Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Suffer First Loss of 2016
Adrian Winter equalized just before halftime, but Orlando City was done in by a sensational free kick from Tranquillo Barnetta in the 89th minute, as the Lions suffered a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
On a bitterly cold Friday evening in Chester, PA, Orlando City’s defense played with fire all night.
And in the 90th minute, they finally got burned.
Tranquillo Barnetta nailed a free kick from just outside the box as the Philadelphia Union (3-2-0, 9 points) handed Orlando City (2-1-2, 8 points) its first loss of the 2016 season, a 2-1 defeat that’s going to sting for a while. Barnetta’s heroics erased a mixed performance from the Lions and turned an impressive goal from Adrian Winter into merely a talking point.
It didn’t take long for disaster to strike in Philly, as Rafael Ramos horribly misplayed a Union cross right to the the feet of C.J. Sapong inside the first two minutes. The 27-year-old might not score an easier goal in his career, as his flick past Joe Bendik put the home team up 1-0 in the second minute.
Philadelphia controlled possession in the early going, as the Orlando City midfield looked out of sorts with Cristian Higuita missing the start with a groin injury and Kaká forced to play higher up the pitch in place of the injured Cyle Larin. The Lions did manage a few probing runs forward, and in the 13th minute, Kaká ripped a shot from the same position he scored against Portland, only for it to trickle just wide of the post.
As the first half wore on, Orlando began to inch closer to an equalizer and earned a handful of corners that kept Union goalkeeper Andre Blake honest. But nothing materialized for the Lions in the final third, as their midfield continued to be victimized by the Philadelphia attack.
In one problematic sequence, MLS veteran Chris Pontius won the ball from Darwin Cerén and Servando Carrasco, managing to hold up play long enough for his teammates to get forward. Even as Orlando looked increasingly dangerous on the counter, it felt like everything else was one play away from falling apart.
Kevin Molino was a bright spot in the first 45 minutes, as he managed to find space in the Union defense and provide plenty of attacking support. And it was Molino who finally helped jumpstart the Orlando City attack just before halftime.
After Antonio Nocerino swiped a back pass in the Union midfield, Molino played a perfect pass to Winter just outside the box. Winter did the rest, shaking his defender and beating Blake to the far post to give Orlando City its first-ever goal against Philadelphia.
More importantly, it tied the match at 1-1 as both teams headed to the locker room.
The Lions picked right up where they left off in the second half, as Kaká found a wide open Winter in the Union box, but his booming shot was tipped over the crossbar by Blake. Winter nearly returned the favor a few minutes later, playing Kaká in, only for the captain’s shot to find the seats.
Orlando City got the better of the chances early in the second half, but the teams played just about evenly down the stretch, although the Union got a boost from the introduction of Barnetta and Fabian Herbers in the 63rd minute. After a few minutes to get into the game, the duo helped flip the field in Philly’s favor and were especially troublesome in the final five minutes of regulation.
The club’s patchwork back line — with Aurélien Collin subbing for the injured Tommy Redding and Luke Boden in for the suspended Brek Shea — continued to flirt with disaster, as a Union corner in the 66th minute was misplayed by Collin and knocked around a bit before Ramos was finally able to clear. A free kick skipped just in front of goal minutes later, deflecting off the head of Bendik and giving Orlando another break.
But just a minute before stoppage time, Orlando’s defensive struggles cost them the match.
Philly earned a free kick from just outside the box, and Barnetta nailed a perfect, swerving free kick that banked off the cross bar and into the Orlando City net. There was nothing Bendik could do.
A blast from Winter minutes later in stoppage time nearly bailed out the Lions, but Blake was up to it with a diving save, and kept Philadelphia ahead. That was Orlando’s final opportunity in a 2-1 defeat to the Union.
Soccer is a cruel sport.
Orlando City is back in action next Sunday, as they welcome the New England Revolution to the Citrus Bowl for a 3:30 p.m. match that will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from an enjoyable 3-0 victory over Inter Miami.
After dominating Tampa Bay in the U.S. Open Cup and now Inter Miami in MLS play, I think it is safe to remind everyone that, as we all have always known, Florida is purple. Orlando City thrashed the Herons 3-0 on Sunday night, and the Lions could, and probably should, have scored five or even six goals with all the breakaway chances they squandered during this game. Nevertheless, they still walked away from the greater Miami area with three big, beautiful points, and here are my five takeaways from the latest edition of Tropic Thunder.
El Pulpo Pulverized the Herons
Orlando City fans have come to expect great performances from Pedro Gallese in terms of keeping the ball out of his own net, but on Sunday night El Pulpo not only did that, but he also created the game’s opening goal with a perfectly placed bomb of a pass that looked like it might have been thrown by Dan Marino in his Miami Dolphins heyday. But this was Fort Lauderdale, not Miami, and it was Gallese, not Marino, who arced the ball through the night right onto the foot of Luis Muriel, and Muriel’s first touch was just as perfect as Gallese’s aim. Then the Colombian was off to the races before giving the Lions the lead with a well-placed shot to the far post. Gallese collected his second career assist with that pass and then went back to his standard practice of saving everything, stopping four shots and partnering with the stout back line to shut out Miami — only the second time all season Miami was held without a goal.
Miami Block Party
Speaking of that stout back line, Orlando City’s defenders looked more like the Orlando Solar Bears out there with how they were giving up their bodies all over the field to block shots. Our friends at fotmob.com tracked a season-high nine blocked shots by Orlando City defenders on the evening, and it felt like there were even more. Every starting defender had one block except Alex Freeman, who had two, and Iván Angulo, César Araújo, Joran Gerbet, and Muriel each chipped in one as well. Orlando City’s defenders did an excellent job of keeping their hands behind them or out of the way while blocking all of those shots, and the frustration on the faces of the Miami players was evident, as despite taking 21 shots, they were only able to put four on goal. Sunday night was definitely not the kind of Miami block party the Herons were hoping to attend.
Pašalić Goes Five-Hole
I did not plan to work in multiple hockey references when I started this article, but hey, at least Miami fans can be happy that their NHL team won on Sunday. Their, well, Fort Lauderdale’s team most certainly did not, and Marco Pašalić’s early second-half goal doubled Orlando City’s lead when he took a slightly deflected Martín Ojeda pass and powered it through the legs of goalkeeper Óscar Ustari. All three Designated Players participated in the goal, with Muriel showing some fancy footwork before playing it to Rodrigo Schlegel, who gave it to Ojeda, and then his deflected cross fell perfectly for the left foot of Pašalić, and Orlando City had a two-goal cushion.
Firepower From the Bench
Óscar Pareja has always been a coach who likes to ride a hot lineup, and the same is true for how he chooses who comes off the bench — the hot player gets the first opportunity. Ramiro Enrique had scored more recently than Duncan McGuire, so it was not surprising to see Enrique enter before McGuire in this game, and Enrique nearly made it three goals in his last four games, but a fingertip save by Ustari pushed his shot off the post. McGuire eventually entered in the dying minutes of the game, and he clearly showed his desire to get back up in the pecking order, because he was flying all over the field, and it paid off for him when he sprinted onto a ball from Kyle Smith and played a perfectly weighted left-footed cross to fellow substitute Dagur Dan Thórhallsson for the third and final goal, one where all three goal contributors (secondary assist, primary assist, and goal scorer) were substitutes.
Midfield Did Not Get Messi’d
It is hard to ever write about Inter Miami without writing about Lionel Messi, and while he played well and created opportunities, the Orlando City midfield duo of Araújo and Gerbet more than held their own against Messi. Miami dominated possession (64%), but it was Orlando City that created far more chances, creating eight big chances (defined as chances where the analyst could reasonably expect a player to score) to only two for Miami, according to Fotmob’s tracking. Messi’s heatmap shows a player who played most of the game attacking down the right side of the field, but Angulo, Araújo, Gerbet, and Smith, the four midfielders/defenders — Smith came on for Angulo but was essentially a fifth man on the back line — who played in the middle or on the defensive left all contained him and rarely let him get loose, despite his 97 touches. The Argentinean did take nine shots, but only two were on target, and of course, none went in the goal — a testament to the entire defensive unit. Gerbet continues to impress, not just for a rookie but as a player in general, and when Eduard Atuesta returns from injury, he may find himself coming off the bench if Gerbet continues this run of form.
Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s 11th straight MLS game without a loss, an excellent and deserved road win that vaulted the team over Miami into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Let us know your thoughts about the Inter Miami match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/19/25
Lions defeat Inter Miami, Pride fall to Kansas City Current, OCB wins, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Over the weekend, I was catching up with my former coworkers during Chicago House AC’s home opener against Czarni Jaslo in Midwest Premier League action. Let’s wish Orlando Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman, who turns 26 today, a happy birthday. The Pride lost, but OCB and our Lions picked up wins over the weekend. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Defeats Inter Miami on the Road
Orlando City defeated Inter Miami 3-0 on the road Sunday at Chase Stadium and extended its unbeaten run to 11 league matches. Luis Muriel scored to put the Lions in front just before halftime. In the second half, Marco Pasalic scored and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson added the final goal for the Lions in stoppage time to seal the 3-0 win against their in-state rivals. Orlando moved ahead of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings into fifth with 24 points, while Miami drops to sixth, albeit with a game in hand. Miami has lost five out of its last seven matches. It will be a quick turnaround for Orlando City with a home match on Wednesday as Nashville SC visits Inter&Co Stadium.
Lions Sign Defender Zakaria Taifi to First Team Contract
Orlando City announced Saturday the club has signed Orlando City B defender Zakaria Taifi to a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player. The deal is through the 2026 season with club options for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons. Taifi has made 44 appearances for OCB in MLS NEXT Pro. He has started 23 matches, scored one goal, and added three assists. Taifi was also part of the Orlando City Academy U-17 team that won the MLS NEXT Cup in 2021. Taifi made his first-team debut with Orlando City last month in a scoreless draw against CF Montreal. He also played in the Lions’ 5-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup.
Pride Fall to Kansas City Current at Home
The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Kansas City Current Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal in the second half to seal the win for Kansas City. The Current have won two in a row, while the Pride have lost their second match at home this season. Orlando is on a three-match winless streak. The Current stayed atop the NWSL table with 21 points, while the Pride dropped to third with 16 points. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Friday at the Utah Royals.
OCB Defeats Inter Miami II at Home
Orlando City B defeated Inter Miami II 3-0 Saturday at Osceola County Stadium. Gustavo Caraballo, Shak Mohammed, and Justin Ellis all got on the scoresheet for the Young Lions. Ellis also added two assists in this match. The win also snapped OCB’s five-match winless streak against Inter Miami II, and now the Young Lions are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 14 points. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 Friday.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City defender Alex Freeman has been in stellar form so far this season for Orlando, scoring three goals in 15 matches with one assist across all competitions.
- The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer have reached an agreement on a 10-day transfer window beginning June 1. This window will only be for MLS clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
- Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 Saturday to win the FA Cup and lift its first-ever major trophy in club history. Defender Chris Richards and goalkeeper Matt Turner became the first Americans to win the FA Cup since goalkeeper Tim Howard won it in 2004.
- Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 to win the Women’s FA Cup. USWNT midfielder Catarina Macario scored, and Sandy Baltimore netted two goals and added an assist to seal Chelsea’s domestic treble this season.
- Jamie Vardy scored his 200th goal for Leicester City in his final appearance for the club, helping his side beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in the final home match of the season.
- Angel City FC shared an update on social media, announcing defender Savy King was discharged from the hospital Saturday following her collapse on the pitch over a week ago during an NWSL match against the Utah Royals.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Romp in South Florida
The Lions finally got the better of Lionel Messi as Luis Muriel, Marco Pasalic, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Pedro Gallese led Orlando to an 11th consecutive league result.
The Lions finally got a win over a Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami side with a methodical 3-0 win at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Luis Muriel, Marco Pasalic, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson scored for Orlando (6-2-6, 24 points), and Pedro Gallese came up big in goal the few times he was tested. If anything, the final score could have been more skewed in Orlando’s favor if not for a few big misses, but defensively and offensively, the Lions did enough to get a complete win over Inter Miami (6-3-4).
With the victory, the Lions have won two straight and extended their MLS unbeaten streak to 11 matches (5-0-6) and their overall unbeaten streak to 12 in all competitions (6-0-6).
“First (I want to) congratulate our players for such a performance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The discipline, the discipline with the game plan was enormous and they wanted so bad to give this game to the fans and the club, knowing the importance of it in this moment, and what I saw in the pitch was that commitment in every single moment they played, so they deserve all the highlights, the players today. They played a great game.”
Pareja’s lineup included Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield with attackers Ivan Angulo and Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Muriel up top.
The hosts held much of the possession, and the Herons looked threatening throughout, but Orlando’s back line and central midfield kept the middle clogged up and forced Miami to either send the ball in from wide areas or look for Messi to work his way through numbers at the top of the box. Whenever Orlando was able to take the ball away, the Lions looked for quick transition outlets to take advantage of Miami’s high line and willingness to throw everyone into the attacking half. It worked to the point Orlando could have won this game by five goals, but in the end, the Lions will take the 3-0 win over their southern rivals.
The Lions generated a chance in the first minute. Alex Freeman split two defenders and sent Pasalic down the right. The Croatian picked out Muriel in the box, but the Colombian couldnt’ make clean contact with the ball, letting Miami off the hook. Moments later, Angulo won a free kick on a foul by Ian Fray. Ojeda took the long-range set piece and his cross found Freeman, but the young fullback wasn’t able to direct his header anywhere close to goal.
Miami’s first look came in the sixth minute from just outside the box. Gerbet was unable to cleanly clear a ball in the box, and Miami shifted it quickly from right to left, where Noah Allen blasted a shot over the bar. Two minutes later, Jordi Alba was able to sneak past Freeman but he was unable to catch up to Messi’s pass, which Gallese covered.
Jansson did well to block a Messi shot in the ninth minute, and then knocked the ball out of play for a Miami corner. The Herons took the set piece short but ended up knocking it out for a goal kick.
In the 11th minute, Messi dribbled through the heart of Orlando’s defense before dropping a pass out wide to Fray on the right. The fullback smashed a shot across the face of goal that went out of play.
The Lions looked for opportunities to counter and nearly got one seconds later. Pasalic was on the break when Allen pulled him down to earn the game’s first yellow card.
Pasalic made a nice move in the 15th minute to cut through traffic and get into the top of the area. Allen was there to block his shot at the last second, and the Lions could not pay off the ensuing corner.
Orlando cleared a corner kick as Miami continued hunting for the opener. Messi sent a right-footed effort toward the back post in the 19th minute that had Gallese scrambling over, but it went out of play just wide of the left post.
The Lions broke the other way in transition in the 21st minute with a nice play to send Muriel into the box on the left. Muriel, however, scuffed his shot and hit it weakly at Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. Seconds later, Luis Suarez was left alone in the box and fired Tadeo Allende’s cross wide with his first touch.
Messi came close in the 22nd minute, but Gallese did well to stretch out and get a hand on it to keep the game scoreless with a vital save. It was the best of his four saves on the night.
The Lions should have scored in the 24th minute as Angulo was unlocked over the top down the left. The Colombian entered the box with a defender on him, and much like Ramiro Enrique on Wednesday, Angulo cut back to his right and fired. Unlike Enrique, Angulo left his shot on the ground and too close to the goalkeeper, who was able to get a foot on it to keep it out.
Ojeda should have been sent in behind three minutes later, but his first touch was ultra heavy, and the ball bounced harmlessly to Ustari.
The Lions survived a couple of half chances for Miami before Orlando City broke the deadlock late in the first half on a transition opportunity. The Lions defended a Miami throw-in, with Angulo knocking the ball away for Brekalo to clear. Brekalo let the ball go through for Gallese, who scooped it up and booted it deep down the field. Muriel’s first touch was exquisite to bring it in, and the Colombian dribbled into the box and fired just inside the left post to open the scoring in the 43rd minute. Muriel set a new single-season personal mark with his sixth goal of the season.
“I just saw a lot of space out there. There was a lot of space, especially on that play,” Muriel said. “I was open, but Pedro hit a fantastic pass to me to be able to get it to me. And thankfully, I had the capacity to control the ball, because it’s not easy in that way. And then, after I controlled it, the only thing left to do was to finish.”
Inter Miami couldn’t produce anything with a late corner kick, and the Lions took their slim advantage into the break.
At the break, Inter Miami had the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), corners (5-2), and passing accuracy (86.2%-81%). The Lions attempted more shots (10-8) and put more shots on target (4-1).
The Herons started where they left off after the restart, keeping possession and working it inside and out to try to find space. Angulo left Fray a bit too much room in the 47th minute, and the fullback sent a dangerous cross right across the face of goal that Schlegel knocked out for a corner. Not only did Orlando City deal with the corner, the Lions should have scored off of it. The ball was cleared out of the box where Angulo picked it up and sent Ojeda all alone in on goal. With a defender closing from behind, Ojeda got to the top of the box and went for power instead of placement, blasting his shot well over the crossbar on a wasteful opportunity.
In the 52nd minute, the Lions wasted another chance to double the lead, with Freeman getting sent in behind on the right. With Ojeda to his left, the right back opted to shoot, but he hit his effort right at Ustari, who made the save. The rebound went right back to Freeman. This time he squared it across to Ojeda, but the ball was hard to handle and the Lions’ No. 10 needed to take a touch before shooting. That allowed the defense to close and get a piece of his shot, sending it wide for a corner.
Seconds later, Orlando scored anyway. Muriel made a nice move before dropping the ball to Schlegel, who sent Ojeda down the right inside the box on the recycle. Ojeda squared it through traffic to Pasalic, who smashed a shot that hit defender Maximiliano Falcon and still had enough pace on it to squirt through Ustari. Pasalic’s sixth of the season pushed Orlando’s lead to 2-0 in the 53rd minute.
The Lions continued to play solid team defense and threaten in transition. Muriel nearly had Ojeda in behind the back line in the 57th minute, but the pass was inches too far out in front and all the Argentine could do was get a toe on it to send it meekly at Ustari.
Trailing by two, the hosts started subbing off defenders for more attack-minded players, but not much changed about the way the game was going. Messi and his teammates looked to find link-up play through Orlando’s lines and used any space they had to try a shot. Orlando put together three good blocks in the 62nd minute to preserve the two-goal advantage.
The wall in front of Gallese started the block party by getting in front of Messi’s shot on a free kick. The ball then was sent left to right to Messi in the box, and Gallese made a good save from a tight angle on the right. Schlegel then blocked a Sergio Busquets shot at the top of the box. Freeman followed with a block on Allende’s shot moments later.
Pareja sent Thorhallsson and Enrique on for Muriel and Pasalic, the two goal scorers. Miami continued to hunt for a way back into the game, and Messi had an opportunity with a free kick in the 76th minute. He went low, under the wall, this time, but he didn’t get a lot on his shot and it drifted wide of the right post.
Enrique nearly got in behind two minutes later, but his first touch was far too heavy, allowing Ustari to reach it first. Miami came the other way, and Suarez tried to catch Gallese out of his net, but El Pulpo was able to get back into position to make a comfortable stop.
The Lions nearly put the game to bed in the 88th minute, with Freeman and Enrique going on the break together. Freeman found Enrique, but Ustari got a piece of the Argentine’s shot, which appeared to hit the left post.
Fafa Picault got his head to a Messi free kick delivery in the 90th minute after a handball outside the box by Freeman. The header was always going over. Brekalo blocked a Messi shot two minutes later, as the hosts kept the pressure on.
Thorhallsson put the game to rest in the fourth added minute. Orlando broke in transition down the left, with second-half sub Duncan McGuire getting on the ball and squaring it across for the Icelandic midfielder to finish. Thorhallsson’s second goal of the season equaled his full season total from each of his first two years in Orlando.
“It’s important just feeling that we are being more diverse on scoring goals,” Pareja said. “Today Dagur came from the bench and scored. Marco was present and scored today. I’m so happy to see Luis committed with the group this much and scoring also.”
The Lions saw out the final minute without conceding, earning a huge three points on the road. According to Opta, it was the first time Lionel Messi played in a home game for his club and it lost by three goals.
Inter Miami dominated possession (62.3%-37.7%) and finished with the advantage in shots (21-17), corners (9-3), and passing accuracy (88.2%-78.3%). The Lions put more shots on target (8-4). More importantly, Orlando put the only three goals on the board, improving to 6-4-4 in regular-season play against Miami and 6-5-5 in all competitions.
“Very happy tonight for the result,” Muriel said. “A good goal tonight, but more important, the victory for the team. We’re in a really good run of form right now, and a really good mode. So, just very happy tonight to get the win in the derby.”
“We remarked in our preparation the discipline that these games require,” Pareja said of keeping Messi quiet. “Playing against the best player in the world is not an easy task, even if we don’t want to mention that, but we know that he makes big differences in shorter spaces, so we consider the discipline of the team the primary principle of the game. And we knew that after doing that, we’re going to have spaces, that we were going to have opportunities. and we were patient for those opportunities to appear, and then we were, as well, very effective when they came. We could have been probably more (clinical), because really, we had much more in front of the goal. But today, we feel the job is well done.”
The Lions have another quick turnaround, as Orlando City will host Nashville SC Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup action.
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Takeaways
Lion Links: 5/19/25
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Romp in South Florida
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Extend Unbeaten Run with Home Win
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Drop Second Home Game This Season
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