Lion Links: 4/3/24
Lion Links: 4/2/24
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Lion Links: 4/1/24
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Five Takeaways
Young Players Impacting the Pride’s Early Success
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Draw Third Straight
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Claim Point on Late Equalizer
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 2-0 as OCB Suffers First Loss of 2024
Orlando City B vs. Huntsville City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Young Lions Claim Shootout Point Following Road Draw
Orlando City B vs. Atlanta United 2: Final Score 3-2 as Young Lions Take All Three Points On the Road
Orlando City B Announces Roster Ahead of 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
Orlando City Signs Draft Pick Yutaro Tsukada to MLS NEXT Pro Contract
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Photo Gallery
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Photo Gallery
Orlando City vs. Tigres UANL, Concacaf Champions Cup: Photo Gallery
Orlando City vs. Cavalry FC, Concacaf Champions Cup: Photo Gallery
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Photo Gallery
We now know who, where, and when Orlando City will play in 2024.
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The Major League Soccer schedule was released this afternoon, telling us when, where, and against whom Orlando City will play during the upcoming 2024 MLS season. Once again Orlando will play 34 regular-season games, with 17 at home and 17 on the road. The Lions will open at home for the 10th consecutive season — each year since joining MLS — hosting CF Montreal at Exploria Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The club will also close the regular season at home against Atlanta United on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. on Decision Day.
The Lions will play their first Concacaf Champions Cup match prior to Opening Day, squaring off against Cavalry FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 10 p.m. The return leg will be the following week on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at Exploria Stadium.
Every Eastern Conference team will be on the 2024 MLS schedule twice — once at home and once away, making up the bulk of Orlando’s opponents for the upcoming season.
The Western Conference teams visiting Exploria Stadium this season include Minnesota United (Saturday, March 9), Austin FC (Saturday, March 23 — the Texas side’s first-ever trip to Orlando), and LAFC (Saturday, June 15). Other home games of note include Inter Miami’s visit on Wednesday May 15 and defending champion Columbus Crew SC’s trip to Orlando on Saturday, May 25.
Orlando will visit three Western Conference clubs in 2024: the San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday, May 18), Sporting Kansas City (Saturday, Aug. 24), and FC Dallas (Saturday, Sept. 28). This means that the Lions will not face St. Louis City this coming season. The Lions will also not face Portland, Houston, the LA Galaxy, Seattle, Colorado, Real Salt Lake, or Vancouver next year.
Orlando City will not play on the Fourth of July in 2024, however, the Lions will visit Toronto FC on Wednesday, July 3. The bulk of the games will be on Saturdays in 2023, with 25 of the 34 games taking place on that day.
The busiest months of the regular season for Orlando will be May, with six matches, three home and three away.
In terms of Orlando’s rivalry matches, MLS has scheduled Inter Miami away on Saturday, March 2 and at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday, May 15. In addition, the Lions will visit Atlanta United on Sunday, March 17, with the Lions hosting Atlanta on Decision Day as previously mentioned.
MLS will pause between July 26 and Aug. 25 for the Leagues Cup break. This coincides with the Olympic soccer tournament. Orlando City does play five times during the 2024 Copa America, which takes place from June 20 to July 14. So, there could be multiple Lions missing for key Eastern Conference matches against the Chicago Fire, New York City FC, Toronto FC, D.C. United, and the New England Revolution. In addition, a road trip to Nashville SC is scheduled for three days after Copa America ends.
Orlando City does not have any matches in the June, September, or October two-match FIFA windows, but there is a March window that conflicts with Austin FC’s visit to Exploria Stadium.
The 2023 season will be televised on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+. In addition, select matches will be available on the FOX family of networks in the U.S. and on TSN and RDS in Canada. FOX will broadcast 34 matches across the MLS season in the U.S., with 15 on FOX and 19 on FS1, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes.
Here’s the schedule breakdown in terms of games by month:
Here’s the schedule breakdown by days of the week:
(Concacaf Champions Cup matches in italics; home games in bold)
Lion Links: 12/21/23
2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Gaston Gonzalez
Lion Links: 4/3/24
PawedCast Episode 408: Red Bulls Rewind, Listener Mail, and More
Lion Links: 4/2/24
Lion Links: Oscar Pareja looks for answers, OCB falls to Miami, SheBelieves Cup starts this week, and more.
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Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I’m so happy to be here to start off your hump day with some tasty links. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride might be off for a bit, but there’s still plenty of soccer to watch. We also want to wish Orlando City center back Rodrigo Schlegel a very happy birthday! Let’s get to the links.
We’re all very well aware that Orlando City is not off to a great start this season. Head Coach Oscar Pareja is also aware of the lack of finishing the Lions have shown in their first six matches, and he takes the responsibility on himself as a good coach does. The Lions had similar troubles to start last season, but came on later to earn a second-place finish in the Supporters’ Shield. Orlando City’s week off will hopefully allow Pareja to make the adjustments needed to get the team back on track.
Orlando City B traveled to Bradenton to take on Inter Miami II in a Tropical Depression rivalry match. Unfortunately, depression is the right word as the Young Lions emulated the senior team with too many shots not on target or in the back of the net. Honestly, it might have been worse if not for some players recovering on defense. If you want to know more, make sure to check out our match recap.
Both the U-17 and U-15 squads finished up group play in the Generation Adidas Cup. Sadly, the U-17 team did not make it to the knockout rounds, losing 2-0 to the LA Galaxy.
Our U17 Lions fought until the final whistle, but their 2024 #GACup journey comes to a close. #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/cQ9mSvnBhr
Thankfully, the U-15 squad redeemed the club by defeating the New England Revolution 3-0 and claiming a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament. The U-15 squad is playing Valencia CF tomorrow morning in the round of 16.
The U15 Lions have clinched a spot in the #GACup knockout round with a W against @NERevsAcademy! Jakob Garcia, Matthew Belgodere and Zach Olah each scored a goal in today’s shutout victory! #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/F0rYCQ0a8Y
We’re only a few days away from the start of the 2024 edition of the SheBelieves Cup. This year, the competition will feature the U.S., Japan, Canada, and Brazil. The semifinal matches are this Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the final and third-place matches are at Lower.com Field in Columbus on Tuesday. The 12:30 p.m. match on Saturday will feature the USWNT taking on Japan, and the 3:30 p.m. match features Canada against Brazil in a match that could include Marta, Angelina, and Luana from the Orlando Pride.
Christian Pulisic has been tearing up Serie A with AC Milan. The American has 12 goals and eight assists across 40 matches. This regular playing time at a big club may be just what he needs in the time before the 2026 World Cup for him to be at his best for the USMNT. It’s certainly better than riding the bench at Chelsea. Over at Juventus, Weston McKennie got his 10th assist in Juve’s 2-0 victory over Lazio in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals.
Things weren’t quite as good for USMNT keeper Matt Turner as he received a yellow card despite never getting into the match. Turner was on the bench for Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Fulham, but kicked a ball from his spot on the bench away from a Fulham player. He also added some choice words for the referee after the card. On a positive note, Giovanni Reyna got some playing time for Forest in the match.
@SPatino_9 scored his first goal in his first game for Ho Chi Minh City FC in a 1-1 draw in their first game of the second half of their season. #SAFCFamily pic.twitter.com/iGx0JZMSXq
GOALKEEPER GOAL, all the way from Poland courtesy of Gabriel Kobylak. 🧤
Tim Howard's influence knows no bounds. 😉pic.twitter.com/N0uAR4M4Ov
That will do it for today. Have a great rest of your week.
Pride players join international teams, OCB takes on Inter Miami II tonight, Americans in midweek action, and more.
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Happy Tuesday, everyone! Somehow it’s already April, and I don’t know how the year is going by so fast. Regardless of my terror at the rapid passage of time, the news cycle shows no signs of slowing down, and that means we have a lot to talk over today. With that being the case, let’s wish Cesar Araujo a happy birthday and get into today’s links!
The month of April brings an international break for women’s soccer, and a number of Orlando Pride players have been called up for international duty. Marta, Angelina, and Luana will be joining Brazil for the SheBelieves Cup, while Barbra Banda is linking up with Zambia for CAF Olympic qualifying. Amanda Allen got the call for Canada’s U-20 team, and Ally Lemos will likewise join the United States Women’s National Team’s U-20 side. Evelina Duljan rounds things out, as she has been called up to represent Sweden’s U-23 team.
Orlando City B will face Inter Miami CF II as part of the 2024 Generation Adidas Cup at 6 p.m. from IMG Academy. OCB will try to remain undefeated on the season, as the Young Lions beat Atlanta United 2 in the team’s first game, and then won the penalty shootout following a draw with Huntsville City FC during the team’s last time out. OCB is looking to equal last year’s start, when the team opened up the season undefeated through its first three matches.
A number of American players will take part in games during the work week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar. Tomorrow features two big English Premier League clashes, as Giovanni Reyna, Matt Turner, and Nottingham Forest face Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, and Fulham; and Tyler Adams and Bournemouth play Chris Richards and Crystal Palace. That isn’t all though, as Juventus and Weston McKennie also play today and will try to get past Lazio and into the Coppa Italia final. Thursday then sees Auston Trusty and Sheffield Wednesday attempt to crawl out of the Premier League cellar when they travel to take on Liverpool.
The transfer rumor mill never stops, and we have some interesting stories to sift through today. We’ll start in La Liga, where financial issues may mean that Barcelona won’t be able to sign Joao Cancelo to a permanent deal, despite the Portuguese fullback favoring the idea of extending his stay with the team. Moving to the Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain has made contact with Reece James and is interested in signing the fullback, but the prevailing belief is that the Englishman is likely to stay at Chelsea at least until the summer of 2025. We finish with Newcastle United, where Eddie Howe has plainly stated his desire to see Alexander Isak remain at the club, amid rumored interest from Arsenal.
The German Football Association has announced that it will change the design of the no. 4 on its new national team jerseys, amidst concerns that the no. 44 looks close to the symbol used by Nazi SS troops. Adidas had earlier said that it would remove the no. 44 from its online kit customization options, but Germany has gone a step farther and removed the issue entirely. The German federation stated that it “checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to UEFA for review”. With the no. 44 not being reviewed, the issue wasn’t realized until the jerseys were released and in use.
Sources: The LA Galaxy are finalizing a deal to sign Colombian center back Carlos Garces on loan from Deportivo Pereira. @PSierraR first reported a deal was close.
Garces, 22, has made 68 apps with Pereira. Another option for LAG’s CB group.https://t.co/y4nh4Zf7aq
That does it for me today. Vamos Orlando!
How did your favorite Lions rate in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at home against the New York Red Bulls?
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Orlando City salvaged a point at home against the New York Red Bulls, drawing them 1-1 in a match that Orlando may feel it should have done more in. A penalty in the first half gave New York the lead and the Lions had a majority of the possession to try to claw their way back into the match.
Let’s take a look at how each Lion individually performed in this draw.
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — It was a decent, albeit mostly uneventful, game from the Peruvian goalkeeper. He guessed correctly on Lewis Morgan’s penalty kick, but it was well taken and beat him to the bottom right corner. He wasn’t called into action again until the second half, making his only save of the match by catching a header from Elias Manoel that had some pace on it. Manoel nearly scored again later in the match on a breakaway with only Gallese to beat, but Gallese came off his line and made himself wide, with Manoel’s shot going inches wide of the post. El Pulpo had 22 passes at a 77.3% success rate and completed four of his nine long balls, including a key pass out wide right after his save to create a chance for Duncan McGuire.
D, Rafael Santos, 4 — After a better outing last weekend, the left back’s rough start to the season continued in this match. He was outright beaten by Dylan Nealis in the leadup to the penalty, and had a horrific turnover later in the first half that nearly led to another goal if not for Dennis Gjengaar sending his shot wide. He had no tackles, interceptions, or clearances and was a defensive liability for most of his time on the field. Offensively, he had a key pass, was successful on one of his two crosses, and completed one of his four long balls. Santos completed 84.2% of his 57 passes, but had multiple mistakes in this one before being subbed off in the 66th minute.
D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Lions may not have had a clean sheet, but they didn’t allow a goal in the run of play and Jansson was a major reason why. Orlando’s captain put out fires throughout the night and came up with a crucial blocked shot on an effort from Gjengaar that would’ve likely wound up in the net had Jansson not intervened. Of his team-high 14 long balls, nine found their target, and he completed a whopping 91% of his 89 passes. He may have only ended up with that blocked shot and a clearance, but he was patient and composed while anchoring Orlando’s defense.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel’s performance was a bit overshadowed by his fellow center back, but it was a solid night from him regardless. He had two tackles, a clearance, and blocked a shot by getting in the way of Andres Reyes’s try from the top of the box. He did plenty of the defensive dirty work we’ve learned to expect from him, committing two fouls along the way, but he wasn’t booked and didn’t give the Red Bulls much room to work with. That being said, a heavy touch nearly led to disaster in the second half and he wasn’t able to clean up his own mess. Schlegel was accurate on all but two of his 61 passes for an excellent 96.7% rate, and his lone long ball was successful as well. The center back was subbed off in stoppage time for David Brekalo’s fresher legs.
D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — There were flashes of the electric player seen last week, although he didn’t have any key passes and neither of his two shots wound up on target. His first was blocked and the second bounced off the ground and into a dangerous area, but ultimately out of play. Still, Thorhallsson did well pushing the ball forward, whether that be through dribbling, making overlapping runs, or becoming an option to switch the run of play. He was successful on one of his two crosses, two of his four long balls, and 83% of his 47 passes. Defensively, he had two clearances and a tackle. While there were a few miscues, it was a solid outing as he continues to learn the right back position.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo gave the team needed energy from start to finish and played a key role in Orlando getting a result. Although he won’t be credited with an assist, Angulo whipped in a nice ball towards the near post that wound up with the ball in the net due to an own goal. He had two shots, with the first getting deflected before it could test Carlos Coronel and the second sailing into the stands near the end of the first half. The winger had 52 passes at an 88.5% success rate, although neither of his two crosses nor his single long ball was accurate. He earns Man of the Match honors due to his presence on the defensive side of things as well. He had two tackles and was relentless in chasing down New York players to win the ball back, doing just that multiple times. It wasn’t perfect, but Angulo did well on both sides of the ball and helped provide an answer on offense for Orlando to get a point.
MF, Nico Lodeiro, 6.5 — Lodeiro’s 121 touches led the Lions by a wide margin, as he played a deep role in the midfield and did well cycling the ball to Orlando’s other skill players. He had a team-high 98 passes, completing 88.8% of them, and connected on six of his seven long balls. The Uruguayan had a tough task breaking lines due to New York flooding the midfield and forcing the Lions wide, but he still had three key passes and provided good service from set pieces when not taking short corners. His three tackles were also the most on the team, and he contributed an interception as well. Despite his size, he also won three aerial duels. Only one of his six crosses was accurate and his only shot was blocked, but it was still a strong game from Lodeiro as he found ways to make an impact.
MF, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Smith started as a defensive midfielder once again, filling in along the back line whenever Santos or Thorhallsson would surge forward. He conceded a penalty in the first half, fouling Lewis Morgan while challenging for a loose ball in the box. He was a bit inconsistent overall, but completed 92.6% of his 54 passes and all three of his long balls were accurate. He also won a foul in a great spot at the top of the box late in the match. However, he didn’t have any defensive stats, his only cross was inaccurate, and he just wasn’t as sharp as he could have been.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — The Designated Player didn’t have a shot, but did have three key passes and was fairly active on the left wing. The final ball was just never quite there for him, as the Red Bulls played more and more defensively as the game wore on and made an effort to limit Torres. He had 59 passes at an 86.4% success rate and connected on two of his four long balls, but just one of his six crosses was accurate. Torres also chipped in defensively with a tackle and an interception.
F, Luis Muriel, 6 — Muriel’s quality is obvious, especially when he is on the ball. In his 66 minutes on the field, he had 44 touches, was successful on three of his five dribbles, and made some nice runs. Neither of his two shots were on target, but his low shot from range didn’t miss by much. He had a key pass, completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, and his lone long ball was accurate. His single cross missed the mark though, and he had six unstable touches. Muriel also had a clearance for dealing with a corner kick. The 32-year-old is still adjusting to Oscar Pareja’s game plan and the habits of his teammates, and it showed at times when he was isolated or trying to pick out the right pass. But there was an overall feeling in this match that his breakout MLS game will happen sooner rather than later.
F, Duncan McGuire, 6.5 — Playing up top as Orlando’s target man, McGuire led the Lions with four shots and put two of them on target. Of the two that Coronel didn’t save, one was more of a flicked on header from a corner kick that earned another corner, and the other was blocked. The American’s best opportunity came in the second half, knocking the ball past Sean Nealis and winning the race to it. Unfortunately, his shot was no issue for Coronel to gather. He made some nice runs to try to get behind New York’s defense, but the Lions had a hard time providing him service. He completed 78.6% of his 14 passes, was fouled four times, and provided a pair of clearances in the defensive end. It was a physical match as McGuire dueled with New York’s tough defense, but he was up to the task and won two of his aerial duels.
MF, Wilder Cartagena (66’), 6 — The midfielder came on for Santos, but played centrally and rotated as needed to fill gaps in Orlando’s formation. Cartagena had 41 touches and 38 passes at an 86.8% success rate to stabilize things while Orlando raced for a result. Although he didn’t have any shots or key passes, Cartagena was accurate on two of his three long balls. It was a solid outing from the Peruvian after international duty.
MF, Martin Ojeda (66′), 6 — Ojeda may have only had 19 touches, but he was active in trying to create scoring chances for Orlando. His two shots were great chances, as the first was a free kick that forced a save from Coronel and the second was a volleyed effort in the box that went into the night sky. He completed all but one of his 10 passes and was accurate on his one long ball. All five of his crosses were unsuccessful and he didn’t have a key pass, but he was right in the thick of things to get Orlando back into the match.
F, Jack Lynn (82’), 6 — A week after scoring his first MLS goal, Lynn came off the bench and played a part in Orlando’s goal this time as well. It’s up for debate how much his attempted backheel led to the own goal, but it’s clear that his run to the near post was a great one to sneak between New York’s defenders. It was the kind of constructive chaos you want from a late substitute and he’s continuing to impress with the minutes he’s been given at this level.
MF, Cesar Araujo (82’), 6 — The Uruguayan made his return from injury and was fairly active in his short time on the field. Araujo wasn’t officially credited with a key pass, but his pass into space to spring Angulo forward in the lead-up to Orlando’s goal deserves recognition. He had 25 touches and only one of his 25 passes missed the mark for an excellent 95.5% success rate. Both of his long balls were accurate as well. His only shot came from outside the box and went over the crossbar. All in all, it was a great game from Araujo as he works his way back.
That’s how I saw things in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls. Many Lions had strong showings, so let us know what you thought of their performances and make sure to vote on your Man of the Match below.
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Lion Links: 3/20/24
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Five Takeaways
Orlando City vs. Austin FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City vs. Austin FC: Three Keys to Victory
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Claim Point on Late Equalizer
Orlando City vs. Austin FC: Final Score 2-0 as Lynn and Lodeiro Lead Lions to Victory
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