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Intelligence Report: Scouting Orlando City at Philadelphia Union

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10 years ago

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Orlando City will put its four-game, season-opening unbeaten streak on the line tomorrow night at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA, when the Lions pay a visit to the Philadelphia Union.

The Union are off to a 2-2-0 start after winning only 10 games in 2015. Not that the Lions had an easy time of it with Philly last year. Orlando City has yet to score a goal against the Union in Major League Soccer, drawing 0-0 at home last season and losing 1-0 on the road in the 2015 season finale. Neither team has a goal in the run of play in the series, with the Union bagging a penalty goal at home as the only tally between the two sides over the first two meetings.

The Lions finally got Kaká back on Sunday and in less than half an hour lost Cyle Larin to a hamstring injury. By halftime, center back Tommy Redding had picked up a knock in a clash of heads. So perhaps Orlando is simply never destined to play its first-choice starting XI. It happens. It’s soccer. Meanwhile, Philadelphia seems to be a team on the rise, despite their 1-0 loss at Chicago over the weekend. Weather conditions there made the soccer less than ideal and Warren Creavalle was sent off for the Union.

Here to help us scout an improved Philadelphia side is Eugene Rupinski from our SB Nation sister blog covering the Union, Brotherly Game. I’ve answered Eugene’s questions as well, if you’re interested in checking that out over on their site.

Who are Philadelphia’s key off-season additions and subtractions that we should know about and how have they affected Jim Curtin’s team and approach so far in 2016?

Eugene Rupinski: The Union revamped most of their entire starting XI during the offseason. They were able to trade players that didn’t fit the system (Cristian Maidana), didn’t work out (Andrew Wenger), or were just not very good (Steven Vitoria). Only five of the starters from the 2015 season opener are still with the team – and only two of those (CJ Sapong and Vincent Nogueira) made the starting XI during the first match of this season.

The addition of proven veteran players such as Ilsinho, Roland Alberg, and Chris Pontius help bring leadership as well as an upgrade on some of the talent up front. This compliments the addition of SuperDraft selection Keegan Rosenberry and USL product Ken Tribbett, who are both standouts on defense. This gives the Union an issue they’ve never really had before — depth. Having a group of guys outside of the starting XI that could come in and play at a high level has always been a luxury the Union couldn’t afford, so I think the learning curve will come in effectively managing the roster to get fringe guys minutes while keeping guys who start often fresh by giving them a game off.

Philadelphia is off to a good start, notwithstanding last weekend’s game in an intermittent blizzard at Chicago. Has the bright start changed Union fans’ views on what to expect from the team this season?

ER: The bright start has given some fans cause for optimism, however, this is Philadelphia. Fans here are used to teams either blowing the big game (Super Bowl XXXIX, 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, 2014 or 2015 U.S. Open Cup Finals) or being an absolute dumpster fire (last year’s 76ers, Phillies, or Union), so there’s always the sense that the other shoe is going to drop. There’s a portion of the fans who are even derisive toward the fans who had a sense of optimism and are just waiting for the Union to lose a couple in a row. But what can you do? Personally I’m feeling better about the team than I did at the end of last season. I think they’re going in the right direction, but they’ve certainly got a long way to go. There’s still 30 games left to play.

What kind of formation and tactics can we expect from the Union against Orlando City, and what do you view as the game’s key match-up?

ER: Look for the Union to go with the MLS standard 4-2-3-1, using the two central defensive midfielders as a double pivot. The Union are best on the counterattack, so don’t be surprised if Orlando winds up with most of the possession on the evening regardless of the outcome. The attacking midfield trio is dangerous regardless of which combination of Alberg, Ilsinho, Pontius, Tranquillo Barnetta, and Leo Fernades is put out by Jim Curtin. I think there will be two key matchups — the first is how Orlando’s defensive midfielders and center backs deal with the attacking threat of the Union’s midfield as well as CJ Sapong. There’s a lot of talent there — is Orlando up to the challenge? The second will be on the other side of the ball — can the Philadelphia defensive midfielders and center backs deal with Kaká, Cyle Larin, and Orlando’s high-powered offense? Putting up four on Portland is no small feat, and with defensive mid Warren Creavalle out on red card suspension, the Union may be a little more suspect to the attack.

What is your anticipated starting XI, key injuries/suspensions, and score prediction for Friday night?

ER:

Key injuries/suspensions: Maurice Edu (out – tibia stress fracture), Warren Creavalle (suspended – red card vs. Chicago Fire)

Projected Starting XI: Andre Blake; Fabinho, Richie Marquez, Ken Tribbett, Keegan Rosenberry; Brian Carroll, Vincent Nogueira; Chris Pontius; Roland Alberg, Ilsinho; CJ Sapong

Score prediction: It’s going to be cold (around 40 degrees at kickoff), and Orlando is taking a two-hour flight on short rest. 1-0 Union win.

* * *

Big thanks to Eugene from Brotherly Game for giving us some insight on the Philadelphia Union. Now let’s see if the Lions can score their first goal in the series.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions visit D.C. looking to build on their big win over Charlotte.

Published

6 hours ago

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April 25, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-6-1, 7 points) and D.C. United (2-4-3, 9 points) at Audi Field (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of the two scheduled MLS matches this season between the Lions and the Black and Red, with the return fixture in Orlando scheduled for Oct. 17.

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

History

The Lions are 9-9-3 against D.C. in the all-time league series since the club joined MLS, and 9-9-3 in all competitions. Orlando is 3-5-2 on the road in MLS games against D.C. and 3-5-3 away in all competitions against United.

The most recent meeting between the sides also took place at Audi Field on Sept. 13, 2025. Jackson Hopkins and Alex Freeman exchanged goals on either side of halftime but the Lions could not take advantage of 33 minutes with a man advantage after Lukas MacNaughton was sent off and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The other meeting last season took place in Orlando on March 22. All three of Orlando City’s Designated Players — Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic — scored goals, as did Freeman, and Javier Otero won 4-1 in his first MLS start. However, a MacNaughton goal in stoppage time spoiled Otero’s shutout bid.

Orlando City swept the season series in 2024. The teams met on July 6 in Orlando, with the Lions running roughshod over visiting United in a 5-0 win on the night when Kaká became the first player inducted into the Legends Terrace at Inter&Co Stadium. Ojeda, Robin Jansson, Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ramiro Enrique all got on the scoresheet, with three of those goals coming before United center back Lucas Bartlett was sent off for denying Angulo a goal-scoring opportunity late in the first half. 

The Lions visited Audi Field on April 13, 2024. United went ahead twice in the match on goals by Christian Benteke and Gabriel Pirani and led the game late. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson equalized in the first half, and David Brekalo made it 2-2. Duncan McGuire’s well-timed breakaway goal in stoppage time lifted Orlando to a 3-2 road win.

Prior to Orlando’s 2024 sweep, the Black and Red had managed four consecutive results in the series (3-0-1). The last meeting in 2023 took place in Orlando on April 22, 2023, with D.C. scoring twice in the second half to snap a 1-1 deadlock and win, 3-1. Taxiarchis Fountas, Donovan Pines, and Benteke scored for D.C. to more than offset McGuire’s strike.

These teams squared off just a few weeks before that in D.C., splitting the points in a 1-1 draw on March 11. McGuire scored his first MLS goal but Chis Durkin leveled things late in a match that was sandwiched between Orlando City’s two legs of Concacaf Champions League play against Tigres UANL.

D.C. swept the season series in 2022, despite being a terrible team that “won” the league’s Wooden Spoon by no small margin. The meeting in D.C. that year took place July 31 and saw Orlando City dominate the first half but miss multiple chances to put the game away early. The Lions were wasteful, taking only a 1-0 lead into stoppage time thanks to Junior Urso’s first-half goal, only to fall 2-1 on stoppage-time strikes by Durkin and Fountas.

The teams also met on Independence Day at Exploria Stadium that season, with D.C. putting together a performance out of nowhere in a 5-3 road win. Fountas netted his first MLS hat trick and Kimarni Smith and Nigel Robertha added their first goals of the season. Torres, Ercan Kara, and Alexandre Pato scored for Orlando, threatening to bring the Lions back, but Orlando could never get on level terms.

The teams met twice in 2021, including Oct. 2 at Exploria Stadium. Daryl Dike scored deep in stoppage to lift the Lions to a 2-1 home victory. Jansson scored a first-half goal off a corner kick scramble to offset an early Julian Gressel strike. The first match of 2021 took place on May 16 in D.C., with the Lions winning 1-0 on an early Mauricio Pereyra goal. That win snapped United’s 3-0-1 streak in the series in league play and 3-0-2 in all competitions dating back to City’s previously most recent win over D.C. back in 2017.

The teams did not meet in what was an odd 2020 season.

D.C. United swept the season series in 2019, winning 1-0 at Audi Field back on June 26, 2019. Wayne Rooney’s wondergoal from his own half of the pitch caught Brian Rowe napping. The Lions fell 2-1 at home on March 31, 2019, with set pieces ruining the night for Orlando. You might recall the controversy that surrounded the winning goal, with then-coach James O’Connor visibly upset after the match. Steve Birnbaum scored the first on a set piece and Rooney scored the second on a free kick that he took from wherever the hell he wanted rather than where the foul occurred. Frederic Brillant bulldozed Rowe on the play as the ball sailed into the net.

D.C. was 1-0-2 in three total meetings (two in league play) in 2018. Orlando swept the two league meetings in 2017, the teams split two lopsided games in 2016 — with each team winning at home — and the Black and Red went 2-1-0 in the first three meetings back in 2015.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off an improbable 4-1 win over Charlotte FC at home on Wednesday. The Lions had only scored six times in eight games before exploding for four in the midweek against what had been the third-place team in the Eastern Conference with one of the better defensive records. Orlando City got goals from sources both likely (Ojeda twice) and unlikely (Luis Otavio, Ignacio Gomez), scoring three times in the second half to blow open a match that was 1-1 at the half. The Lions are winless on the road in 2026 (0-3-1) and have given up five or more goals in the three losses, but they managed their first result in their most recent MLS away game, a 1-1 draw in Columbus, and then won a road game in U.S. Open Cup play, although that 1-0 win over FC Naples was anything but convincing.

D.C. United enters tonight fresh off a wild 4-4 draw on the road against the New York Red Bulls. It was the third consecutive draw in all competitions for the Black and Red, who are 1-2-0 at home this season. Former Philadelphia Union forward Tai Baribo is far and away the most dangerous player on United, coming off a hat trick and MLS Player of the Matchday performance, building his goal total on the season to a team-leading six. Matti Peltola and Hopkins are the only other D.C. players to score in MLS play in 2026, scoring once each. Joao Peglow leads all D.C. players in assists with three.

The Lions will need to pass and attack the spaces the way they did on Wednesday to get their first win of the season tonight. Orlando City connected well from back to front for one of the few times this season, and certainly in the most fluid manner to date in 2026.

“D.C. tries to press. They’re organized and direct in the way they attack and they have really good players, basically what everyone else sees,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We’ll be focused on ourselves, trying to play our game and stick to our game plan and hopefully we can win the game.”

The Lions will be without Pasalic (thigh), McGuire (lower leg), and Joran Gerbet (knee), while Eduard Atuesta (shoulder), Brekalo (lower leg), Wilder Cartagena (thigh), and Griffin Dorsey (thigh) are all listed as questionable. D.C. will be without Sean Nealis (shoulder) and Gabriel Segal (lower leg), while Baribo (thigh) and Louis Munteanu (thigh) are questionable.

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Braian Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Tiago.

D.C. United (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Sean Johnson.

Defenders: Keisuke Kurokawa, Kye Rowles, Lucas Bartlett, Silvan Hefti.

Midfielders: Joao Peglow, Brandon Servania, Matti Peltola, Aaron Herrera.

Forwards: Tai Baribo, Jackson Hopkins.

Referees

REF: Chris Penso.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4TH: Nabil Bensalah.
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Audi Field — Washington, D.C.

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 along at our Bluesky Social account (@themaneland.bsky.social), as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Three Keys to Victory

Checking these three boxes should go a long way toward helping Orlando City pick up all three points against D.C.

Published

1 day ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Maxime Crepeau catching the ball in front of goal.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City got an unexpected three points midweek when it knocked off Charlotte FC 4-1 at home. The performance and ensuing result continued a trend of improved performances for the Lions now that Robin Jansson is healthy and back in the team. OCSC will now try to build on Wednesday’s victory when it hits the road to take on D.C. United on Saturday. What follows are three things that I believe will go a long way toward helping the Lions bring home all three points from the nation’s capital.

Stop Tai Baribo

I don’t like suggesting that one player is responsible for the entirety of a team’s offense, because when it comes to soccer, that’s rarely a truly accurate statement. The mere fact that there are 11 players on the field at a time means that scoring goals usually involves several different players in order to get the ball into the net. That being said, D.C. United has scored eight league goals on the year and Tai Baribo has six of them. D.C. is 2-1-1 in games in which Baribo finds the back of the net, and 0-2-3 in games when he fails to score. The striker flashed exactly how lethal he can be in his team’s wild 4-4 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, as he bagged a hat trick and helped rescue a point for D.C. with an 80th-minute equalizer. OCSC did a good job of neutralizing Idan Toklomati on Wednesday, but Baribo provides an altogether different sort of challenge, and the defense will need to put in another focused and composed performance if it’s going to keep him off the scoresheet.

Win the First 15

Something Orlando City did an especially good job of in the second half was winning the first 15 minutes of the period. The team flew out of the break and created an excellent chance that Martin Ojeda buried in the 49th minute to give OCSC the lead for good. Ivan Angulo should have scored six minutes later, only to put his shot wide, but Ojeda scored another goal in the 61st to put the game to bed. While the opening 15 minutes of the first half weren’t dominant, the Lions still started the game composed and created a couple of good chances for Ojeda and Justin Ellis. It was a welcome departure from previous games that have seen Orlando concede early goals in the opening minutes of both halves. Even if the Lions can’t get on the board in the opening moments of the first and second half, it’s important for the team to come out focused and intense, and establish a strong foothold in the match. Setting a strong early tone is important on the road, and it’s vital that Orlando does so tomorrow.

Toe the Disciplinary Line

While the Lions need to play with the same intensity and effort that we saw in Wednesday’s win, they also need to be careful and not get carried away when it comes to physicality. The team picked up five yellow cards midweek, and while no one is close to being suspended for yellow card accumulation yet, it’s obviously important to not go too far and pick up a red card. OCSC is likely to have another young lineup on Saturday, and some of the team’s youthful exuberance was on display against Charlotte. Iago, Luis Otavio, and Ignacio Gomez were responsible for three of the team’s five yellow cards, with Gomez’s booking coming just one minute after he was subbed onto the field for Zakaria Taifi. The Lions did well to not pick up any further bookings and get reduced to playing with 10 men, but there were moments when it felt like they just barely toed the line without crossing it. Orlando needs to replicate the balancing act of playing with speed and intensity, while not taking things too far and picking up bookings that put the team into a bad situation.

There you have it, folks. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport, but if the Lions can shut down the dangerous Baribo, come out strong to start both halves, and play with a high level of intensity while not crossing the line, I think they’ll be in a very good position to pick up all three points against D.C. United. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/24/26

Martin Ojeda and Luis Otavio honored, Orlando Pride play Racing Louisville today, USWNT announces Brazil friendlies, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon, Luana, and Angelina celebrating Orlando's win over Portland.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’m still energized from Orlando City’s victory on Wednesday and am hoping the winning trend continues tonight and through the weekend as we get ready for three straight days of Orlando soccer. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Martin Ojeda, Luis Otavio Honored on MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City forward Martin Ojeda claimed a spot on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday after scoring twice in the second half to lift the Lions to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday. It was a welcome return to form for Ojeda, who amassed 31 goal contributions last season but was off to a slow start this year. Midfielder Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion in the match and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well. The 19-year-old’s goal was struck with the outside of his foot and was one of the wilder moments from an exciting night of MLS soccer that included 43 goals across 11 games.

Orlando Pride Play Racing Louisville Today

With the international break over, the Orlando Pride are back in action today at 5:30 p.m. for a road game against Racing Louisville. The Pride last played on April 3, with Haley McCutcheon scoring a pair of late goals in a 2-1 victory at home to hand Angel City FC its first loss of the season. Although Louisville is still searching for its first win of the season, the Pride have never won on the road against Racing. Hopefully the Pride can make some history tonight and take all three points to start this next stretch of games off strongly.

USWNT Will Play in Brazil This June

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in a pair of road friendlies in June. The first will take place in Sao Paulo on June 6 before the two nations meet again on June 9 in Fortaleza. These will be the USWNT’s first matches in Brazil since 2014 and should help the team prepare for the World Cup there next summer. The U-23 team will also be with the senior team in Brazil during this time to play against clubs from Sao Paulo.

European League Races Hit the Final Stretch

Leagues across Europe are entering the home stretch of their seasons and there’s still plenty up for grabs. The title race in England is neck and neck between Manchester City and Arsenal, but the relegation fight is just as enticing as Tottenham remains in the drop zone with five games to go. Another intriguing relegation battle is in Spain, as Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to Levante has the club right in the thick of things near the bottom of the La Liga table.

Things are fairly settled in Germany and Italy beyond squabbling for Champions League qualification, but the Ligue 1 title race may center around a May 13 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens if PSG stumbles over the next few weeks. Last, but definitely not least, the Scottish Premiership title fight is as tight as can be. Hearts slightly leads over Rangers and Celtic, but there are juicy matchups between the three over the next month.

Free Kicks

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

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