Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Final Score 3-3 as Lions Blow Late 2-0 Lead Then Equalize
Orlando choked away a 2-0 lead in a span of four minutes in the second half, falling behind, but Tyrese Spicer rescued a road point in stoppage time.
Orlando City looked like it would win two straight, leading Minnesota United 2-0 deep into the second half at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN. But the OCSC defense cracked and then shattered in an awful four-minute span to concede three straight goals, going from 2-0 up to 3-2 down seemingly in the blink of an eye. Tyrese Spicer’s stoppage-time strike salvaged a point on the road that should have been three.
Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on the first two shots of the game for Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points), but a defensive meltdown allowed the Loons (7-7-8, 29 points) to pull a goal back. Set piece defending that was rough all night gave Minnesota a second, and Robin Jansson’s pass to the wrong team in his own half set up the counterattack that came within minutes of winning Minnesota the game. Marcus Caldeira, Anthony Markanich, and Kelvin Yeboah all scored in a nightmarish four minutes that looked like would hand the Loons their first home victory in months.
But Griezmann’s ball over the top sent Spicer in alone on goal and the supersub did his thing, squaring the game at 3-3.
“Probably 60 minutes, pretty good,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We came here, we were winning 2-0, and it’s disappointing to be losing 3-2. It’s a mistake we commit, and then the guys did a huge effort. We never stopped fighting, even though we made those mistakes. And we were able to come back to tie. Weird sensation, because we were really close to a win, but as well a point on the road is always a point. Weird sensations.”
Perelman’s starting squad featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Joran Gerbet joined Eduard Atuesta in central midfield between Ivan Angulo and Griezmann with Justin Ellis and Dike leading the attack.
The hosts came out with the better early chances. Caldeira beat Jansson early down the right channel but his tough-angle shot was off target in the second minute. A few moments later, Crepeau was indecisive on a routine back pass as Yeboah closed. Crepeau’s clearance attempt hit Yeboah and deflected just wide of the left post.
Orlando’s first good buildup came in the 16th minute when Griezmann turned down a shot outside the box to pass off to Ellis on his right and continue his run. Ellis tried a chip pass over the top but overcooked it and Drake Callender intervened for Minnesota.
Anthony Markanich fired right at Crepeau in the 19th minute as the Loons settled into the Orlando half. Crepeau then had to make a pair of huge saves in the 21st minute. Markanich had the ball on the left and faked a move toward the end line to make Dorsey commit. He then cut back to his right and sent a curling shot toward the right post that looked like it would find the back of the net, but Crepeau stopped it at full stretch, knocking it out to Minnesota’s attacking right. A second shot came in from Caldeira and Crepeau recovered to make another stop.
Kyle Duncan got over Brekalo on the corner kick but sent his shot off target.
Ellis made a fantastic move to slip a ball past his defender and ran onto it, sending Dorsey up the right flank in the 23rd minute. Dorsey had two runners, but he sent his low cross right at a defender.
Dorsey did better with his cross a few minutes later and it led to the opening goal. The fullback got down the right flank after Griezmann and Atuesta kept a play alive in the attacking third and sent a well-timed ball in front at the near post for Dike, who arrived at the same time as Callender and Minnesota defender Michael Boxall. The two Minnesota players went down, with Dike staying on his feet, locating the loose ball first, and smashing a tight-angle shot into the net from the right to make it 1-0 in the 29th minute. It was Orlando City’s first shot of the match and Dike’s first MLS goal since rejoining the Lions after the World Cup break.
“It was a good ball across, and and I attacked it, and then luckily the ball fell back down to me, and I was able to get shot off,” Dike said. “It’s a good feeling to score, of course, and to get us started in the match.”
Following the goal, Callender was shaken up but was able to continue.
Minnesota got back to winning set pieces as the first half wound down, with a Yeboah header sent wide off a corner kick cross in the 34th minute. Four minutes later, a scramble in the box required a sprawling intervention by Crepeau that hit off of Dorsey. Minnesota players wanted a handball, but there was none given on the play or from the video assistant referee.
Crepeau made another huge stop in the 41st minute with a kick save to deny Joaquin Pereyra’s shot from the left side of the attack. The Lions withstood a couple of late long throw-ins and took their slim advantage into halftime.
At the break, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (51.2%-48.8%), but the Loons led in shots (10-1), shots on target (4-1), corners (2-0), and passing accuracy (83.5%-83.4%). Despite creating only one real chance, the Lions led at halftime through Dike’s strike.
Alec Smir replaced Callender at the break, as the Loons’ goalkeeper apparently couldn’t continue. He was rarely needed, however, as Minnesota dominated territorially throughout the second half and scored three times, although Orlando was able to also hit twice in transition.
Yeboah missed the target from close range to start Minnesota’s territorial dominance after the break, and Crepeau did well moments later to save a shot from Pereyra. The Canadian stopped Duncan’s shot in the 51st minute, but the flag was up for offside anyway. The goalkeeper then kept a ricochet out of his net on a set piece that took a deflection in front.
Crepeau lost the ball off his foot near the top of the area in the 59th minute but was fortunate that a teammate was first to it. However, Atuesta turned the ball over anyway just a few yards further up the pitch. The turnover led to a header Caldeira sent weakly on target but it was no trouble for Orlando’s goalkeeper.
Harvey Sarajian and Luis Otavio subbed on for Dike and Gerbet during the stoppage in play.
After the game restarted, Brekalo drew the ire of the Loons and the fans with a light push to Markanich’s back. The Minnesota attacker went down easily and Allen Chapman saw nothing in it to either award a penalty or book Markanich for diving.
Orlando hadn’t managed a shot in the second half until it scored the second goal. Sarajian worked hard to take the ball from Boxall in Orlando’s half and that allowed the Lions to break 3-on-2 as Boxall stayed down looking for a foul call that never came.
Griezmann picked up the loose ball on the left and sent it to Ellis, who took the ball up the middle of the pitch. With Sarajian occupying the defense between the two, Ellis patiently waited for Griezmann’s run and slipped a neat pass through the back line. The French attacker calmly passed the ball into the net behind Smir to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute.
Seven minutes after Griezmann’s goal solidified Orlando’s lead, the walls caved in. Orlando City’s defense somehow got pulled out of shape to its right, with Taifi double-teaming a man with Jansson, allowing an easy diagonal switch to Duncan on the right with no one on him. Duncan had lots of room as Taifi tried to recover, picking out Yeboah in front, and the striker flicked it in front for Caldeira — who got behind Brekalo — to deflect home, making it 2-1 in the 71st minute.
Spicer came on for Ellis during the Loons’ celebration, but things continued going south. Markanich went up to beat a late-arriving Brekalo and headed in the second goal off Pereyra’s corner kick cross in the 74th minute, and the game was level at 2-2.
As if things weren’t already bad enough, Orlando gifted the Loons a third goal a minute later. The defense looked to break out and Jansson sent a pass inexplicably right at Pereyra in his own half. Pereyra, who quickly gave it to Mauricio Gonzalez. Jansson was caught flat-footed as Yeboah ran past him and Duncan got behind Angulo to pick up the diagonal ball. Crepeau did well to come off his line to stuff Duncan’s shot, but it fell behind Yeboah, who made an acrobatic bicycle kick to put his team up 3-2 in the 75th minute.
“It’s hard to explain. I don’t have an answer,” Perelman said when asked about the four-minutes that turned the game around. “I don’t know, honestly, exactly what happened. We had the game — I wouldn’t say under control. I think we were doing a good game. I truly believe we were able to control the game by moments. Of course, they are at home. They push. They played us well…I need to review the game.”
Now chasing the game, Perelman put Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda on in the 81st minute, replacing Taifi and Atuesta.
However, Minnesota nearly added a fourth in the 86th minute. Markanich went up and cleanly won another set piece header, but his shot hit Boxall in front, keeping it a one-goal game.
Orlando pushed for a late equalizer, with Ojeda firing right at Smir in the 87th minute and Pasalic sending a shot wide off a deflection in the first minute of stoppage time. Pasalic then had to commit a tactical foul as Minnesota looked to counterattack off the Orlando set piece.
Two minutes later, a moment of magic from Griezmann and Spicer leveled the match for the Lions. Griezmann took a pass from Angulo in his own half and as he approached midfield, he sent a beautiful, curling long ball just over Duncan’s head for Spicer down the left channel. Spicer got behind Duncan and although Jefferson Diaz tried to angle him off, the Trinidad & Tobago international sent a hard shot into top corner on the near side to make it 3-3 in the third added minute.
The Lions withstood a late corner from the Loons and escaped with a draw that probably felt like a loss before it felt like a win.
At full time, the Lions held the advantage in possession (50.8%-49.2%) and passing accuracy (84.5%-82.8%). Minnesota finished with more shots (20-6), shots on target (8-5), and corners (8-1).
“Frustrating match,” Dike said. “I think the boys, we worked really hard from minute one. I mean, it’s never easy to go anywhere away. We put ourselves in a good position and unfortunately, collectively, we made a few mistakes that they capitalized on. Frustrating. I think, at the beginning (of the game), you take a point, but knowing how the game played out and the quality and the standard that we have on ourselves, it’s a frustrating one.”
The Lions will be back home a week from tonight, hosting San Diego FC.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
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