Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (5-9-2, 17 points) and Nashville SC (12-1-3, 39 points) on the Lions’ home grounds (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in the 2026 regular season.

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

History

The Lions are 5-4-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 7-6-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 3-2-1 at home in the regular season against Nashville and 4-3-4 in all competitions in the City Beautiful against tonight’s visitors.

It’s wrong to say the most recent meeting between the sides was a forgettable one for Orlando City fans, as 5-0 beatdowns tend to stick in the memory. That’s exactly what happened on March 21, as Martin Perelman suffered his first loss as Orlando’s interim head coach in his first road match and second game overall. Sam Surridge scored a hat trick, with Cristian Espinoza and Warren Madrigal also finding the net on a terrible night in Tennessee.

The last time these teams met in Orlando took place on Sept. 20, 2025, with the Lions winning 3-2. Martin Ojeda scored two goals two minutes apart to give Orlando a first-half lead, but Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg scored moments before and after halftime, respectively, to knot things up. Duncan McGuire’s goal deep in stoppage time lifted the Lions to all three points. Just a few weeks earlier in Nashville, on Aug. 23, things did not go well for the Lions as Nashville SC blasted Orlando 5-1. Surridge and Mukhtar netted braces and Jeisson Palacios added a late goal. Luis Muriel scored a consolation goal to spoil the shutout.

These teams faced each other in U.S. Open Cup play on May 21, 2025 with Nashville claiming a 3-2 road win. Marco Pasalic provided the Lions with an early lead before an own goal by Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal put Nashville ahead at the break. Ramiro Enrique equalized in the second half, but Wyatt Meyer’s goal knocked Orlando out of the competition.

The teams met at Inter&Co Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 with the Lions blasting Nashville 3-0. Facundo Torres’ brace and an opening goal by Ivan Angulo led Orlando City to the season sweep. Orlando City visited Nashville SC at Geodis Park on July 17, 2024, with the Lions cruising to a 3-0 road win. Goals by Cesar Araujo and Enrique sandwiched an Alex Muyl own goal as Orlando City got its fourth consecutive shutout victory over Nashville.

The teams met at the end of the previous season on Nov. 7, 2023 in the best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area provided the game’s only score.

The teams met in the 2023 regular season on Oct. 4, with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame. Nashville visited Orlando on April 1 of 2023 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in the regular season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-5.

These clubs met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team ahead in the second half. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss of the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar and Cadiz just before and into stoppage time turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended. That draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney opened the scoring for Nashville, but Orlando scored the last three. Dike scored a brace and Chris Mueller added a goal.

Overview

The Lions are coming off an impressive 4-0 win at San Jose in their first game after the World Cup break. Antoine Griezmann made his MLS debut and opened his Orlando City account, but it was a team effort. David Brekalo and Angulo gave the Lions the lead, with Griezmann and Braian Ojeda ensuring there would be no Quakes comeback. Maxime Crepeau had his best night in goal for Orlando to help the cause. While it was impressive that it happened at all, let alone without the injured Martin Ojeda, Designated Player Marco Pasalic, or newly re-signed Dike, it remains to be seen if it was a one-off after the layoff or the start of something for the Lions.

Orlando City is just 3-3-1 at home this season, but that’s still far better than its road record.

Nashville SC has been dominant all season — maybe not always quite as dominant as it was on March 21 against the Lions, but still quite good. The Coyotes are seven points clear in the Supporters’ Shielf race and lead MLS with both the most wins (12), fewest losses (1), and goal differential (+22). Tonight’s opponent has only dropped points on the road three times, going 4-1-2 away from Geodis Park. Nashville rides a five-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten run into tonight and hasn’t allowed a goal in its last two outings.

To get anything from this game, Orlando City must figure out a way to stop (or at least significantly slow down) Nashville’s star forwards, Surridge and Mukhtar (I would add Espinoza here but he’s ruled out with a lower body injury). Both Surridge and Mukhtar have absolutely destroyed Orlando City over the years. Surridge has scored 10 goals in MLS play this season, with Mukhtar chipping in six goals and five assists. At the other end, Palacios has paired with Maxwell Woledzi to form a solid central defense in front of emerging goalkeeper Brian Schwake. This second meeting is going to be another difficult matchup for the Lions, who will need their best performance to take anything from this game.

The Lions will be without Martin Ojeda (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Joran Gerbet (knee), Eduard Atuesta (yellow card suspension), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archange (international duty), however, Marco Pasalic wasn’t yet in training on Friday and Dike is still returning to match fitness, so they may also be missing when the lineup drops.

Nashville will be without Chris Applewhite (international duty), Espinoza (lower body), Madrigal (lower body), Joe Willis (lower body), and Patrick Yazbek (lower body), while Reed Baker-Whiting is questionable with (what else) a lower body injury.

Match Content

• The most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCastfeatures our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.

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Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

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

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Tiago.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Nashville SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Brian Schwake.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jeison Palacios, Maxwell Woledzi, Andy Najar.

Midfielders: Alex Muyl, Matthew Corcoran, Edvard Tagseth.

Forwards: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge, Shak Mohammed.

Referees

REF: Ramy Touchan.
AR1: Eric Weisbrod.
AR2: Meghan Mullen.
4TH: Carlos Rodriguez.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Kevin Huet.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

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.

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Enjoy the game. Go City!

While we all no doubt missed having Orlando City games to watch during Major League Soccer’s sabbatical for the World Cup, its also probably fair to say that Wednesday’s return to action against the San Jose Earthquakes was tinged with a good deal of trepidation. After all, the Lions had been hammered 6-2 on the road by FC Cincinnati in their final match before the layoff, comfortably had the worst defense in the league, had yet to keep a clean sheet, and had given up a whopping 31 of their 44 goals conceded on the road.

It didn’t help matters that San Jose was in the top five of the Supporters’ Shield standings, was the second-best team in the Western Conference (level on points for first but edged out on goal differential), and had scored 33 goals in 15 games while giving up just 15. It’s true that the Quakes weren’t in great form before the break, winning just one of their last five, but there was still plenty of reasons to worry that Orlando would pick up where it had left off in Ohio back on May 23.

Instead, the Lions not only hammered San Jose 4-0, but arguably should have beaten the Earthquakes by an even more lopsided scoreline. The team played a fluid, position-less brand of soccer that gave the home team absolute fits, and kept a first league clean sheet of the year to boot. It was an extremely unexpected, but exceedingly welcome, performance.

The big question now, is whether it can be replicated.

Well, maybe not directly replicated, as 4-0 wins tend to be relatively uncommon occurrences for even the very best of teams. Rather, can the things that made Orlando successful on Wednesday be built upon and repeated, or was the team’s performance a flash in the pan that we shouldn’t expect to see again?

First, let’s talk about the performance itself.

The highlight was how the team looked going forward. Every player on the field not named Maxime Crepeau, Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, or David Brekalo was constantly drifting anywhere and everywhere in the attacking half, taking up unexpected positions and rarely remaining in the position designated for them by the formation. Ivan Angulo functioned as a no.10 despite nominally playing right midfield, Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann could be found anywhere from the opposition’s 18-yard box to the midfield line or deeper, and the same could be said for Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta. San Jose found the positional interchanging extremely difficult to deal with, especially during the first half hour of the game, but did settle in a little better after halftime.

Speaking of Ellis and Griezmann, they were terrors for their entire time on the pitch. As previously mentioned, both of them were dropping deep to receive the ball, exchanged quick passes with their teammates, and then turned to bomb forward themselves or play balls through or over the defense. That quick passing and clever movement was a theme for OCSC as a whole, but the two forwards were the best examples of it with Angulo coming a close third.

The speed of play for Orlando meant that the team had a lot of joy in transition moments, and the Lions constantly seemed to be springing players behind the defense, or running at San Jose’s defense with men in support. Only some poor execution when it came to passing and finishing in the final third prevented the good guys from putting even more goals on the board.

When it came to keeping the ball out of their own net, the Lions did several things very well. For one thing, the defense seemed to be more organized than we’ve seen it this year, aside perhaps from the U.S. Open Cup win against Atlanta. Orlando caught San Jose offside seven times on Wednesday, and on several occasions it was more down to the defense stepping together as a unit and staying in a disciplined line than it was on the Earthquakes being lazy or mistiming their runs.

When San Jose did carve out good chances, Crepeau was a towering presence in between the posts for the Lions. His seven saves will take the headlines, but there were also several instances where he was quick and smart in coming off his line to beat a San Jose runner to a ball and prevent a 1-v-1 situation. He also made several of his best saves on shots that were ultimately ruled out for offside or he almost certainly would have cracked double digits. It was a pre-eminent performance, and he looked to be brimming with confidence after a good showing for Canada at the World Cup.

Now to be objective, OCSC had some things working in its favor. San Jose was without Niko Tsarikis, who has two goals and four assists in 11 games (then again, the Lions were without Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic, and Daryl Dike), and the Earthquakes’ finishing was…not great. Two particular instances stood out: Beau Leroux missing wide left in the 38th minute when he was unmarked at the top of the six-yard box, and Jack Skahan touching a ball toward on onrushing Crepeau in the 57th minute rather than passing to a wide-open Ousseni Bouda for a tap-in. There were also several times when a ‘Quakes player just missed getting on the end of a ball in a dangerous area, or when bad giveaways in dangerous areas by the Lions went unpunished.

San Jose also made some unforced errors of its own, like the turnover that led to Griezmann’s goal. Then there was the set piece marking, which was atrocious. Brekalo and Ojeda were both completely unmarked for their goals, and it was shockingly bad defending for a team that hadn’t given up any set piece goals going into Wednesday’s game.

Now, what exactly should we make of all this?

Well, when it comes to what Orlando did, there’s an argument to be made that the team’s offensive performance from open play can be replicated. The team has had plenty of time to work on this position-less style of play on the training ground and was still having lots of joy with its quick passing and fluid movement even after San Jose had time to make halftime adjustments. The defense mostly held up well and stayed organized against one of the league’s more potent attacks, and when the Earthquakes did create chances, Crepeau kept up the form he showed in his last four games for Canada.

Orlando could also have benefitted from Tiago and Tyrese Spicer finishing clear-cut chances they were given by Ellis, Atuesta, and Griezmann. Martin Ojeda’s return and the addition of Dike can help chances turn into goals.

On the flip side, this is the first time anyone’s seen the Lions try to play this way, so its always going to be tougher to stop something you haven’t been able to train for. The element of surprise isn’t something that should be discounted when it comes to Wednesday. Other teams may make Orlando pay for some of the shaky moments that it had at the back, and not every team is going to make three big errors that the Lions can take advantage of.

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For me, the answer lies somewhere between the two ends of the spectrum. I do not expect the Lions to look like 2008-2009 Barcelona every week, but I also don’t think its fair to say that Orlando simply benefitted from favorable circumstances and bounces. It’s perhaps best to say that OCSC did things that can be replicated, but there’s no guarantee those things will be replicated. The movement, passing, decision-making, defensive organization, and goalkeeping are things that can build a good foundation for success if Orlando can repeat them, and those are the things I’d focus on more than the number of goals or the clean sheet.

At the end of the day, we’re working on a small sample size and shouldn’t get carried away by one game, regardless of how fun it was. Wednesday’s performance wasn’t necessarily an illusion or the truth of what this team is. Rather, it was a glimpse of what this team has an opportunity to be. There’s work to be done and areas that can be improved on, but the Lions showed enough in San Jose for us to have hope for a season that’s looked hopeless more often than not. Vamos Orlando.

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! We have three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy, starting with the Orlando Pride’s match tonight. I’ve had a feeling as if I’m forgetting something ever since the World Cup ended, but this weekend’s games should help solve that. Let’s jump right into today’s links!

Multiple Lions Make Team of the Matchday

Orlando City players Antoine Griezmann, Eduard Atuesta, Maxime Crepeau, and David Brekalo all made the MLS Team of the Matchday following the team’s 4-0 win on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes. Griezmann scored in his MLS debut, while Atuesta recorded three assists. Crepeau had seven saves to help secure the clean sheet alongside David Brekalo, who scored as well. It’s great to see the Lions so well represented after a midweek slate that featured plenty of strong performances.

Orlando City Prepares to Face Nashville SC

There’s not much time for rest for the Lions after that victory on the West Coast, as they are back in action on Saturday with a home game against Nashville SC. Griezmann looked as advertised in that road win and his performance was one of the highlights from the midweek games. While it’s not the largest sample size, Orlando looked transformed with Griezmann on the field. Hopefully the Lions can keep the momentum rolling at home against Nashville, which has only lost once all season. It’ll be a tough match for Orlando, but it will also be a great opportunity to make a statement about where the team is headed.

Orlando Pride Take On the Chicago Stars Tonight

The Orlando Pride have had a week to reset and prepare for tonight’s match at home against the Chicago Stars. Both teams have lost their past two games and will be without important forwards, as the Pride’s Barbra Banda is on international duty and Chicago’s Jordyn Huitema was recently placed on the season-ending injury list. Mallory Swanson is also listed as out on the availability report for Chicago. The Stars have only scored eight goals while conceding 30 this season, making this a solid chance for the Pride to claim a needed three points at home.

Barbra Banda Praises Marta Ahead of WAFCON

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is set to begin on Sunday in Morocco and Banda is prepared to captain Zambia for the tournament. She spoke on how Pride teammate and women’s soccer legend Marta has helped her become a better player.

“The motivation she gives me is something I can’t even describe. Every game we play, she always has a word for me,” Banda said.

“She has been my idol since I was young, and this is a great opportunity for me to keep learning, gain experience and improve my game. I’m always following her closely because I want to learn something from her.”

Zambia is in a tough group against Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi, with only the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The stakes are fairly high in each game, as the semifinalists of the tournament will directly qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Zambia’s first match is set for Tuesday against Egypt.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Hugo Cuypers, who was tied for the MLS Golden Boot lead with 13 goals so far this season, was officially transferred from the Chicago Fire to CF Monterrey for a reported transfer fee of $7.5 million. It’s a bit low for one of the league’s best forwards, but it does open up a Designated Player spot for Chicago. American midfielder Sebastian Berhalter may also be leaving the league, as the Vancouver Whitecaps are reportedly close to transferring him to Middlesbrough for a fee around $2 million.

🇺🇸🔴 BREAKING: Middlesbrough is set to sign USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter from the Vancouver Whitecaps, per sources.

Deal agreed. Berhalter off to Boro.

Fee around $2m, rather than Berhalter leaving for free in 5 months when contract expires. https://t.co/bMlKvumSee

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) July 23, 2026

As for the ever escalating arms race by Eastern Conference teams, Atlanta United is reportedly targeting big names like Darwin Nunez and Breel Embolo as possible replacements for Emmanuel Latte Lath, who notably didn’t play on Wednesday. The New England Revolution are also reportedly looking to add some firepower and are nearing a deal for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 BREAKING: New England Revolution are nearing a deal to sign English winger Jack Harrison from Leeds United, per sources.Harrison will join Revs as a DP.The 29-year-old made 219 apps for Leeds. Spent second half of last season on loan at Fiorentinawww.nytimes.com/athletic/746…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-23T12:25:14.233Z

Free Kicks

• Orlando City forward Justin Ellis was noted as a young American player who impressed this week for his role in Orlando’s win, in which he provided both a primary and a secondary assist.
• The club announced that Inter&Co Stadium has been renamed to Inter.co Stadium. Ampersand fanatics are in shambles.
• An agreement to key terms of a collective bargaining agreement has been reached between the USL Super League and the USL Players Association. The tentative agreement still needs to be ratified, but it would be the league’s first collective bargaining agreement.
• Former MLS and U.S. Soccer star Eddie Pope was named MLS Senior Vice President of Sporting Development and MLS NEXT Pro Senior Vice President of Competition & Operations.
• Enjoy this graphic showcasing the tenures of the managers in the English Premier League. It’s a bit crazy that half of them haven’t been with the club for over a year.

Half of Premier League managers have been in the role for less than a year, with Mikel Arteta now the longest-serving head coach 😮

Alex Ferguson was Man United manager for 9,691 days. The 20 current PL bosses have been in their posts for a combined 10,679 days 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4X7M5oW4sY

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 23, 2026

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