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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-3 as Lions Outlast Union in Wild Game

The Lions threw away a two-goal lead but won it late on Martin Ojeda’s second of the match.

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6 days ago

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Image of Martin Ojeda attempting a penalty kick against Philadelphia.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City built a 2-0 lead in the first half, a 3-1 lead in the second half, threw its lead away late and won it even later in a wild 4-3 Lions victory over the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Martin Ojeda scored the first and last of the four goals for Orlando City (4-8-1, 13 points), with Griffin Dorsey and Duncan McGuire finding the net in between. Philadelphia (1-9-3, 6 points) entered the match with one of the worst offenses in Major League Soccer, but Milan Iloski, Cavan Sullivan, and Ben Bender found the net in the second half against an OCSC defense that offered little resistance, conceding 24 shot attempts and 10 corners despite winning the possession battle.

Despite blowing numerous scoring opportunities that might have put the game out of reach earlier and conceding far too many chances (and goals) to a team with a struggling offense, the Lions have won two straight at home to pull level at 3-3-0 in games at Inter&Co Stadium.

“Of course, happy with the victory. I think the guys are doing a big effort. We did a really good game in terms of performance as well,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We made some mistakes that created the game everybody saw, but at the end of the day, I learned in this game to enjoy the victories and and this is what we are going to do, of course, knowing that we have things to continue improving, but we know the process we are in.”

Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The game started slowly, without much action in either final third for the first 10 minutes. Braian Ojeda jumpstarted the first dangerous-looking attack with a heavy touch in the attacking third, turning the ball over and starting Philadelphia on the counter. He made up for the turnover, however, by hustling back to block the Union’s shot at the other end in the 10th minute.

Martin Ojeda then began to befuddle the Philadelphia defense, getting in behind alone on goal multiple times. He wasted the first opportunity on a great pass from Ellis that put him in but on his weaker right foot and he fired over the bar in the 11th minute. A minute later, Ojeda got onto a long ball behind the Union’s back line again, but this time he stumbled on his approach to the box and went down under light contact. No foul was given, and the Argentine didn’t even get a shot attempt off on his second breakaway.

Jeremy Rafanello tried an audacious shot from at least 35 yards out in the 13th minute that forced Crepeau to tip it over the bar. Danley Jean Jacques shook loose for a free header at the near post but sent his effort well off target. Iloski found some space outside the area in the 17th minute on the left, but he sent his shot over the crossbar.

Seconds later, the Lions broke the scoreless deadlock. Ellis again put the ball through for Martin Ojeda, who took the ball under control and blazed past the Union defense and into the box. Andrew Rick came off his line and the Argentine made a quick move to round him. Rick tripped Ojeda up, conceding an obvious penalty and picking up a yellow card. The Designated Player took the spot kick himself, waited for Rick to dive to his right, and calmly slotted his shot home to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute.

Philadelphia responded well after conceding, keeping a spell of pressure in Orlando’s end but not creating much from it. Orlando’s defense made some timely blocks to deny the ball getting into threatening areas and eventually the Lions settled back into the flow of the game.

Orlando City then came forward through Tiago’s hard work in the 27th minute as he worked his way into traffic in the box. Locked in a battle with a defender, Dorsey took the ball from both coming in from behind and smashed it home to make it 2-0.

For Dorsey, it was his first goal in MLS play as a Lion. He celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt, simulating a pregnancy to honor his wife.

“I’ve been waiting to celebrate with the fans. I had a goal that was a handball. I got to celebrate that one, but it was called off, so it just feels good to get my first one at home,” Dorsey said. “And then, yeah, to announce that my wife is pregnant, due in December, is exciting. And we’re super excited.”

The Union again went on the attack after conceding, racking up lots of set pieces, including seven first-half corners in total and several long throw-ins that caused issues for Orlando City. In the aftermath of one of those set plays in the 38th minute, Iloski chipped a shot onto the roof of Crepeau’s net.

Orlando had an opportunity to break in transition off one of those set pieces in the 40th minute with Ellis and Angulo blazing forward against one defender. However, in one of the few misplaced passes of the half, Ellis couldn’t get his through ball past the defender to send the Colombian in behind.

The Union quickly started piling up more set pieces and came within inches of getting on the board in the 43rd minute when Geiner Martinez’s header hit the crossbar and rolled across the top of it, falling in play on the other side of the net. Orlando City was able to clear and take the pressure off for the moment.

The five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half were eventful ones. Martin Ojeda took a pass from Ellis on the right and cut in on his left foot, but Bender got in front to block his shot.

Until he was subbed off in the second half, Ellis was pulling the strings for the Orlando attack from a deeper position than usual, shaded toward the right side of the pitch.

“I think we were trying to win the interior sides of the field, like not wide but at the back of both wingers who jump and press,” Perelman said. “We wanted to do it either in a direct manner or through the midfielder, the interior, and Justin feels comfortable himself in there, and from there, he can hurt opponents with his talent. That was part of the plan. It wasn’t something rigid. It’s more about him, because sometimes he has not the freedom, but the opportunity, to read the game and see where does he feel more comfortable. I think he felt comfortable in that area. He felt himself able to play in a good way, and for us was useful, and we were able to create attacking sequences from there. So, that worked for a big part of the game.”

Philadelphia went the other way and quickly won yet another corner, with Iloski firing a shot from a tight angle that Crepeau saved. The Union worked a short corner late in added time and Iloski blazed a shot through traffic but sent it just wide of the right post on the last action of the opening period.

At the break, the Lions held the advantage in possession (57.7%-42.3%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-83.6%), while the Union had more shots (11-4) and corners (7-0). Each team put two shots on target and the difference is that both of Orlando’s went in.

Orlando City started brightly in the opening few minutes of the second half. Martin Ojeda looked to be pulled down just inside or at the top of the area, but no foul was given. Moments later, Ellis weaved his way through defenders on the right side and got into the box. However, just as he cleared the traffic and lined up his shot, Ellis slipped on the surface slick from a hard halftime rain and scuffed his shot attempt in the 48th minute.

Iloski pulled Philadelphia back into the game in the 54th minute off a turnover by Martin Ojeda, who sent a blind pass from the left wing into an area without a teammate. The Union broke the other way and Harriel roasted Brekalo getting in down the right. Harriel squared the ball back for Iloski in front and it was an easy finish from point-blank range to make it 2-1.

Three minutes later, Philadelphia came within inches of equalizing off their ninth corner kick of the game. Olwethu Makhanya was poorly marked in the box and sent a header toward the near post. Crepeau got over just in time to make a huge save, keeping it out with a strong left hand.

The Lions finally generated another chance in the 59th minute. Dorsey did well to get to a long ball on the right but his momentum carried him outside. He tried to play it left for Tiago, but that took the Brazilian into an even tighter angle on the other side. Tiago tried to leave it off for Angulo, but the pass was deflected by the defense to end the threat.

Dorsey was again involved a minute later on a set piece from long range. Martin Ojeda sent his delivery from left to right and the right back sent a diving header over the target.

Harriel fizzed a shot over the bar in the 62nd from long range. Four minutes later, Sullivan blasted a shot from the right just wide of the left post as the usually low-scoring Union continued to look like Barcelona against Orlando’s shaky, league-worst defense.

The Lions should have added a goal in the 70th as Martin Ojeda unselfishly put the ball in front of an empty net for Angulo, but the Colombian mistimed his jump and missed the ball. Nevertheless, it looked like Orlando put the game away just moments later.

The Lions broke three on one and second-half sub Tyrese Spicer sent the ball from the left to fellow sub McGuire. The big striker left his shot too close to Rick but the goalkeeper could only get a piece of it and it went in to make it 3-1 in the 72nd minute. He celebrated with his signature back flip.

“It was definitely a well-done play from Spicer and Martin (Ojeda),” McGuire said. “Martin helped drag the defender away, but we definitely knew that they were vulnerable in the transition, and we were able to exploit that. Spicer played an amazing ball across and just set it up nicely for me.”

McGuire’s goal did not, in fact, put the game away.

Philadelphia wouldn’t go away and Orlando refused to cover opponents in the area, which allowed Sullivan to pull the Union back within a goal three minutes after McGuire scored. Bender sent the ball from Philly’s attacking left into the middle, where Sullivan was all alone, smashing it past Crepeau to make it 3-2 with his first MLS goal.

“I think we didn’t do a good job at, you know, locking back in when they were able to get a goal, and we let them continue to put chances away,” McGuire said. We didn’t get numbers back, myself included, and I think we’ve got to get better at defending as a group when the other team is in transition. But luckily, we were able to get one more goal than them.”

Angulo had a chance to pull that goal right back in the 77th minute, taking a pass in the box, spinning and firing a weak shot straight at Rick for the easy save. Two minutes after that, Martin Ojeda again got behind, this time on the left side. He fired over the bar, slipping on the wet surface. Those were costly missed chances, because the Union tied the game moments later.

The Union got forward in a three-on-three break that morphed into more of a four-on-five as the ball cycled from Philadelphia’s attacking right to left. Bender was alone in space on the left near the top of the area and fired a shot just inside the right post to tie the game in the 79th minute. The ball went through Dorsey’s legs and took a slight deflection that pushed it into an area Crepeau couldn’t reach.

“I think, starting with myself and going down the line of experienced players that we have on the field, we need to find a way, and once again, starting with myself, to be more professional, to end these types of games in a way where we take the opponent completely out of the game,” Dorsey said. “Because I think this is a game we definitely could have done that, and we gave them opportunities to get back in the game when we shouldn’t have.”

Things got scarier for Orlando fans as the Lions started turning the ball over cheaply all over the pitch, giving Philadelphia opportunities to hunt for a late winner. Perelman pulled Dorsey off and subbed in Marco Pasalic, going to three at the back with wingbacks to try to regain some control of the defensive end.

Still, Philadelphia’s anemic offense found opportunities to win it. Harriel shook free down the right and blasted a shot that hit the crossbar near the left post and stayed out in the 88th minute. Off the restart, Martin Ojeda’s pass was off line and went out, giving the Union a throw-in. Philadelphia quickly sent the ball into the box and Jean Jacques headed the ball toward goal. Crepeau got caught halfway between his line and where the shot was taken. The Canadian was fortunate to see the header go just over the crossbar in the 89th minute.

The winner came seconds later. Angulo sent substitute Adrian Marin down the left in the 90th minute and the Spaniard sent in a cross. Martin Ojeda got to it and flicked a header past Rick to make it 4-3 with his ninth goal of the season in MLS play. Only three players in Major League Soccer have scored more goals than the Argentine this season.

“(We) definitely made it harder on ourselves than it needed to be, but I think we did a good job at responding when they tied it up,” McGuire said. “I think we needed to look for that third goal more quickly and put the game away. And without doing that, we let Philly get some hope, and they did a good job clawing back, but really proud of the boys for sticking with it and staying confident and getting the win.”

The Lions played better during the seven minutes of stoppage time and even fashioned a chance that should have put the game out of reach. Spicer ran onto an aerial ball and attempted a diving header from close range, but the Trinidad & Tobago international sent his shot right at the goalkeeper.

Orlando held off a couple more set pieces and ran out the clock on Philadelphia to get back in the win column.

Across the 90 minutes, Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (54.8%-45.2%) and passing accuracy (84.9%-80.9%), but Philadelphia led in shots (24-12), shots on target (7-6), and corners (10-2). The Lions were just lethal enough to finish one more chance than the Union on a night that might have seen Orlando score three or four additional goals had the attacking players been more precise.

“We’ll take a win. I think that’s all I’ve got to say,” Dorsey said. “Yeah. We’ll take a win.”

“We see the big picture, the big movie, the players as well, the club as well,” Perelman said. “And little by little, we’re still growing. This is our fourth game at home since we started this process, and we really want to win when we come home. So, I’m happy for that. Looking forward to continuing in this pathway.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround but at least they won’t have to travel, as rival Atlanta United visits on Saturday.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes

A big first half filled with breakaway opportunities helped Orlando City knock Atlanta out of the U.S. Open Cup.

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4 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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Image of Tiago celebrating a goal with Justin Ellis against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City ran wild over Atlanta United in the first half, building a huge advantage in what was ultimately a 4-1 victory over their Southeast rivals at Inter&Co Stadium in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals tonight. David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey, and Tiago (twice) provided the fireworks in a wild first half that could have seen Orlando ahead by even more goals if not for the offside flag and good goalkeeping by Atlanta’s Jayden Hibbert.

“I’m happy, of course, for the result, as well for the performance. But more than anything, I’m happy first of all for our group of players, because they do a huge effort every day,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “From the very beginning they have been fighting and I’m happy they were able to gift us a performance like this.”

Perelman’s lineup included Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack up top.

The Lions decimated Atlanta in the opening 45 minutes to build a huge 4-0 halftime lead that could have been more if not for Tiago and Angulo being offside on breaks that they finished and a couple of huge saves by Hibbert. Orlando City ripped the Atlanta defense to shreds either by moving the ball quickly or simply placing perfect through balls or long balls into the gaps in the visitors’ three-man back line.

However, the first goal of the game came off a set piece. Atlanta cleared a corner kick in the fifth minute, but Braian Ojeda sent in a good ball on the recycle and Brekalo was able to sneak in behind by timing his run well, nodding home for his first goal of the year to get the scoring party started.

“I’m so relieved that it happened, and it happened in this kind of game, magnitude of importance, and I hope this is the first of many this season, because I know I’m capable of scoring more goals,” Brekalo said.

Three minutes after the opening goal, Dorsey came forward and beat Hibbert but the defense cleared the shot off the line.

Atlanta’s first good look at goal came in the 14th minute on across from the left that found Aleksey Miranchuk on the right. The Atlanta attacker sent his header just wide of the left post.

Tiago nearly got in behind in the 15th minute but the defense knocked the ball away for Hibbert to collect. Orlando scored a minute later anyway. Marin sent a good ball forward for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian got down the left and centered a pass for Dorsey to tap home to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute.

Ellis played Martin Ojeda in behind in the 20th minute. The Argentine put his shot on goal and Hibbert made a good save, but the flag came up for offside anyway, although that one looked clean to me.

Atlanta United could have cut the lead in half a minute later when Emmanuel Latte Lath caught Otero off his line but the chip shot hit the right post.

It was a costly miss for Latte Lath, because Tiago made it 3-0 in the 24th minute on a good hustle play. The Brazilian pressed high and blocked Hibbert’s pass attempt. Martin Ojeda was offside, so he let the ball go and Tiago recovered and fired past Hibbert to triple the lead.

Like Dorsey just did recently, Tiago celebrated with the traditional ball under the shirt to honor his pregnant wife.

“It was recent news that we found out my wife was pregnant, obviously very happy about it, and today we actually found out it’s a boy,” Tiago said. “So, that’s what kind of gave me extra motivation for the goals, for my wife and now my son. They’re the two most important people in my life.”

Angulo got in behind and scored in the 33rd minute but the flag came up for offside again.

Miranchuk redirected a cross on goal in the 34th minute but sent his effort straight at Otero for a comfortable save.

The Lions then had more excellent chances to extend the lead just after Atlanta’s chance. Hibbert made an excellent save to deny Tiago in the 36th minute, getting his hand up just in time to keep it out of the net. Two minutes later, Dorsey bombed forward again on the break but the defense forced him wide. The fullback chipped it toward goal anyway and the defense cleared it off the line just before it could cross. In the 39th minute, Martin Ojeda got behind on a pass from Angulo but Hibbert made another solid save to keep the game at 3-0.

Brekalo got his head to the ensuing corner kick cross but the post denied the center back a brace in the 40th minute. A minute after that, Dorsey blasted a hard shot that Hibbert palmed over the crossbar.

Tiago thought he had his brace in the 44th minute, getting in behind and firing past Hibbert, but the flag came up once more.

Otero made a good save to stop Jay Fortune’s shot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time on one of Atlanta’s best chances of the game.

The Lions went the other way and made it 4-0. Braian Ojeda sent a good through ball to unlock Tiago. The Brazilian put the ball past Hibbert again to bag his first brace in an Orlando City uniform in the fifth minute of stoppage time on the last chance of the half.

“Extremely happy,” Tiago said of his brace. “I know the quality of the player that I am. I’ve spoken to Coach Martin (Perelman) during the week, and he told me the runs I should make, so naturally the goals came out of it.”

At the end of the first half, the Lions had the advantage in shots (11-7), shots on target (9-3), and corners (4-0). Atlanta led in possession (60%-40%) and passing accuracy (85%-80%).

“We were obviously extremely focused on the game,” Tiago said. “We know Atlanta is a tough team. We played them over the weekend, obviously we drew them, so we came into this game very focused, and we knew the quality of the group and knew we could advance.”

“I think I have to give credit to the coaching staff here, where they prepared the plan really well,” Brekalo said. “That was the main point: either take the ball super high or super low when we’re defending and counterattack them, so it worked exactly like the planned, and like we saw first half, I think many times, three or four times, that didn’t result in a goal, could be a goal, I think by a few inches or something. So, I would say that that was the whole plan, so it was either take it super low when in the our last third or super high up, and obviously the hard work of everybody, you know, defenders shifting, midfielders running like crazy. Everybody worked so hard today.”

Atlanta made four substitutions at the break and went to four at the back. This prevented Orlando City from getting the numerous breakaways the Lions enjoyed in the first half. Saba Lobjanidze’s introduction also gave the Five Stripes more bite in the attack.

The Five Stripes offense looked better right from the jump as the visitors looked to get something on the board to make a game of it. Matias Galarza fired just off target in the 49th minute on the good first look of the second half.

Orlando’s first look at goal came three minutes later, when Martin Ojeda fired a hard shot straight down the middle at Hibbert.

Lobjanidze just missed the left post from the right side in the 54th minute as Atlanta pressed numbers forward. Two minutes later, Lobjanidze dropped a cross onto Miranchuk’s head but the redirection went wide.

Tristan Muyumba volleyed a cleared corner kick toward goal in the 68th minute but missed the target badly.

“I think the challenge when we went out in the halftime, we imagined that they were going to make substitutions and strong players were going to come in, because they have a really good roster and talented players,” Perelman said. “And we knew the first 15 minutes were going to be very important. We tried to maintain the plan. I think we were able to do it, maybe not the first five minutes of the second half, but yes, we knew we needed to go over those first 15 minutes, and fortunately we could.”

Having weathered the early second-half storm, Orlando settled into protection mode, still looking to get forward when it could, but not taking many chances in possession. The Lions won a couple of corner kicks in the 72nd and 73rd minutes but couldn’t do anything with them.

Galarza again fired over the bar in the 75th minute, and Lobjanidze missed on a good opportunity in the 83rd minute as the visitors kept coming. A minute later, Latte Lath spoiled the shutout by volleying a beautiful shot just under the crossbar from the top of the box to make it 4-1.

Angulo got forward and fired over the bar in the 88th minute in the first good look for Orlando in quite some time. Two minutes later, the Lions broke forward and Braian Ojeda looked for a passing route, but the defense kept the channels blocked, so the midfielder went for goal himself. It was a good effort, but Hibbert made a nice save to push it wide. The corner kick was cleared out to second-half sub Wilder Cartagena in space. The Peruvian fired from outside the box but sent it right at Hibbert at the near post.

The match ended without another look at goal for either team and the Lions advanced past their rivals.

Atlanta’s second-half surge allowed the visitors to finish with the advantage in possession (59.5%-40.5%), shots (16-13), and passing accuracy (84.7%-79.4%). The Lions finished with more shots on target (10-4) and corners (6-1). Most importantly, Orlando won on the scoreboard by a wide margin.

“I’m happy to move forward in this competition, to put the team in a semifinal, which is important for us, for our club,” Perelman said. “I’m happy for our fans, because they deserve it. They support us always in the good ones and in those ones that are not that good ones. And of course, I’m happy for the entire club, managers, owner, Ricardo (Moreira), everybody here. We work really hard, so I think today is a good day for us and I’m happy for us.”

“I’m so happy that we advanced to the semifinals,” Brekalo said. “The team performed really well. We know we played against the same opponent, a tough game three days ago, so it was not easy, like energy-wise. And yeah, I’m so happy and proud of this team.”

The Lions advance to play the winner of tomorrow’s match between New York City FC and the Columbus Crew on the road on Sept. 15 or 16. Orlando City returns to league action Saturday on the road against FC Cincinnati. After that, the team is off for the World Cup break until late July.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back after conceding late Saturday in their draw vs. Atlanta in tonight’s knockout game against the Five Stripes.

Published

16 hours ago

on

May 19, 2026

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Image of Justin Ellis driving at Atlanta defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a Tuesday night U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network). It’s the second of three scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals — the second in three days — with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 9 in MLS play.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

The Lions are 5-11-8 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 3-6-4 at home. Orlando City is 6-12-8 against tonight’s visitors in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup), 4-7-4 at home in all games played, and 0-1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup against the Five Stripes.

Orlando City and Atlanta United met just three nights ago on Saturday, playing to a 1-1 draw. Griffin Dorsey gave Orlando the lead early but the Lions squandered chances to extend the lead, allowing Jay Fortune’s late goal to steal a point for the visitors.

The Lions led 2-1 in Atlanta on May 28, 2025, on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams just met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

The Lions and Atlanta obviously played just a few days ago and walked away splitting the points, but not all draws are created equal. The Five Stripes rotated more than Orlando City did, which should position them better for tonight. They were already better rested than the Lions and all Orlando did was add more miles to legs that have logged a lot of them this month. To make matters worse, captain Robin Jansson left with a knock at halftime on Saturday.

Orlando got to this point in the tournament by squeaking past two opponents it should have overpowered. The Lions were fortunate to get a 1-0 road win at FC Naples on April 15, with a Nolan Miller goal-line clearance that was perhaps fortunate to not have to stand up to video review. Naples outplayed Orlando City by a wide margin in the game, especially in the second half, but the Lions got the game’s only goal.

In the Round of 16, Orlando went north to face New England and was met by a youthful Revolution side made up almost entirely of prospects. The Revs didn’t even dress stars like Carles Gil and Matt Turner. City fell behind that makeshift lineup three times but fought back to ultimately win it 4-3 on April 29.

Atlanta is 3-0-1 in its last four road games in all competitions (two U.S. Open Cup, two MLS). The Five Stripes got to this point in the competition by beating Chattanooga FC 3-1 in the Round of 32 and Charlotte FC 2-0 in the Round of 16.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze and Miranchuk in particular, but the Lions can’t switch off in their own end regardless of who is on the pitch and what the score is. OCSC has been fragile with late leads and even bringing on defense-for-offense substitutions has not helped. If they again don’t rotate much, the Lions will also need to conserve energy and pick their spots to make long runs as they are playing in their third match in seven days.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Maxime Crepeau, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (4-4-1-1)

Goalkeeper: Jayden Hibbert.

Defenders: Elias Baez, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador, Ronald Hernandez.

Midfielders: Cooper Sanchez, Jay Fortune, Will Reilly, Matthew Edwards.

Attacking Midfielder: Aleksey Miranchuk.

Forward: Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Bench: Lucas Hoyos, Juan Berrocal, Tomas Jacob, Tristan Muyumba, Matias Galarza, Sergio Santos, Saba Lobjanidze.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/19/26

Lions set for international duty, lessons from MLS matchday 14, Austin FC makes changes at the top, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 19, 2026

By

Image of Marco Pasalic saluting the fans.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! It wasn’t a particularly successful weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but we don’t have time to dwell on the past. Orlando City is set for a big U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Atlanta United tonight, and all three teams will be back in action over the weekend. We’ve got a whole host of things to talk about today, so let’s jump straight into the links.

Lions Called Up for International Duty

A busy summer break from MLS is almost upon us, and that means that the international call-ups are starting to roll in. Gustavo Caraballo will be joining Venezuela’s U-20 outfit as it gets ready for an upcoming youth tournament.

In addition, Marco Pasalic has been named to Croatia’s World Cup squad, so Orlando City will be represented on the biggest stage.

Congrats to both players!

Lessons from Matchday 14

Matchday 14 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so let’s take a look at what we learned from the weekend’s action. For one thing, despite a slightly slow start to the season by his high standards, Hany Mukhtar’s hat trick against LAFC proved that he should still be considered among the league’s elite. Marco Reus flashed his versatility in the LA Galaxy’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, as he played striker and got an assist on LA’s first goal. Finally, while its too early to say things are definitely turned around for Sporting Kansas City, back-to-back wins means that there’s at least something to get excited about, and that’s very welcome in a season that’s been difficult for the most part. The spine of Sporting’s midfield looked improved on Saturday, and having Dejan Jovelic up top is never going to hurt a team’s chances.

Austin FC Makes Personnel Changes

Austin FC followed in the footsteps of the Columbus Crew by announcing the firing of head coach Nico Estevez on Monday. Where Austin went a step further was by also firing sporting director Rodolfo Borrell. The team has begun searches for permanent appointments to both positions immediately, while naming Davy Arnaud as interim manager in what will be his second stint in that role with the club. Austin has endured a difficult start to the season and is currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 3-6-5 and 14 points from 14 matches. The 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday seems to have been the final straw, and Austin will now be seeking its third permanent head coach since becoming an MLS club.

Americans in Midweek Action

Most major European seasons have already wrapped up or will be doing so shortly, but there’s still a number of Americans who will be competing during the working week. Things get started later today when Tyler Adams and Bournemouth play host to Manchester City in Premier League action. The stakes ratchet up considerably on Thursday when Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg play Paderborn in the first leg of the Bundesliga’s promotion/relegation tie. Things then finish up on Friday when Yunus Musah and Atalanta travel to take on Fiorentina in Serie A.

Free Kicks

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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