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Orlando SeaWolves Rally for 7-6 Overtime Win in St. Louis

Published

8 years ago

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Gordy Gurson got credit for a goal off the keeper and a defender in overtime at The Family Arena in St. Charles, MO, as the Orlando SeaWolves came back to beat the St. Louis Ambush, 7-6. Thiago Freitas netted a hat trick to keep Orlando in it early when the Ambush were dominating the game but failing to hit the target on the offensive end, and the SeaWolves came back from multiple deficits, including a two-goal disadvantage in the fourth period.

It wasn’t the sharpest game for Orlando, but the SeaWolves were able to grind out a hard-fought road win to improve to 6-5 on the season with their third straight win. The Ambush fell to 8-9. The two South Central Division rivals have played an incredibly close season series, with each team having now won twice in the four meetings. Two of those games have gone beyond regulation time and the other two were decided in the final 30 seconds.

The Ambush scored first just 2:14 into the game with Robert Acosta scoring after a scramble in front of Orlando’s net. Richard Schmermund cleared a shot off the line and the ball deflected off of the glass above the goal before finding Acosta’s foot. The St. Louis man hit his shot high and put the hosts ahead.

Joshio Sandoval and Mario Alvarez had some good scoring chances but couldn’t quite connect. The SeaWolves did manage to equalize anyway, however, Freitas stole the ball from the Ambush as they were trying to break out of their defensive zone. He dribbled into the offensive zone and slotted his shot inside the far post to make it 1-1 at the 10:45 mark of the first quarter.

The game was tied for only 49 seconds before St. Louis regained the advantage. Orlando tried to break out after a St. Louis corner but the ball deflected off an Ambush player and stayed in the zone. The deflection found its way to the foot of Magui Souza, who fired home and restored the St. Louis lead, 2-1. That’s the way the first quarter ended.

St. Louis was all over Orlando at the start of the second period but missed several shots just wide as the SeaWolves struggled with turnovers and sloppy play. That came back to haunt the Ambush when goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento had his outlet pass picked off by Freitas, who dribbled in three-on-the-keeper and slotted home his second to make it 2-2 at the 5:15 mark of the second.

The SeaWolves grabbed an improbable lead against the run of play as Freitas completed his hat trick on the break, slotting around Nascimento and just inside the back post at the 7:06 mark off a Gurson assist. Despite a sloppy first half and a number of close calls defensively, Orlando held its first lead of the night, 3-2.

Gurson had a chance to make it 4-2 but missed his shot just wide after a pair of slick passes gave him a great opportunity. St. Louis nearly equalized in the final minute of the half when Clayton Matheus’ shot was headed off the line as Edwin Rojas was forced into some emergency defending.

Orlando took its 3-2 lead into the locker room at halftime. The SeaWolves were out-shot by a 17-13 count and the Ambush were whistled for 10 fouls to Orlando’s seven.

The SeaWolves came out of the half playing deliberately, content to pass the ball around and hold possession. Orlando was able to get a few half chances but couldn’t hit the target. Gurson had a good opportunity to increase the lead late in the third but couldn’t hit his shot cleanly and St. Louis came down the other end and tied it up with 3:31 to play in the third. Justin Stinson had two SeaWolves on him along the boards but he was able to nutmeg Richard Schmermund with a pass to JT Thomas, who sent it into the corner. Stinson ran onto it and smashed it over Orlando goalkeeper Piotr Sliwa just inside the near post.

Things got worse for the SeaWolves. After Schmermund hit the post on a set piece shot attempt, he pulled down an Ambush player on the counter attack and was sent to the penalty box. Early in the St. Louis power play, the SeaWolves struggled to clear and Sliwa decided to try to dribble through traffic. The goalkeeper lost the ball and it was an easy tap-in goal into an empty net for Zach Reget.

Orlando got its first power play late in the third when Nascimento was called for contact above the shoulder/elbow. The clock expired on the third quarter with St. Louis ahead by a 4-3 count and the SeaWolves still on the power play for another 34 seconds.

Instead of pulling level with a power-play goal, the SeaWolves conceded a shorthanded goal just 15 seconds into the final period, making it 5-3 and taking full control of the game.

Orlando improbably climbed back in the game quickly. Osvaldo Rojas pulled a goal back with a backheel in front of the net at the 1:28 mark and then Elmo Neto scored from the top of the circle early on in a power play just 23 seconds later to level the game at 5-5.

Then Sliwa (momentarily) kept the game tied with a big save during a 3-v-1 break by St. Louis.

Thomas then broke the deadlock on a counter attack after Osvaldo was knocked down from behind at the top of the St. Louis zone and no call was made. Then St. Louis went on the power play on a phantom call against Neto, and things looked bleak for the SeaWolves.

But Orlando was able to kill off the two-minute penalty and then Mario Alvarez tied the game at 6-6 on a pass from Gurson on a 2-v-1 break at the 11:35 mark.

Neither team could find a winner before the end of regulation and the game headed into overtime. St. Louis out-shot the SeaWolves, 30-25 in regulation. Each team was 1-for-2 on the power play, with the Ambush committing 17 fouls to Orlando’s 12.

Orlando got the winner 1:35 into overtime. Elmo Neto forced a diving save by Nascimento and Gurson charged in for the rebound. He got there just ahead of the St. Louis keeper and kicked the ball off of Nascimento’s face. It caromed off of an Ambush defender and into the net for the game winner. Because the MASL has no own goals, the winner belongs to Gurson.

Orlando will travel on to Kansas City to face the Comets on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed at the MASL website or on YouTube.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

on

September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

on

July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

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

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

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

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

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: 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!

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