 90. Angulo completed those passes at an 85.7% completion rate with two key passes, and he nearly scored a goal himself after getting his head on a great cross from Dorsey, but it was just deflected by Justin Che and bounced harmlessly to Horvath. Angulo also added one interception and six loose ball recoveries, and after this performance, I expect we will see him back in the starting lineup shortly.
D, Nolan Miller, (46′), 6 — The rookie from the University of Michigan made his MLS debut, coming on for Iago to start the second half, and he looked completely comfortable on the field. His entrance onto the back line helped steady the ship, and while he did not produce any spectacular plays, he was steady, solid, and composed, helping the Lions deliver a significantly better performance in the second half than the first. Miller completed 80.8% of his passes and had one shot attempt, a header on a corner kick that went over the bar. Defensively, he added one tackle and one clearance, but his most important contribution was his cohesiveness with the back line, which played much better with him in the left center back slot.
MF, Tiago, (76′), 6.5 — Tiago entered late in the second half, coming on for Spicer, and he had a glorious chance to score a goal on his debut but he scuffed the shot, putting it on goal but weakly. He made up for it just moments later, making an excellent off-ball run to put himself in a perfect position to finish a pass from fellow sub Taifi, cutting the lead to 2-1. Aside from those two shots on target, he took a third shot that did not go on target, completed his only pass attempt, and added one tackle and one interception on defense.
D, Zakaria Taifi, (87′), N/A — The Homegrown defender came on late for Dorsey and kept the high level of play at right back trend going by creating Orlando City’s only goal after he made a great run up the right side, took Angulo’s through ball well, and one-timed a perfectly weighted pass across the goalmouth for Tiago to slot home. It was the only pass attempt he made on the night, but it was a key pass, literally and figuratively, as he picked up his first MLS assist and spoiled the shutout on one of the last touches of the match. Taifi made an impact, but he didn’t quite play enough minutes to fairly grade the performance.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disappointing 2-1 loss against the Red Bulls. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Orlando City hosted Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium Saturday, and it was a tale of two halves. The first half was one of the most boring first halves of soccer ever, and the second half was a wild free-for-all with Orlando City coming to life. The Lions were able to earn all three points at home, defeating RSL 2-1. Here are my five takeaways from the match.
An Inevitable Goal
Orlando City put out a mostly first-choice team on short rest, while RSL rotated pretty heavily due to their schedule congestion and a Leagues Cup knockout match coming up on Tuesday.The Lions had the majority of the possession through the first 35 mintues, while RSL was able to send the ball over the top a few times early, but the visitors kept getting the timing wrong against Orlando’s high line, resulting in offside calls. That was until the 36th minute, when Dominik Marczuk managed to stay onside, blazed past Zakaria Taifi, and was all alone on the back post. It wasn’t hard to put it in from there. Orlando City had the better of the play up to that point, but it still felt like Real Salt Lake’s goal was more likely.
Possession Without Purpose
Despite holding 58% possession in the first half, Orlando City managed to get exactly zero shots on goal on zero shots total. Zero shots taken the entire first half! As I mentioned above, that was zero shots against a heavily rotated RSL squad. For a team with Antoine Griezmann, Marco Pasalic, and Griffin Dorsey in the starting lineup, that stat is unacceptable. The lack of any chances resulted in Martin Perelman bringing on Justin Ellis and Daryl Dike as offensive halftime substitutions.
Subs Make a Difference
It took less than 10 minutes for Ellis and Dike, along with fellow substitute Joran Gerbet, to make a difference. While it was ultimately Griezmann who scored the goal, it was Gerbet, Ellis, and Dike that made it happen. Gerbet picked up a loose ball Eduard Atuesta won and sent it to Ellis on the right. Ellis sent the ball into the box to Dike, who took it with his back to goal, pirouetted with the ball, and shot it. Unfortunately for Dike, Mason Stajduhar was there to block it. Unfortunately for Stajduhar, Griezmann was there for the poacher’s goal to level the score for Orlando City. Griezmann positioned himself wisely without the ball, but it was the three halftime subs that really made it happen.
Griezmann Gets Another
After equalizing, Orlando City had all the momentum and pressed for a second goal. It was Griezmann who provided the winning goal with his first brace for the Lions. If his first goal was a “right time, right place” type of goal, his second was luck and skill combined. He took a pass in the box from Tyrese Spicer and tried to back heel it to Dike. The ball bounced off the defender and right back to Griezmann, who wasted no time in putting it in the back of the net. It was a microcosm of Griezmann’s time in Orlando for me. He tried to be unselfish, but ultimately taking the shot himself was what was needed. More of this please.
Possession With Purpose
If Orlando City did almost nothing with the ball in the first half, the Lions did everything needed with the ball in the second half. They actually raised the possession to 60% by the end of the match, scored two goals, and didn’t allow a second from RSL. The defenders were able to clear most of the attacks and Maxime Crepeau cleaned up anything that got through. Orlando City was able to continue to push into the attack even after the second goal. As I said above, it was a tale of two halves, and fortunately, the second half was enough for the win.
That is what I saw in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Griezmann’s Brace Lifts Lions to Win
Antoine Griezmann scored twice in the second half to help Orlando City erase a 1-0 deficit and beat RSL at home.
Antoine Griezmann scored two second-half goals for his first Orlando City brace, leading the Lions to a 2-1 comeback win over Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium tonight. After a lethargic opening 45 minutes that saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead into the half on Dominik Marczuk’s goal, an energetic trio of halftime subs injected life into the attack for Orlando (7-11-3, 24 points).
Griezmann’s two goals pushed the Lions past Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points), but it’s fair to say Orlando City wasn’t clean enough in the first half and couldn’t turn possession into attacking threat until the introduction of second-half subs Justin Ellis, Joran Gerbet, Daryl Dike, and Tyrese Spicer.
The Lions snapped an 0-2-2 winless streak in all competitions and a 0-2-1 skid in league play with tonight’s win, moving just over the playoff line into ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a tough game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “It wasn’t easy the first half; we tried good and sometimes it happens like that, the game. I think the team in the second half was able to to play in a very difficult moment. It’s not easy and the guys did an amazing job.”
Perelman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Tiago joining Antoine Griezmann up top.
The first half consisted of long spells of Orlando possession that came to nothing against a heavily rotated RSL side, with former Lion Mason Stajduhar having to do nothing in goal, because the Lions couldn’t even manage one first-half shot attempt. The visitors were content to stay in their low block of five at the back and four midfielders, wait for the exhausted-looking hosts to misplace a pass or have a bad touch, and look for chances to hit on the counter or with balls over the top.
Griezmann looked the most in need of a rest, as several of his touches were heavy in the first half, but he was far from the only one.
There was a scary moment early in the game when Jansson collided with Marczuk on an attempted RSL switch of play. The Orlando City captain was fouled and stayed down to get treatment, eventually leaving the field under his own power. He was able to return moments later.
Orlando City won a few set pieces in the opening half but did nothing with them, while the visitors looked dangerous if they could stay onside, which they struggled to do early. When the Lions did manage to find space against RSL’s back line, the crosses were poor, ending up either out of play or in the goalkeeper’s hands.
The visitors broke through the dull affair in the 36th minute. Alexandros Katranis laid off a ball on the left flank for Sam Junqua behind him. Junqua picked up his head and spotted Marczuk’s well-timed run behind Taifi and delivered a nice cross. Marczuk met the ball in the air with his foot and knocked it past Crepeau to make it 1-0.
Crepeau kept things from getting worse just before halftime. Angulo turned the ball over on an attempted recycle of a failed set piece, igniting a Real Salt Lake counter. The ball ended up with Marczuk again on the right and this time Crepeau was able to get a hand on it to palm it out for a corner.
The Lions dealt with the set piece and the half came to an end with Orlando’s starters trailing 1-0 to an RSL B-squad that dien’t allow a single shot attempt.
At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (59.4%-40.6%) and passing accuracy (89.7-84.2%), while Real Salt Lake led in shots (3-0) and shots on target (2-0) and each team won one corner.
“It was a complicated game,” Griezmann said. “It’s never easy starting off with with a negative mark like that, but we made changes at halftime and put more more guys further up the field, and we were able to to get that goal and really kind of give ourselves some time of tranquility to create more opportunities to create those occasions to go out and get the winner.”
Looking to injuct some life into the game, or at least some fresh legs, Perelman sent Gerbet, Dike, and Ellis into the game at halftime for Otavio, Tiago, and Pasalic. It took a few minutes for the subs to settle in, but it made a difference in the Lions’ energy level.
Marczuk had the first look at goal in the second half, however, firing from distance from the right side, but it caused no trouble for Crepeau in the 50th minute.
Gerbet and Atuesta worked well together in the middle, keeping the ball better and allowing Taifi to jump into the play on the left. Taifi had a shot blocked out for a corner in the 51st minute. A minute later, Atuesta played a slick through ball for Griezmann. With Stajduhar coming off his line, the Frenchman chipped a shot over him but it went inches wide of the left post.
Orlando scored seconds after Stajduhar put the ball back into play. Atuesta won the ball to Gerbet at midfield, and he turned and found Ellis on the right. Ellis sent it in front to Dike for the shot, but it was blocked to Griezmann, who cleaned up in front, making it 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
Taifi got down the left in the 55th minute and did well to cut back a cross for Griezmann entering the box. Griezmann hit his shot immediately but it fizzed just over the bar. Three minutes later, Taifi cut inside and fired but hit the outside of the left post.
Real Salt Lake sent on Diego Luna, Saba Lobjanidze, and Morgan Guilavogui to try to counter the energy Orlando’s subs had brought into the game, and things opened up a bit. Dorsey did well to stick out a foot to deny a pass that would have put Luna in on goal in the 64th minute.
Spicer came on for Taifi in the 69th minute and injected even more energy into the match. He quickly won a set piece on the left just moments after coming on near the left corner flag. Atuesta sent his delivery on target toward the near post but it was headed behind for a corner kick. The ensuing corner bounced out to Ellis near the top of the area. The Homegrown forward used some deft footwork to work his way past two defenders before getting his shot blocked out for another corner.
Real Salt Lake broke the other way after the set piece and Luna ended up with it. He fired on target but Crepeau blocked it out of play for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the set piece delivery and Katranis tried a shot from long range that was well off target.
Orlando City took the lead moments later. Jansson sent the ball long out of the back to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international did well to get a cross in for Griezmann in the box. The first touch got away from the Frenchman but he picked up the rebound and slotted it past Stajduhar to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute.
“I think it’s a very good cross from ‘Spice’ and I was thinking to do one touch to score but I did very bad,” Griezmann said. “The defender touched the ball and the ball came to me, and yeah I saw a lot of legs and I tried to just make a pass between the legs of the defender and here is where you need to be patient just for one or two seconds. And today I was very patient in this time and this is why I scored.”
“It’s mandatory for us to enjoy Griezmann,” Perelman said. “We are lucky to be in the moment that he’s here with us. He’s one of the best players in the history of this sport. We have the privilege to see him. It’s just about enjoying him, watching him and enjoying him.”
Real Salt Lake threw bodies forward into the attack, but aside from some corner kicks, the visitors couldn’t produce much. Any time it looked like RSL might create something in the final third, Orlando was able to block crosses or head them out of danger. Orlando City also kept the ball well for spells down the stretch, taking the pressure off and allowing the Lions to see out the game.
At the final whistle, the Lions held the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (13-9), passing accuracy (88.8%-82%), and corners (5-4). Real Salt Lake put more shots on target (4-3). Ultimately, the Lions were sharp enough in the second half to make up for the slow start, although RSL helped out by being offside seven times to just once for Orlando.
“In the final zone, we were a lot more aggressive,” Griezmann said of the second half. “We were pressing more and more aggressive with our press, and it was a really good way to to get the win tonight.”
“The players were wanting to give us that control of the game against a team who sat back a little bit,” Perelman said. “I think the guys did a huge effort. Fortunately we could come back, win, because we really need it, and now we need to rest and think (about) the next one.”
“Just so happy to have the win at home,” Gerbet said. “It’s been like a gritty one, but a necessary one, an important one towards like the end of the season to get some momentum, because we’re going to start to go away as well, so we need to start to gain momentum, and I think that was a great way to do it.”
The Lions now get an honest-to-goodness normal work week. Their next match will be a week from tonight at Minnesota United.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to finish their long homestand with a bounce-back performance against RSL.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night showdown between Orlando City (6-11-3, 21 points) and Real Salt Lake (8-7-4, 28 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first and only scheduled meeting between the two teams from opposing conferences and the first time they’ve met since 2023 in Utah.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 2-2-3 in seven previous MLS meetings with RSL, including a 1-0-2 mark at home. However, Orlando City is 0-2-1 in their last three games against tonight’s visitors.
The last time the teams met, it was a forgettable result for Orlando City fans. But if you do remember, it’s not for good reasons, because it was a 4-0 beatdown that Real Salt Lake laid on the Lions on July 8, 2023. Cristian Arango, Justen Glad, Jefferson Savarino, and Anderson Julio did the damage.
During the most recent matchup in Orlando, most of us had no idea what COVID-19 was yet. The Lions and Real Salt Lake met on opening day of the 2020 MLS season, playing to a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium on Feb. 29. Despite it being a Leap Day, no one wanted to leap onto the scoresheet.
Orlando City lost the previous meeting, a 2-1 Real Salt Lake win in Utah on April 13, 2019. Nani scored Orlando’s only goal that day, but it came late in the match after Sam Johnson and Demir Kreilach had staked RSL to a 2-0 lead.
The May 6, 2018 meeting in Orlando was a wild 3-1 win for the Lions in which RSL missed multiple good scoring chances, hitting the woodwork and forcing Joe Bendik into some big saves. Dom Dwyer, Lamine Sané, and Yoshimar Yotún provided Orlando’s offense to offset Corey Baird’s early strike.
When the teams met in 2017 at Rio Tinto, Will Johnson provided all the offense against his old club in a 1-0 Orlando City victory. Johnson’s tally in the 17th minute was all Orlando City needed to take the first win of the series after two draws the previous two seasons.
In 2016, the teams played a memorable opening day match in which the Lions roared back with a frantic rally, as Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter pulled City level in a 2-2 draw at the Citrus Bowl. Joao Plata scored both RSL goals — one from the penalty spot — and RSL led 2-0 despite going down a man for 25 minutes, prior to Chris Penso evening things out by sending off Darwin Ceren.
Orlando drew 1-1 on the road in 2015 while down to 10 men after Kaká was sent off at the end of the first half. The captain opened the scoring. Sebastian Jaime found the equalizer in the 28th.
Match Overview
Orlando City enters on a poor run of form in a congested fixture schedule. The Lions lost 2-1 at home against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, making it four games without a win in all competitions (0-2-2) and they haven’t won in MLS play in their last three (0-2-1). While the defense is leaking just one or two goals per game of late, the offense has been less tidy in finishing chances, which could be attributed to some players, including Antoine Griezmann, not getting much rest during this stretch of seven games in 22 days. Orlando is a pedestrian 4-4-2 at home this season and is winless in its last two home matches (0-1-1).
Real Salt Lake sits eighth in the Western Conference after going 0-3-3 in its last six league matches, including a 4-3 home loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday. But, oddly enough, that stretch of matches sandwiches a 2-0-1 run in Leagues Cup, and RSL advanced to the knockout rounds, where it will play Club Leon on Tuesday, so we may see some rotation, assuming the Utah-based club is going all in on trying to win Leagues Cup or at least one of the three coveted Concacaf Champions Cup spots. Tonight’s match will be RSL’s first on the road since Aug. 1, where the team is 1-5-3 in 2026 in league play.
Sergi Solans leads tonight’s opponents in goals (9) and goal contributions (12), with Diego Luna leading in assists (6) while adding five goals for 11 total goal contributions. The departure of Zavier Gozo and his six goals and five assists is a tough break for RSL, because beyond those three, 10 goals are spread across eight different players.
The Lions must rediscover their scoring boots for this game, as the Orlando defense pitches precious few shutouts, and if RSL plays its starters, either Solans, Luna, or both could do some damage on the other end.
The Lions will be without Braian Ojeda (foot), Martin Ojeda (thigh), and Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Adrian Marin (thigh) is questionable, so left back may be an adventure, with Zakaria Taifi, Ivan Angulo, and David Brekalo as the leading candidates to play there, and all of them are right-footed. Real Salt Lake will be without Zach Booth (hamstring), Griffin Dillon (foot), Emeka Eneli (knee), Glad (adductor), and Ariath Piol (Achilles).
Match Content
- The most recent episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- David Rohe gave his three keys to an Orlando City victory in tonight’s match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Tiago, Antoine Griezmann.
Bench: Javier Otero, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.
Real Salt Lake (5-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.
Defenders: Alexandros Katranis, Sam Junqua, Juan Arias, Kobi Henry, Domink Marczuk.
Midfielders: Aiden Hezarkhan, Luca Moisa, Pablo Ruiz, Lineker Rodrigues.
Forward: Victor Olatunji.
Bench: Rafael Cabral, Juan Sanabria, Philip Quinton, Lukas Engel, Noel Caliskan, Colin Guske, Morgan Guilavogui, Saba Lobjanidze, Diego Luna.
Referees
REF: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Brian Dunn.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
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 match. Go City!
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