Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match
It feels like Groundhog Day reporting on Orlando vs. Philadelphia again. The rematch no one was overly excited for didn’t end in a loss! Not the match we wanted, but the match we needed? Hear me out: Orlando City struggles to win back-to-back, so while a draw isn’t a win, there’s hope for the Open Cup match on Wednesday? Yeah? No, this was a tough draw to accept as the Lions fought hard to come up from behind only to lose the lead in the 90th minute in true Lion fashion. Thank goodness for Brian Rowe, am I right? Here’s how they played according to me, for what it’s worth.
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 8.5 (MotM) — Rowe couldn’t stop that Fabian goal in the fourth minute but we quickly saw him stop what could have been an early second in the 10th minute when a Carlos Ascues turnover led to a Kacper Przlbyko shot. Rowe made another great save in the 35th when he tipped it right over. Rowe stopped the ball twice in two minutes to deny Kai Wagner and Fafa Picault’s attempts to get a second for the Union, only to shut down their attempts again in the 58th. It was his grasp in a moment of desperation that saved the Lions the point in 93rd minute, when he somehow got a finger on the ball to deny Philadelphia the win. I’ve watched the save on Jack Elliott’s header at least 50 times and I’m still in shock.
WB/D, Danilo Acosta, 5.5 — Try as he might, Acosta couldn’t make anything happen from some of his long balls up to the top. One clearance, four crosses, six long ball attempts, and a key pass had Acosta in the middle of a lot of it, but not much else.
D, Kamal Miller, 5.5 – Miller got the start tonight in the Orlando City musical chairs act. Miller’s time on the pitch saw one interception, four clearances, a blocked shot, and 75% passing accuracy. It was not a wild night out, but not a silent one either.
D, Alex De John, 6.5 — De John also got the start tonight for the first time in a while. He had the second-highest passing accuracy at 82%, three long ball attempts, a team-high nine clearances, and a blocked shot. Not a bad showing for the defender.
D, Shane O’Neill, 5.5 — O’Neill had a tough match, not because he wasn’t performing well, but because he just kept getting knocked around. Picault’s head to his face in the 24th had him down for a bit but he played on. In the 62nd minute, O’Neill went down again, possibly a culmination of everything coming at him in this match. He left the field with trainers as Nani came on in his place. In his time on the field he had four clearances, a tackle, four long ball attempts, and 73% passing accuracy.
WB/MF/D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — In a surprising turn of events, Kyle Smith fired a shot off early in the second half, but saw it sail over the bar. His cross in the 80th minute that was blocked out for the corner — you know the one! — resulted in the play that put the Lions up for the first time all match. Heartbreak ensued as Smith got caught in between closing down Matthew Real and staying in position to mark the oncoming Przybylko, leading to the equalizer in the 90th minute. He had two tackles, one clearance, 74% passing accuracy this time out.
MF, Carlos Ascues, 5.5 — It was not the Peruvian’s best performance. An early turnover led to what could have been a quick second for the Union. His minutes saw a 79% passing accuracy, one tackle, two interceptions, and a blocked shot. He also lost track of Przybylko on the late equalizer.
MF, Uri Rosell, 8 — It was not very kind of the Union to beat up on Uri Rosell so much on this, his birthday! Rosell saw a team high in touches with 67, and had a team-high passing accuracy at 91%! Additionally, he finished with two tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance. I said it just last week and I’ll say it again, I love Uri in the midfield. He’s solid and dependable. A close second for my MotM, but Rowe’s denial of the Union’s win gave him the edge for me, so you know that was hard for me!
MF, Dillon Powers, 6 — Dillon Powers saw the starting XI for the first time in a few matches. His corner shot in the 42nd minute saw too much power and led to nothing for the Lions. Powers finished with two clearances, an offside call, and 78% accuracy on his 45 passes. He did well to hold his own out there.
F, Dom Dwyer, 7.5 — In his first start since May, Dom came to play. He was run down in the 27th minute, earning a free kick. Acosta crossed the ball up to Dwyer from distance and he got a head on it but saw the ball fly over the net. He had another shot in the 49th where we saw Acosta cross behind him and he made another bicycle attempt against the Union, but making poor contact sent it over again. In what may be the most contact we’ve seen in such a long time, Dwyer got another shot off in the 60th but it was just wide. This shot had ESPN+ announcers repeating, “They’ve got to keep an eye on Dwyer, they cannot lose sight of him.” Then bam! Without even looking, Dom headed in a beautiful ball from Nani’s free kick.
F, Benji Michel, 6.5 — Benji Michel was taken down by Wagner in the 66th minute after he made a great run that led the Lions to the oh-so-important free kick. His time on the pitch saw one key pass, one interception, and a 69% passing accuracy.
Substitutes
MF, Nani (64’), 8 — Three minutes into game play for Nani, he took the free kick earned by Michel, assisting Dom’s equalizer. You know the song by Miley Cyrus, where she sings the line, “She’s just being Miley?” Well, he’s just being Nani, as he worked hard to win the ball for throw-ins, and taking corners that led to goals, that’s all.
F, Chris Mueller (74’), 7.5 — Mueller got his head on the corner kick in from Nani, which was blocked by Blake, but Patino was able to tap it in. Always the perfect infusion off the bench, pace of play changed a bit when Cash took the field. He finished with 78% passing accuracy and all heart.
F, Santiago Patino (80’), 6.5 — In his first minute of game play, on his first touch, Patino tapped it in, and has officially opened his account with Orlando City, helping to put the Lions up late in the second half. If only he’d marked Real instead of Fontana late, perhaps we could have seen a different result.
Those second-half Lions, yes please! These Lions connected on set pieces! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. Agree or disagree with my ratings? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match!
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Brian Rowe | 45 |
| Uri Rosell | 14 |
| Nani | 14 |
| Dom Dwyer | 5 |
| Santiago Patino | 0 |
| Other: Be sure to tell us who in the comments! | 3 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.
Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.
Overview
The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.
San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.
The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.
“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”
Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).
Match Content
- Our latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast features our key match-ups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- Our Ben Miller wrote about his three keys to an Orlando City win over San Diego.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.
Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.
San Diego FC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.
Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.
Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.
Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.
Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.
Referees:
REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory
Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.
After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.
Stay Strong on the Left
The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.
Do Damage in Transition
Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).
Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors
Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.
We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/4/26
Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.
Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC
Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.
“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”
Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City
The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.
Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey
Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.
MLS Transfer News Roundup
MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.
Free Kicks
- Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.
- North Carolina Courage forward Ashley Sanchez was named NWSL Player of the Month after recording five goals and two assists in August.
- The Kansas City Current signed Cameroonian defender Maeve Nyadjou, who just helped her nation win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time and was named 2026 WAFCON Best Young Player.
- Becky Sauerbrunn is joining the Portland Thorns as a technical consultant for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season.
- Edin Dzeko announced that he will retire from international soccer following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s UEFA Nations League qualifier against Sweden on Oct. 2. That will be his 152nd match for Bosnia, wrapping up a 19-year-old international career that included 73 goals.
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 vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 4-1 as OCB Claims Three Huge Points in South Florida
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory
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