Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 5-3 as Cyle Larin’s Hat Trick Not Enough In Lions’ Third Straight Loss

Rookie striker Cyle Larin scored a hat trick, but it was not enough for Orlando City to overcome its poor defending, as the Lions lost in their first trip to Yankee Stadium, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon.

Published

on

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

BRONX, NY — The Pirlo party was on, but it was David Villa that brought Yankee Stadium to life. A brace from the Spanish forward helped push New York City FC to a 5-3 win over expansion rivals Orlando City on Sunday afternoon in front of a packed Yankee Stadium crowd of 32,041.

The two-goal performance from Villa, however, may have been overshadowed by the Major League Soccer debut of Andrea Pirlo, who entered the game as a sub in the 56th minute, and drew massive roars from the crowd each time he touched the ball.

With Rafael Ramos reportedly picking up a knock in training to his thigh, Orlando came out in an unconventional 3-4-3 formation with center backs Sean St. Ledger, Aurelien Collin and Seb Hines all playing, and Corey Ashe and Eric Avila playing wingback positions. Orlando City Assistant Coach Mark Watson piloted the club with Adrian Heath suspended.

The small width of the pitch put both teams off to a slow start, as Orlando City (6-9-6, 24 points) was forced to adjust to the field metrics and sight lines after playing most of their games this season on the larger Citrus Bowl turf.

Orlando City’s biggest chance of the first half happened to also be the team’s first and only, when Cyle Larin battled for a loose ball at the top of the NYFC penalty area, appearing to win the ball cleanly before putting a shot past Josh Saunders. Larin was instead, however, called for a foul, and the goal was waved off.

Trying to get something going, Villa did his best Carli Lloyd impression, trying to chip a pulled-out Tally Hall from midfield, but had no success recreating the moment.

Villa did, however, work enough magic to put New York City FC (6-9-6, 24 points) on the board in the 45th minute, just before the half. Bringing down a pass over his head with a perfect touch, he made St. Ledger spin around, then placed a perfect shot to Hall’s right inside the near post.

A game that went into halftime 1-0, only got much wilder from there.

After the Lions failed to put either of their two shots on target in the first half, Larin put Orlando City on the board for the first time in MLS play since Kaká’s opening goal against Real Salt Lake on July 4, finishing off a nicely placed shot inside the penalty area after the captain’s over-the-head flick from the midfield set up him in a 1-on-1 with an NYCFC defender.

Larin won the battle, but the war wasn’t over for the home side.

New York answered back just three minutes later with a wide-open, far-post goal from Javier Calle, putting his team back in control, 2-1. Calle slipped behind City’s back line and Thomas McNamara found him for a tap-in.

With Yankee Stadium still surging from Pirlo’s entrance into the game, Larin again silenced the large Bronx crowd with another game-tying goal. This time, Carlos Rivas got on the end of a great pass from midfielder Darwin Ceren and sent a ball from the end line across the box that found an open Larin for the score in the 62nd minute.

Rivas nearly put Orlando City in front seconds later, sending a good chance wide of the target.

Villa scored his second goal of the match in the 67th, then McNamara doubled the lead with an easy score directly in front of goal. Defensive breakdowns all around the field cost Orlando City, most notably here, with McNamara completely unmarked on the left side of the field.

The Lions nearly pulled one back on Servando Carrasco’s drive that goalkeeper Saunders tapped just wide. Carrasco, making his first start with Orlando City, didn’t get a lot of power behind the shot but the placement was on frame and only a diving save prevented the tying goal.

Orlando City was able to fight back one last time when Larin completed his first career hat trick with his ninth goal of the season in the 85th minute, setting a new Lions MLS record for goals in a match.

With a late free kick just outside of the penalty area, Kaká came within inches of leveling the score yet again. His curling free kick bounced off of the right post and was headed out of the box, starting a 3-on-1 NYCFC break. Mix Diskerud officially put the knife in the coffin on the quick counter with a tap-in goal in stoppage time that made it a 5-3 game.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” Watson said after the match. “We had a chance to make it 4-4 in the 93rd minute. So to come off losing the game 5-3 is disappointing. Defensively, we weren’t quite good enough, conceding five goals, but I think the fight back on a couple of occasions was good from our guys, and that’s what we’ll take out of the game.”

For Orlando City, it was the most goals conceded in an MLS game, making it arguably their worst defensive performance of this expansion season. The seven combined goals in the second 45 minutes were the most scored in a half in MLS play this season.


Following Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game, the Lions will return home this weekend, having dropped four straight matches across all competitions and on a 0-3-1 MLS run. City will look to rebound against a very tough Columbus Crew side at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/29/24

Lions brace for the Red Bulls, Pride take on Chicago, OCB will play Inter Miami II in Bradenton, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! Today marks one year since we here at The Mane Land published our first story here at our new independent home. It’s a bit hard to believe that it’s already been a year. Thank you all for sticking with us or checking us out since our move. That kind of support goes farther than you might think. I joined the team back in October of 2016 as an editor and it’s only just now hitting me that I’ve been here for nearly a quarter of my entire life. Here’s hoping for another great year of independence and Orlando soccer!

Orlando City Set to Host New York Red Bulls

Orlando City’s match at home Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls was noted as one of the top matches in the league this weekend. The Lions earned their first win of the MLS season last weekend and will look to build on that momentum heading into tomorrow. The Lions will also get a boost from players returning from international duty, with Duncan McGuire, Facundo Torres, David Brekalo, and Peruvian duo Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena back. They’ll have their hands full against a New York team that’s coming off of a 4-0 win over Inter Miami. Lewis Morgan had a hat trick in that match and Orlando’s defense will have to find a way to keep him and the rest of the Red Bulls from running rampant.

Orlando Pride Take On Chicago Tonight

The Orlando Pride’s third match of the NWSL season kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. when they host the Chicago Red Stars. The Pride enter this match following a gritty 1-1 draw against Angel City FC, with Brazilians Angelina and Marta linking up on a corner kick for a late equalizer. One thing to keep an eye on in tonight’s match will be how the Pride’s shorthanded defense can limit Chicago’s attack. The Pride have targeted versatile players while rebuilding, and that proved to be worth it last week as multiple players stepped up to fortify the back line. The last time these two sides squared off in Orlando was in August of last year, with the Pride coming up with a big 5-0 win. Hopefully we get to see a similar result tonight.

OCB Match Will Be Part of Generation Adidas Cup

Tuesday’s MLS NEXT Pro match between Orlando City B and Inter Miami II will take place at IMG Academy in Bradenton and will be part of this year’s Generation Adidas Cup. The participating teams of the tournament were invited to attend the match, along with their families, and fans can watch the match for free on the league website. The match will be broadcast in English, but a new AI dubbing platform will be used to instantly translate it into Spanish, French, and Portuguese. It will supposedly maintain voice and tone, so I’m morbidly curious to hear just how artificial it will sound.

Generations Adidas Cup Kicks Off Tomorrow

Speaking of the Generation Adidas Cup, the youth tournament kicks off tomorrow. All MLS academy teams will compete alongside some of the top youth teams from around the world in both the U-15 and U-17 age groups. Orlando City’s U-15 side was noted as one to watch after a strong run of form this year. Caleb Trombino has been solid defensively and Jakob Garcia has the attacking talent to light it up in this tournament. The team can make a statement when it takes on Arsenal’s U-15 squad at 10 a.m. this Sunday. That match, along with 27 others, will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass.

Free Kicks

  • The Lions received some special visitors for their training.
  • Somehow, the Seattle Reign’s Ji So-Yun beat Marta to win NWSL Goal of the Week.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to earn a second victory in a row at home this Saturday?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City is coming off its first win of the MLS regular season and will look to carry that momentum into Saturday night’s Eastern Conference matchup against the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will have several players back from international duty, making Oscar Pareja’s job a bit easier, although some of them will be on short rest. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points against the Red Bulls?

Stop Morgan

Lewis Morgan has been on a tear this season with five goals in five matches. That is more than every Orlando City player combined so far this season. The Red Bulls were held scoreless in two matches, meaning those five goals have come in three matches, with Morgan scoring a hat trick against Inter Miami. I love that he took it to the Herons like that, but I’m going to need him to cool off a bit against the Lions.

If Orlando City is to stop Morgan it will take excellent defending from the Lions’ back line and of course Pedro Gallese, who is returning from international duty. Orlando City also gets Wilder Cartagena and David Brekalo back, meaning more of the first choice lineup will be available to keep a clean sheet. With the match at home, earning a clean sheet is all the more important.

Proper Rest and Preperation

It might seem silly to say, but having more than a few days between matches is conducive to earning points. When Orlando City was participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Lions never had time to properly recover or train with a game plan for the next match. Now, the Lions are able to do so, and the result against Austin FC reflects that.

Pareja is a top level MLS coach. We know that he has a plan for about the first 20 minutes of any match, and then makes adjustments throughout the remainder of the match. Even so, many of those adjustments have been planned out prior to the match. That, paired with a more rested roster, allows the Lions to be the protagonists Pareja wants them to be.

Shots, Shots, Shots

Orlando City was able to create plenty of chances against Austin FC, and will need to do so again against the Red Bulls. The Lions took 22 shots Saturday night, with eight on target, and they put two in the back of the net against Austin. Hopefully, Orlando City can be more efficient going forward, but if you don’t create opportunities, you won’t score.

The Red Bulls have some decent defenders who Orlando City will have to deal with, including fullback John Tolkin and Carlos Coronel at keeper. If the Lions can pass even close to the way they did against Austin, the opportunities will come, and if that is the case, hopefully the goals will come. Orlando City still has a sizable goal deficit, thanks to the early part of the season, that can only be corrected with more goals on the other end.


That is what I will be looking for this Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/28/24

Getting to know Rafael Santos, Orlando Pride prepare for Chicago, Midge Purce out for the season, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope the work week has been treating you well as we gear up for another weekend of soccer. March flew by for me and April is shaping up to be a pretty busy month as well. In other news, I’m looking into adopting a cat and gathering the supplies to make that happen. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Getting to Know Rafael Santos

Orlando City left back Rafael Santos was the latest Lion to field questions as part of the club’s video series for fans to learn more about its players. The 26-year-old spoke about the decision process behind joining Orlando and playing outside of Brazil for the first time in his career after five years with Cruzeiro. He’s brought his attack-minded style of play to the team, particularly in terms of providing lethal crossing from the wing. Make sure to check out the full video as Santos also shared photos of his newborn and showcased his skill with a cavaquinho.

Orlando Pride Prepare to Host Chicago

After a pair of draws to start their season, the Orlando Pride will have a chance to claim their first win of the season when they host the Chicago Red Stars tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about how the Pride have shown plenty of resilience so far this young season. The team managed to secure a point in last week’s 1-1 draw with Angel City FC despite a patchwork back line due to injuries. That defense will likely have its hands full against Mallory Swanson and a Chicago team that won both of its first two games. Hines spoke about how the Pride are preparing for Chicago and how they will need the home crowd to bring the support tomorrow night.

Sophia Smith Signs Record-Breaking New Deal

American forward Sophia Smith signed a new contract with the Portland Thorns that will make her the highest-paid NWSL player, according to the club. The new deal will last through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026 as well. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Thorns with the first overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft and has gone on to score 34 regular-season goals. Smith re-signed with the club in 2022 and was set to become a free agent following this season, but will instead stay in Portland.

Midge Purce Out for NWSL Season

NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Midge Purce will miss the remainder of the NWSL season after tearing her ACL. The 28-year-old will undergo surgery and suffered the injury in her team’s 1-0 victory over the Portland Thorns this past weekend. She’s been with Gotham since 2020 and assisted on both goals in her team’s 2-1 win in the 2023 NWSL Championship. It’s a tough blow for the United States Women’s National Team too, as she will not be representing the U.S. during this summer’s Olympics in France.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City B’s match against Carolina Core FC on April 14 has been rescheduled.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending