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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Lose on Foolish Penalty

An unnecessary penalty in the second half cost Orlando a point against Chicago in a game stretched late by inclement weather.

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5 hours ago

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Image of David Brekalo standing over the ball.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

A foul on captain Robin Jansson led to the winning penalty kick goal for Robert Lewandowski as Orlando City (6-11-3, 21 points) fell 2-1 at home to the Chicago Fire (11-6-2, 35 points) tonight in a wet match in front of 20,102 at Inter.co Stadium. The visitors struck early in the game on a poor clearance through Puso Dithejane and the game stayed that way until a lengthy weather delay late in the first half. Once play resumed, Orlando pulled level on a set piece goal by David Brekalo, but the defensive mistake allowed the visitors to take all three points home.

The Lions are winless in their last two home league games (0-1-1) and their last four at home in all competitions (0-2-2).

“Of course, disappointed with the result. Very, very disappointed because we were playing at home and we want to win,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “I think it was a game that we could have done a different result. It’s over. Nothing to do. We played against a good team. We couldn’t score (on the) chances we created. They were effective.”

Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Jansson, Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield between Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer out wide with Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann leading the attack.

Orlando City looked to control possession and work combinations to get chances. It nearly worked right off the jump with Dorsey taking a pass in the middle near the top of the box. His first touch popped up on him and the fullback tried a shot on the half volley, but he made poor contact and sent his shot well wide of the left post in the second minute.

Unfortunately, the Fire took the lead two minutes later. Chicago attacked down the left and Jonathan Bamba sent a cross to the right to Lewandowski, who easily lost track of a ball-watching Marin. Lewandowski headed it back across the box where Brekalo failed to clear it and David Poreba picked it up and found Dithejane. No Lions closed him down and the forward smashed a goal inside the right post to open the scoring.

Much of Orlando’s first-half success getting into the final third involved sending Spicer down the left flank, but the speedy forward lacked precision and timing on his crosses throughout the half. His first chance came in the 12th minute, when he blazed down the left channel and was too impatient to hold play up for his teammates. Instead, he sent a cross way too far out in front of Angulo, who made a lung-busting run to try to get to the back post.

Chicago’s defense was excellent in coverage throughout the half, blocking several shots, including a drive from Griezmann in the 17th and attempts from Ellis in the 31st and 34th minutes. The latter set up Orlando’s first corner, and although the ball was headed back and forth across the box by both teams, it eventually went behind for a second corner. Chicago cleared on the second one.

Chicago nearly got a cheap second goal in the 37th minute when Marin fell asleep and didn’t track Dithejane’s run from midfield. Dithejane tried to beat Crepeau from distance, but the Canadian international made a diving save.

Orlando finally got an attempt on target in the 41st minute on a long-distance free kick. Griezmann’s ball into the area found Brekalo, but Chris Brady was able to save the defender’s header. Two minutes later, space opened up for Griezmann outside the box. The Frenchman tried to pick out the inside of the right post from distance but Brady made a good diving save.

The thunderstorm that had been coming for a few minutes finally arrived, and referee Rosendo Mendoza sent the teams to the locker rooms for inclement weather just two minutes and 10 seconds from halftime.

After the lengthy delay for lightning of nearly two hours, the game resumed with Tiago, Zakaria Taifi, and Marco Pasalic replacing Spicer, Marin, and Cartagena. The Lions nearly equalized in the couple of minutes remaining in the first half when Dorsey sent an entry ball through the box. Griezmann flicked it on toward the back post but Tiago couldn’t quite get to it at the back post, and moments later, the teams took a short break for halftime.

At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (50.5%-49.5%), shots (9-4), and corners (2-0). Chicago led in passing accuracy (89.5%-89.2%). Both teams put two shots on target.

The Lions started the second half brightly, looking to combine but not creating much. Pasalic made a difference as an active player working well off of Dorsey outside and inside to Griezmann, Ellis, and Angulo. The Croatian created a corner kick with a cross that was blocked behind and Orlando made it pay off.

Griezmann sent in a good cross on the set piece. Brekalo made a diagonal run from left to right through the box before rising and meeting the delivery, flicking it past Brady to pull Orlando level in the 52nd minute.

Rather than energizing Orlando, the goal seemed to wake Chicago up. The Fire started keeping more of the ball and winning set pieces from that possession. Taifi, playing on his weaker left side on the back line, was repeatedly taken advantage of by Chicago. The Homegrown defender gave up an unnecessary free kick near the sideline in the 58th minute, then got burned in the 62nd minute, allowing his man to get to the end line before slipping a pass through Jansson’s legs that Brekalo knocked away for a corner. The Lions dealt with the set piece.

Lewandowski changed the game in the 66th minute when he made a good run between defenders and got onto a through ball on the left. From a tight angle as he approached the end line, it seemed the Chicago star would either have to settle for a low-percentage shot or turn wide and look for help, but Jansson gambled that he could get the ball cleanly and lost. Sliding in to try to nick the ball from behind in his own penalty area, the Swede got Lewandowski’s foot and conceded a penalty. Lewandowski took the spot kick himself, sending Crepeau left and putting it just inside the post on the other side to make it 2-1 in the 69th minute.

From that point on, Orlando City wasted the chances it created and Chicago looked for opportunities to come forward in transition and kill the game.

Angulo fizzed a shot just over the bar in the 73rd minute, although Brady had it covered as the effort was right down the middle.

Dorsey did well to block a Lewandowski shot from just inside the top of the area in the 75th minute after Taifi got baited into stepping up, leaving room behind for the Fire to break. Taifi got beat again down the left side a minute later, but Jansson was there to block the cross behind for a corner, and it nearly paid off for the Lions rather than the Fire.

Orlando cleared the corner kick cross and second-half sub Daryl Dike played it into space for Griezmann near midfield. Griezmann was caught from behind by Jonathan Dean, but he held the defender off long enough and sent a shot just wide of the right post.

Much of the rest of the game consisted of a bit of hero ball, with Orlando looking to play long balls over the top that weren’t connecting or firing hopeful shots from long range. Pasalic created space for himself from about 25 yards out in the 81st minute but blazed his shot just over the bar. Dike tried his luck from outside the box four minutes later, but he too missed the target. Pasalic shook free near the top of the area in the 88th minute, and although he got his shot on frame this time, he sent his effort straight at Brady for a comfortable save.

The Lions could do nothing with the six minutes of added time except send long balls over everyone and out of play, and the game came to an end.

At the final whistle, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (55%-45%), shots (17-6), shots on target (4-3), and passing accuracy (89.7%-86%). Both teams won three corners in the match.

“We started not as precise as we want, then we were able to to improve a little bit,” Perelman said. “We couldn’t score. It’s not easy, of course, to score. We were there, creating some chances. Some ones more clear than other ones, and then again, they found those goals in those situations. They have talented players. Game over.”

Orlando City has yet another quick turnaround as Real Salt Lake visits on Saturday.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions look to cool down the red-hot Fire at home.

Published

18 hours ago

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August 19, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer watching the ball approach him against the Chicago Fire.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (6-10-3, 21 points) and the Chicago Fire (10-6-2, 32 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of two meetings this season between the two Eastern Conference clubs, with the Lions making the return trip to Chicago on Oct. 28. You are forgiven if you forgot this is a rematch of a 2025 playoff game, because Orlando City wasn’t in the postseason very long..

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

The Lions are 8-6-8 in 22 MLS regular-season meetings with the Fire and 8-8-8 in all competitions. Orlando City is 3-3-5 against the Fire on the road in the regular season and 3-5-5 away vs. Chicago in all competitions.

The teams last met in the wild card matchup to start the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs. The Fire ended Orlando’s season with a 3-1 win, blowing open a game that was scoreless at the break. Brian Gutierrez struck early in the second half and Hugo Cuypers added a brace. Tyrese Spicer spoiled the playoff shutout.

The most recent regular-season meeting took place in Orlando on May 31, 2025, with Chicago winning 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando did not cover itself in glory, with Pedro Gallese allowing Philip Zinckernagel’s shot to slip right between his hands and in for the first goal. Cuypers scored a brace just a minute apart with Rodrigo Schlegel a mere passenger for both goals as Chicago built a 3-0 lead in the first half. Alex Freeman scored a consolation goal for the Lions. Assistant Coach Diego Torres skippered the Lions that night in place of the suspended Oscar Pareja.

The first meeting of last season took place May 3. Despite Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady getting sent off before halftime for fouling Duncan McGuire and denying him a goal-scoring opportunity, the teams played to a 0-0 draw, as Orlando City simply couldn’t find any precision in front of goal.

These two teams met in Orlando on June 22, 2024, with the Lions capturing a 4-2 home victory. Facundo Torres scored a brace, with Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot) and Ivan Angulo adding goals to offset a penalty by Maren Haile-Selassie (after a Schlegel handball in the box) and a goal by Cuypers.

The two sides clashed at Soldier Field on May 29, playing to a 1-1 draw. Torres opened the scoring early, and the Lions should have had a penalty late in the first half when Angulo was clipped while in alone on a goal after rounding the goalkeeper, but the video assistant referee did not overturn the no-call on the field, and referee Malik Badawi did not look at the play himself. The Fire tied the match in the final 20 minutes on a Cuypers goal.

The Lions swept the two-game season series in 2023 by identical 3-1 scorelines. On Aug. 21, Orlando City got goals from Wilder Cartagena, Angulo, and Torres (from the penalty spot) to overcome a 1-0 deficit supplied by Mauricio Pineda, winning 3-1 on the road.

When the teams met in Orlando, the Lions rode a Torres brace to a 3-1 win on July 1. Xherdan Shaqiri pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after a Kyle Smith foul in the box against Gutierrez, but Ramiro Enrique added an insurance goal.

Orlando City claimed a 1-0 victory at Exploria Stadium on April 9, 2022 on Ercan Kara’s first MLS goal. The two sides met at Soldier Field just over a month prior to that match and played, officially, to a 0-0 draw on March 5. The game is another Orlando City match that will live in infamy due to the Professional Referee Organization’s statement after the game that Junior Urso’s goal should not have been overturned upon video review by Ismir Pekmic due to Kara not having clearly and obviously handled the ball in the buildup in any of the available replay angles. Alas…

The teams met in Orlando on Aug. 21, 2021, with a second-half Benji Michel strike lifting the Lions to a 1-0 victory. Tesho Akindele set up the play by forcing a turnover. In that year’s meeting at Soldier Field, the Fire got the better of the Lions to the tune of 3-1 on July 7. Andres Perea scored his first career MLS goal to open the scoring, but a defensive lapse in first-half stoppage allowed Boris Sekulic to equalize just before the break. Chicago rode that momentum, adding goals by Robert Beric and Chinonso Offor.

The Lions were 0-4-4 in the eight meetings before smashing the Fire 4-1 in Orlando on Sept. 19, 2020. Orlando City withstood two Chicago penalties and saw two Fire goals overturned by video review in that rain-soaked match. (Weird things usually happen when Chicago visits Orlando.) The Lions got goals from Chris Mueller, Nani, Urso, and Michel, while Chicago had only a Beric penalty to show for an otherwise good offensive performance.

The last meeting of 2019 was the last time the Fire won on the road in the series. It was a debacle for the Lions, who lost defender Robin Jansson to a back/neck injury early and shipped a handful of goals in a 5-2 home loss in the regular-season finale. Orlando got goals from Akindele and Michel but largely played like a team that couldn’t wait to end its season. Chicago got an own goal from Orlando’s Smith and strikes from CJ Sapong, Aleksandar Katai, and Przemyslaw Frankowski (twice) in the rout.

Orlando City was seconds away from a road win on March 9, 2019 before Sapong’s free header in the 95th minute leveled things in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. Dom Dwyer scored Orlando’s goal.

In 2018, the Fire swept the season series. Orlando fell 2-1 at home on May 26, 2018, with Alan Gordon’s wondergoal breaking a 1-1 deadlock. The return leg in Chicago that September was an abysmal performance by Orlando in a 4-0 Fire victory.

Chicago went 1-0-1 in 2017, with the teams playing to a 0-0 draw on June 4, 2017, with the Lions reduced to nine men. The previous 2017 meeting was the Fire’s 4-0 beatdown of Orlando on June 24 of that year. David Accam figured in all four goals, with a hat trick and an assist on Nemanja Nikolić’s goal.

The teams split the points in 2016, drawing both meetings, 1-1 in Orlando and 2-2 in Chicago.

The teams met once in Orlando in 2015, with the Lions and Fire battling to a 1-1 draw. You may recall that five-hour, weather-delayed affair with Eric Gehrig’s own-goal canceling out an Accam strike. The other three meetings came in Chicago, with City winning 3-2 and 1-0 in MLS matches and falling 3-1 in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal action.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 1-1 home draw against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Pavel Bucha opened the scoring in the first half and Spicer tied the match shortly after halftime. While Orlando has drawn two straight and is winless (0-1-2) in all competitions, the Lions also have earned points in three of the four MLS matches since the league restarted after the World Cup break. Orlando City looks better overall, but the defensive lapses continue to be a problem — the kind of problem a good team like the Fire can exploit. The Lions are 4-3-2 at home during the regular season, and Spicer is riding a three-match goal-scoring streak in MLS play.

The good news is that Cuypers has left Chicago and is now in Liga MX. The bad news is that the Fire replaced him with Robert Lewandowski.

Chicago enters tonight fresh off a 2-1 win at home over the Portland Timbers on Sunday, so Orlando has one extra day of rest on tonight’s visitors. The Fire have won five straight games in all competitions, including a three-game sweep of Liga MX competition in Leagues Cup. Chicago is an even 3-3-2 on the road this season after losing its last two away matches to New York City FC and Miami.

Beating Chicago means trying to contain a dynamic offense led by Lewandowski, Zinckernagel, Jonathan Bamba, and others, including fullback Andrew Gutman, who has played particularly well of late. And yet, only Nashville has conceded fewer goals than Chicago in the Eastern Conference this season, so it’s a complete team and can be difficult at either end or both in any given game.

“It is going to be a really good game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “I think it’s something that this league and some teams like us or Chicago bringing this level of players (like Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski, respectively) are doing, and it’s great. For us, it’s about, as we always say, we respect every opponent, we’re at home, and we will prepare the game and we will try to win it.”

The Lions will be without Martin Ojeda (thigh), Braian Ojeda (foot), Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Eduard Atuesta (thigh) and Nolan Miller (knee) are questionable. Chicago will be without André Franco (lower body), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (lower body), Chris Mueller (non-injury related), and Sergio Oregel Jr. (lower body), while Zinckernagel (lower body) is questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

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

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Wilder Cartagena, Tyrese Spicer.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, Harvey Sarajian, Marco Pasalic, Tiago, Daryl Dike.

Chicago Fire (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Chris Brady.

Defenders: Andrew Gutman, Jack Elliott, Joel Waterman, Jonathan Dean.

Midfielders: David Poreba, Dje D’Avilla, Anton Saletros.

Forwards: Jonathan Bamba, Robert Lewandowski, Puso Dithejane.

Bench: Josh Cohen, Viktor Radojević, Sam Rogers, Mauricio Pineda, Leonardo Barroso, Jason Shokalook, Sam Williams, Robin Lod, Maren Haile-Selassie.

Referees

REF: Rosendo Mendoza.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Diego Blas.
4TH: Ben Meyer.
VAR: Ismail Elfath.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

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 game. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/19/26

Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.

Published

22 hours ago

on

August 19, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Match Day

Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.

Go West, Young Guske

It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.

MVP Candidate Banda

Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.

U.S. National Team News

USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates and we will also have a recap of the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/18/26

Americans in midweek action, WAFCON takeaways, senior FIFA official fired, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

August 18, 2026

By

Image of Barbra Banda holding off a Washington Spirit defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It wasn’t a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three outfits combined to take just one point from the nine on offer. Fortunately, Orlando City gets an immediate opportunity to bounce back against the Chicago Fire Wednesday night, before all three teams are back in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to talk about today, so let’s have a look at the links.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing games during the working week, so get some of the highlights marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today when Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Fenerbahce in UEFA Champions League qualifying. Wednesday features Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid kicking off their La Liga season against Malaga, before Folarin Balogun and Monaco face Gornik Zabrze in UEFA Conference League qualification play. The week then wraps up on Friday when Haji Wright and Coventry City open the Premier League season against Arsenal.

Takeaways from WAFCON

WAFCON 2026 is officially in the books, so what did we learn from this year’s tournament? For one thing, expanding from 12 teams to 16 was largely successful, as Cameroon won the trophy after getting into the tournament on the strength of its world ranking after being eliminated during qualifying. We also saw a competitive tournament that had some upsets, with first-time participants Malawi making a run all the way to the final, and Zambia failing to get out of the group stage despite racking up six points. That said, attendance was non-existent for matches not involving host Morocco, and the video review process wasn’t exactly speedy for the most part. Still, it was mostly a great tournament and a great showcase for African women’s soccer.

Kevin Lamour Leaves Position as FIFA Executive

Kevin Lamour has been fired from his position as FIFA’s chief operating officer just several weeks after strongly condemning Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Lamour said that FIFA’s leadership had been “deceived” when it came to the plan and that losing his job over his opposition to it would be worth it since he would at least be able to sleep well at night. Before his two years at FIFA, Lamour had previously worked alongside Infantino when the two men were at UEFA. FIFA confirmed his departure with a brief statement on Monday afternoon.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Most summer transfer windows will be closing soon, but we’ve still got plenty of rumors to discuss. We begin with a piece close to home, as Breel Embolo has reportedly rejected the personal terms offered to him by Atlanta United and is said to be negotiating with Ipswich Town. Speaking of the Premier League, Manchester City is reportedly still in pursuit of a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez despite missing the Blues’ stated deadline of Aug. 14 to get a deal done. Moving to Spain, Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Martin Zubimendi from Arsenal and has already had contact with his representatives. Finally, Inter Milan is said to be interested in signing Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.

Free Kicks

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

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